• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.723-730
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to speculate on the history and the meaning of so-called "princess fashion" based on the feminist's viewpoint. While many designers in Korean fashion world have fostered the trend of princess fashion, relatively little insight has been developed regarding its socio-cultural meanings. For this problem, the researcher traced the historical background and the development of the princess fashion in both the western and the Korean fashion world. As a case of the princess fashion study, Andre Kim(a renowned Korean designer)'s collection was selected and analyzed since he has often been a central figure for the princess fashion trends in Korea. Here the operational definition of the princess fashion is the lavish dresses designed based on the western court dress styles. As a result, the researcher found that the princess fashion was originated from the eighteenth century in France. In the nineteenth century, male designers took over the role to make extravagant dresses such as empire and crinoline dresses which became the prototypes for the princess fashion. In Korea, the western court dress style was introduced at the end of the nineteenth century and it became a uniform of prostitutes during the Korean War. By analyzing Andre Kim's collection, it is found that his romantic dresses imitated the nineteenth century court dresses. Therefore, from the feminist's viewpoint, his princess fashion is a mere reproduction of anachronistic styles reflecting inferior and passive images of women. The researcher draws a conclusion that today's fashion should transcend the princess fashion that signifies the female's submissive-masochistic roles operated by the male's sexual expectation.