Orientalist influences on the Western clothing fashion between 1880-1930

This study is a general survey on Orientalism and Orientalist affects on the Western Women's Clothing fashion. The study has been evaluated in three main sections which are place of Orientalism concept in art, Eastern views in western women clothing, and fashion designers that use Oriental elements of the East. In this study, a period between 1880-1930 is examined and affecting geographic region as East is mostly Near East which is mostly dominated by Islam and, covers Ottoman Empire borders, Egypt, Algeria and Arabic Peninsula. Far East is left out of concern of the study. In this survey, important points that affect West's recognition of East and spread of Orientalism have been pointed out. It has been tried to be explained that how expeditions, trips, letters, tales, international exhibitions and developments in art affected generation and configuration of Orientalism and examples are given in various arts. Because the East is so powerful and at the same time so exotic while it was seen as barbaric by westerners, sense of wonder was triggered and created the term, Orientalist. Orientalists, started to gather information about these cultures unlike itself to resolve this curiosity; Western artists created Orientalist works by using these information or by going to East and observe by themselves or by getting information from third party. In this study, works that are expressed as Orientalist have been searched for women clothing and Orientalist elements which are encountered often in the works of Orientalist painters, engraving masters, photographers, and illustrators are demonstrated. By researching how these fashion designers reflected these elements to their collections between 1880-1930, it has been reached to a conclusion that Orientalism as a fashion trend took place in a short period but was very active during its time.