Elements from the natural world, especially animals, have long been an inspiration in fashion. Designers will sometimes base entire collections off an aspect of nature or different animals. Even when they don’t, the shape, flow, patterns, and colors of designs can often be traced back to nature. From tiger-like stripes to a sheer blue skirt resembling water, nature and animals can be found everywhere in fashion.
However, one animal tends to appear more often than the rest.
Inspiration from birds can typically be found at least once in designer collections. Sometimes it’s obvious with feathers, but other times it’s more subtle. It could be a high collar with a few ruffles imitating bird species that have accentuated neck feathers. It could also be a color scheme often associated with certain birds.
This year’s spring/summer haute couture collections especially featured numerous avian- inspired elements. Practically the entire collection from Schaperelli was based on different birds of paradise. Valentino’s designs, while quite grand, had a more subdued bird influence.. Several of their collections’ designs included extravagant collars resembling Elizabethan-era fashion. The influence of birds over Chanel was also subtle, only showing itself in a few of their high-feathered collars.
Avian influence over the arts has historically extended far beyond fashion. In literature, birds have served more generally as a symbol for women. One of the most famous examples of this appears in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. During the Victorian era–when Jane Eyre was published–it was very common to keep birds as pets. They would be trapped in small cages and used as decoration more than a pet. According to an essay published by Washington State University’s Jacey Anderson, “Charlotte Brontë communicates female empowerment within Jane Eyre, specifically through a reversal of the traditional dynamic between birds and Victorians…Saying that she as a woman connects with birds.”
Another example of women being represented through birds comes from Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Author Madelyn Rose Craig writes that Lady Macbeth–the main character’s wife–“refers to herself as a wren who, though a tiny bird, “will fight.’”
Both Shakespeare and Brontë, two of the most influential English writers in history, have turned birds into a symbol for women. Today, we can see how this representation has influenced not just other writers, but fashion designers as well. With birds being associated with femininity, female grace, and female empowerment, designers, whether consciously or unconsciously, continue to incorporate avian influences into their collections.
