First Nations Inspiration

Inspiration doesn't have to come from blogs, magazines or the streets. Don't get me wrong, people-watching is one of my favourite pass-times and I practically live in the magazine sections of the bookstores surrounding Ryerson. However, my favourite place to satisfy my urge for inspiration is the ROM (see my last post on the Maximalist Printed Fashion exhibit if you haven't already). It is free on Tuesday for students, so I make it over there quite a bit. It is large enough to visit frequently and still not see the same things twice. And there is a surprisingly large amount of fashion-related artifacts. Wandering the permanent Canadian First-Nations collection, I found myself planning my quick-escape to steal many pieces for myself. In the end, I opted for some photos instead. 

War of 1812 Jacket.

 Quill-work got replaced with bead-work after trade began with European settlers. The intricacy of the designs rivals the ateliers of the paris couture houses.

 This feathered jacket is made of duck skins with the feathers still in-tact. Never seen this done before.

This headdress speaks for itself. The profile angle did it the best justice. 

The glass separating me form the objects continues to pose challenges with glare. I tried to capture the objects from the most interesting angle which showed them off to their full glory. Again, the glass in the way made this hard... ideally I would model the amazing pieces and do a proper fashion shoot, but for now these shots are all I've got.