The Gypsy culture affecting Lacroix

The Gypsy

The Romani/ Gypsy dispersed with their largest concentrated populations in Europe espicially the Roma of Central and Eastern Europe with more recent diaspora populations in the Americas and, to a lesser extent, in other parts of the world.

The Romani are also called as Gypsy as they were fist misunderstand by the european as the Egyptian. However, they think this is a discrimination, and they think they are the off-spring of Roman.

They are knowed as a group of people with mystery, where they know augury and work as the dancer/prostitute to entertain the european nobles in the 15th century.They are also called the starter of the flamenco.

(ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people)


The Gypsy women


The style/ look of the Gypsy women is long curly hair, with a fringed headscarf/Bandana, hoop earring, large matel bracelet /bangle, metal/silver necklace...

And their clothes are in vibrant colour, with various hue with high chroma.

Patterned skirts in textured fabrics with golden/matel trimming, embroidery farbric, chiffon long dress,gypsy blouses, waist cinchers, scarves, shawls and sashes , bolero (something like the short bolero wear by the bull-fighter) are also the charactice of Gypsy women....
It has once been very popular as a halloween dress up in mid- 19th centry....


(ref:http://hk.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=7007051701789)

We can see that the Gypsy style is alway using the principle of novelty, which is not a natural colour, like gold, fuchsia, lime yellow, violet,magenta....which can easily catch people' s attention, as the Gypsy, that I mentioned before the culture of them are work as a dance, an entertainer...that's why a performer will dress as eyecatching as they can...//

The Gypsy in 19th centry, by La Traviata

In the above video, we can see the clothes of the gypsy women..

usually are red and black with golden trimming...just like the dress worn by flamenco dancers..

As Christian Lacroix love the Spanish culture, and the theatre and like watching musical and opera, where some musical like Carmen/La Traviata ...these kind of musical 's background is in the 18th/ 19th century of europe nobles.. thus , we can also see Lacroix's collection has the element of Gypsy culture...

Spring 2008 Couture

Spring 2009 Couture

The above , Lacroix use the principle of novelty, to catch the eye of the audience...by using blue, fuchsia and violet, gold with red....this shows how he affected by the Gypsy...