6. Historic Designer Inspirations and Future Fashions:

For designers who still view designing for disabilities as unthinkable and non-creative, a look to the past can inspire. Charles F. Worth’s back bustle appears to disable its wearers, yet in context, it actually increases ability to move because the sides were slimmed for walking and the bustle collapsed for sitting.²³ Worth’s shocking move away from huge crinoline hoop skirts shows his creativity in designing-to-enable.²⁴ Many fashion designers have stunned audiences with garments that inspire inclusiveness: Chanel’s comfortable high hip jackets in jersey fabric; Adrian’s dolman sleeves; Issey Miyake’s expanding pleats; and Alexander McQueen’s embrace of differently able fashion models. Historically, sportswear has enabled movement, and fashion designers can also adapt these functional aspects into other categories of fashion in fabrics for day and evening attire.

Fashion designers break boundaries of their time by setting challenges for themselves to push beyond conventional thinking about bodies, movement, human and animal rights, earth-protection, all with fashionable responses. The time is right for adding disability awareness and inclusion to the list of worthy challenges. Designing-to-enable requires no new skills, only a new attitude—inclusion.

Notes

1M Field and A Jette (eds), and the Institute of Medicine (U.S.) with the Committee on Disability in America: A New Look, The Future of Disability in America, The National Academies Press, Washington D.C., 2007, pp.69.

2 B Bjorkland and H Bee, The Journey of Adulthood, Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2008, p. 72.

3 J Clarkson, Inclusive Design: Design for the Whole Population, Springer, New York, 2003. [General idea of the entire book.]

4 L Olson, Logan’s Magazine, viewed 14 August 2010 <http://www.logansmagazine.com>; Chloe Magazine, viewed 14 August 2010, <http://www.chloemagazine.com/>; L Shomer, Chairman, Abilities Expo: Show Directory and Buyer’s Guide, LA Convention, May 2009.

5 P Tortura, and K Eubank, Survey of Historic Costume: A History of Western Dress. 4^th edn, Fairchild, New York, 2005; W Flower, Fashion in Deformity, as Illustrated in the Customs of Barbarous and Civilised Races, Macmillian Nature Series, London, 1881.

6 U Eco (ed) and A McEwan (trans), The History of Beauty, 2nd edn, Rizzoli, New York, 2005, pp. 8-51.

7 U Eco, op. cit.; S Orbach, Bodies, Profile Books, London, 2009. [General idea of the entire book.]

8 J Cassim, ‘Image, Ability’ in Adorn, Equip, created 2001, viewed 12 Sept. 2010, <http://www.adornequip.co.uk/juless.htm>.

9 B Breed, From Scorn to Dignity: A Brief History of Disability, European Publications Limited, 2008. [General idea of the entire book.]

10 M Conway, Occupational Therapy and Inclusive Design: Principles for Practice, Blackwell Publishing, United Kingdom, 2008.

11 S Kaiser, S Wingate, C Freeman, and J Chandler, ‘Acceptance of Physical Disability and Attitudes Toward Personal Appearance’, Rehabilitation Psychology, vol. 32, 1987, pp. 51-58.

12 S Kaiser, C Freeman, and S Wingate, ‘Stigmata and Negotiated Outcomes: Management of Apperance by Persons with Physical Disabilities’, Deviant Behavior, vol. 6, 1985, pp. 205-224.

13 N MacDonald, R Majumder, and P Bua-Iam, ‘Apparel Acquisition for Consumers with Disabilities: Purchasing Practices and Barriers to Shopping’, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, vol. 12, no. 2, 1994, pp.38-45.

14 K Barreda, ‘Designer Showcase Fashion in Anaheim’, Chloe Magazine, 7 June 2010, viewed 8 August 2010, <http://www.chloemagazine.com/ index.php?/beauty-and-fashion-style/designers-showcase-fashion-in-anaheim.html>.

15 J Silver, Personal interview May 2^nd at L.A. Abilities Expo, Ag Apparel.

16 L Olson, op. cit.; Chloe Magazine op. cit.

17 L Olson, ‘Living Out Loud: Fashion Where?’, Logan’s Magazine, Spring 2008, pp. 24-25.

18 G Pullin, Design Meets Disability, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2009, pp. 29-35; J Cassim, op. cit.

19 G Bellafante, ‘Plus-Sized Wars’, New York Times, 28 July 2010, viewed 2 August 2010, <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/magazine/ 01plussize-t.html?_r=1andth=pagewanted=print>.

20 M Long, ‘An Evening with Betsy Johnson’, in Choe Magazine, 12 March, 2010, viewed 8 August 2010, <http://www.chloemagazine.com/index.php?/ beauty-and-fashion/fashion-and-style/>.

21 C Freedman, S Kaiser, and S Wingate, ‘Perceptions of Functional Clothing by Persons with Physical Disabilities: A Social-cognitive Framework’, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, vol. 4 (1), 1985, pp. 46-52; L Fiedler, Freaks: Myths and Images of the Secret Self, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1978.

22 Visite, extant garment, accession no.1995.05.01, University of California, Davis, Design Museum, studied 2010.

23 D de Marly, The History of Haute Couture, 1850-1950, Holmes and Meier, New York, 1980, pp. 11-40.

²⁴ Ibid.

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