Stepping into
the Stibbert Museum in Florence (more at: http://www.museostibbert.it/en) was like visiting Bruce Wayne’s Mansion; the Museum exhibits
a collection full of weapons and armors from different regions. Taking a closer look to the details these
pieces of art presented is like finding an endless source of inspiration for surface design
and jewelry.
In fact a lot
of the techniques utilized in jewelry can be seen in the embellishment of the
protective pieces from medieval times: gilding and silvering, incrusting,
enamel, embossing, engraving and rich pointillism decorations among others.
During this
visual explosion of ornamentation we can also spot out the cultural differences
among the idea of being a warrior. Both visions aiming to get a superior protection and energy while in the battle to defeat the enemy; while
the western view was rich on heraldic symbols expressing nobility often accompanied
by crosses to get the help of a divine source that is not tangible; the Asian
vision focused more on nature inspired motifs including mythical dragons and fierce birds and
felines taking the protection from the mighty surroundings.
The richness
in material and decorations also ranked the hierarchy of the warrior; being the more luxurious and heavy garments destined
to the Leaders, to show not only power but also position in society gained as a
consequence of an outstanding history in the battle field. So the idea
of dressing to play the part is nothing new at all, in the end who would have
felt threatened by a poor-looking General?
Isn’t that something similar to what we do when dressing up for a job interview or when presenting to a board of directors? In our own way we also look for the perfect outfit to win the battle. Fashion has, as a coin, two sides, the functional (protective armors) and a psychological (first impressions) that can be very powerful.
Like it or not, people judge the way we look; and the result of the first impression can lead the rest of the battle.
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