![]() Traditions around black Andromeda are however a bit of a mixed bag. This is not the only tradition available to follow. Nonetheless, they did conceive of the Ethiopians as dark skinned (and extremely attractive) - even the name 'Aethiops' implies dark skin.Ībove, Edward Burne-Jones in the 19th century followed the same tradition, making much of the contrast of light and dark in his Perseus Series. They imagined Ethiopians living at the far regions of the earth in both Africa and Asia – where the sun sets and rises. ![]() The ancient Greeks' concept of Ethiopia does not exactly correspond to the modern nation state of that name. In this example below, we can see that the vase painter has prioritised the convention of depicting women using white slip, even when applying it to Andromeda, princess of Ethiopia. Modern illustrators are not alone in doing this however it's part of a long tradition of white Andromedas, largely begun by ancient Greek vase painters. In this post we'll look at the dual traditions of black and white Andromeda and at George O'Connor's refreshing depiction of her.Ībove, Tom Kindley's Heroes of the Night Sky is hugely creative although nonetheless Andromeda is depicted as very fair-skinned and blonde.ĭepicting Andromeda as a white woman can be seen as a missed opportunity to feature a diversity of skin tones and ethnicities in the representation of ancient Greek culture. Andromeda features quite frequently in modern children's literature, but it is noticeable how often she is depicted as being white. She's best known for being offered up as a sacrifice to the sea monster, Ketus, and being rescued by Perseus. And within Olympians – Andromeda!Īndromeda is a mythical Ethiopian princess, making her one of the explicitly non-Greek named characters of Greek mythology. It was an easy choice for me to decide what to focus on – Olympians – a series of graphic novels by New York artist George O'Connor – a series which has been one of the highlights of my work on the Our Mythical Childhood database of antiquity in modern young people's culture. But the designer also had a mission.This month I had the opportunity to contribute to an Our Mythical Childhood discussion of black history and classical reception in young people's culture, organised by the University of Roehampton's Professor Susan Deacy. Ferretti had moved seamlessly away from her more streamlined style of femininity, making the clothes seem more relaxed. And the shorter dresses, with their lacy inserts at the breast or waist, had a girlish freshness. ![]() This balance between old and new - a romantic delicacy with a new look for the red carpet - was beautifully done. And the faded florals, with perhaps a robin redbreast singing in the pattern’s center, were not silkscreen prints from the Old World but digital designs worked on a computer A floaty dress might be anchored with a crochet sweater. It expressed an almost medieval inspiration of damsels in sweet dress.īut this was no costume party. Fendi’s hand as an ultimate acknowledgement that this partnership, already in its second generation of the family, has reached a comfortable level of intimacy.Īlberta Ferretti also mixed long and short hemlines, with a clear focus on the ankle-length chiffon dresses in faded nature prints that wafted over silken or lacy underthings without a hint of the sexy or salacious.Īlthough the models sometimes wore big straw hats and always flat sandals, this show also took a long view, stretching farther back than the designer Ossie Clark’s re-interpretation of the 1930s in the 1970s or even to the turn-of-the-century haute Bohemia. So were the tiny details: the powder puffs of multi-colored fur on a mini cape the silken embroidered nylon seersucker and woven linen.Īs they took a joint bow, Mr. The meld of liquidity and geometry was key. And to balance every wispy floating dress, there were blocks of color on the accessories and even on a short skirt (although that was too sudden a jolt.) It included a panoply of modern dressing with choices of short skirts, tunics and pants. But the show, even with its full lantern sleeves, was not retro. There was a faint perfume of the 1950s in the belted calf-length dresses. ![]() Instead, the freshness and lightness, mixed with intense, yet almost invisible, handwork, tapped into a different vein: one of decency, respect for women and a gentle beauty. But this was not yet another wander through the Woodstock and 1970s trail that already has become a bore as a seasonal theme. The collection showed the designer’s softer side, with its loose, full sleeves, its draping skirts and sweet colors like mandarin, peach and Gitane blue.
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