Ethnic Minimalism

4

Ethnic Minimalism: A Strand

of 1990s British Fashion

Identity Explored via a

Contextual Analysis of

Designs by Shirin Guild

Amy de la Haye

In ‘The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion’ exhibition staged at the
Victoria & Albert Museum in 1997, four key themes of post-war national
fashion identity were identified: Romantic, Tailoring, Country and Bohemian.
The latter category embraced the work of designers that drew upon classical
and medieval revival styles and ethnographic sources. The striking, mainly
exuberant exhibits included ensembles by Thea Porter, Yuki, Zandra Rhodes,
Mr Fish, Charles & Patricia Lester and Georgina von Etzdorf. Remarkable
for its understatement was a layered linen ensemble in a neutral palette
consisting of an ‘Abba coat’, jacket and vest, teamed with linen trousers
incorporating an apron front by Shirin Guild for Spring/Summer 1996. The
coat was derived from the black gauze holy garment worn by Iranian men,
whilst the trousers referred to the habit of peasant women to wear skirts
and dresses over their trousers to obtain maximum protection from the harsh
climate.
This article defines and sites Shirin Guild’s work within the contexts of
dress reform, avant-garde clothes, British fashion and minimal design in the
twentieth century. It also analyses the designer’s inspiration from her own
clothing traditions in relation to the broader 1990s vogue for cross-cultural
references within international fashion.