• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1177-1192
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• 2011

As a free creature that can fly in the sky, the bird has been an object of admiration and mystery and a mediator between human beings and the heavens. This study aims to clarify the aesthetic value of birds through study of the various expressions of the bird image on clothing and by the formative will of designers. Based on the general examination of the bird image through the study of documents, this study is composed of a case analysis, which reveals on modern fashion designs. Additionally, the forms of expression of the bird image are organized according to the stereoscopic expression of shaping, the relief expression of handicraft decoration, the flat expression of surface design, and the characteristic expression of wings and feathers. The aesthetic characteristics revealed by the expression patterns are metaphorical symbolism, surrealistic humor, lyrical naturalness, and fantastical femininity. Since antiquity, the bird image continuously recreated by artists has offered aesthetic value in terms of formativeness in the external form and symbolism in the internal form. This study would help to understand the diversity of creation in contemporary fashion design.