Drawing on the Israel Museum's extensive collection of Jewish dress, the largest of its kind worldwide and dating from the late nineteenth century to the present, this colourful volume explores Jewish dress and its fashions, history and development in Jewish communities across the globe, in particular those established for centuries in the Middle East, North Africa and East Europe. It makes a special point of analysing the interaction of Jewish costume with that of surrounding cultures and its consequent development. Written for a broad audience, the book addresses specific questions like the impact of religious requirements in matters of dress and appearance, such as the need for married women to cover their hair and the myriad forms of head covering and decoration that this stricture has given rise to. An entire section is dedicated to the different forms of dress and jewelry worn by brides and grooms throughout Jewish communities on the day of their marriage and related customs such as the decorative painting of the bride with henna. Lavish images of specific garments, accompanied by detailed descriptions, are juxtaposed with rare contextual photographs from the Museum's archives, attesting to individual and communal taste and offering a wonderful source of inspiration for modern day fashion designers. The Israel Museum's collection of Jewish dress contains unique examples from the rich history of Jewish communities on five continents. It is a holding of singular depth and breadth, ranging from Morocco to Bukhara. A number of these costumes have never been published before. For the first time, the present publication explores important issues of Jewish dress in a comparative thematic fashion and in a cross cultural way, offering a deeper understanding of the multi faceted nature of Jewish dress. It also contributes to the knowledge of fashion history and with its close up images of details, broderies, and textiles it will be of great interest for contemporary fashion designers.
