Style from the Nile

Book excerpt: A compelling look at the influence of ancient Egypt on modern fashion, by a dress, textile, and decorative arts historian—includes illustrations. In November 1922, when the combined efforts of Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon revealed to the world the “wonderful things” buried in Tutankhamen’s tomb, Egypt had already been a source for new trends in fashion for quite some time. In the early nineteenth century, for example, Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign contributed to the popularization of Kashmir shawls, while the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869 stimulated “Egyptianizing” trends in gowns, jewelry, and textiles. But post-1922, a veritable Egyptomania craze invested all artistic fields, quickly becoming a dominant Art Deco motif. That included fashion. “Flapper-style” dresses were elaborately embroidered with beaded “Egyptian” patterns; evening bags were decorated with hieroglyphics; brooches nonchalantly sported ancient scarabs; and the sleek black bobs favored by the admired icons of the time, Louise Brooks and Clara Bow, looked up to the fabled Egyptian beauty of Nefertiti and Cleopatra. Egyptomania continues to influence twenty-first-century fashion as well: the awe-inspiring John Galliano’s designs for Dior Spring-Summer 2004 brought back pharaonic crowns in lieu of headdresses in a triumph of gold-encrusted creations; the ancient practice of mummification was referenced by Iris van Herpen’s Fall 2009 collection; and Egyptian vibes resonated in Chanel’s Métiers d’Art 2018/2019 collection. Through the combination of rigorous fashion history research, intriguing images, and well-informed, approachable writing, Style from the Nile offers a comprehensive overview of a phenomenon that, to this day, has a mesmerizing appeal.