ARTISTRY
68. Culture Filter
Anyone who hears the word poncho has an
immediate image in her mind of what it is. The
poncho was used very strategically in Ugly Betty,
a television sitcom that revolved around the fash
ion world and a Mexican American family. His
torically, the poncho has never really been able
to gain a foothold as a definitively fashionable
garment. but it does have a direct connection to
Mexican folk culture. One of the first times the
character of Betty Suarez is on-screen within the
context of the fashion world, she is wearing a
decidedly Mexican poncho. If we weren't certain
of its origin, the word Guadalajara emblazoned
across the front of it informs us immediately.
There is also an interplay with a very glamorous
character who is wearing a designer's interpre
tation of a poncho that brings the point home
that Betty is not stylish. Used as a storytelling
tool in entertainment, a stereotype straddles the
border between humor and good taste, and that
is exactly the same line that designers must be
conscious of navigating when embracing cultural
symbols as part of their concept.
Some designers shy away from incorporating
elements from their own cultural background
because they fear being stereotyped. Others
avoid any direct cultural references because they
cannot see beyond the folk costume. A designer
must stretch, reaching beyond the expected, but
not bypass the ethnic and cultural symbolism
associated with the garment. Fashion can use the
idea of a stereotype as a starting point, and let
the idea evolve into a completely new expression
of the source.
142 Fashion Design Essentials
Inuit poncho from Iris Apfel
private collection
