the white shirt
Querschnitt Fotos: Christian Leitner
Querschnitt Fotos: Verena Ritzengruber
Fotos 1 & 9: Mira Loew
When modernity dawned on the world and rationality and science set their light in people's minds, black and white started to fade to a million different shades of grey. The encrusted, rigid towers of set morals, values and truths crumbled piece by piece. Reason fought its way into the highness of church and throne and slowly tore apart the breath taking corset that held the people in their place. What is good and true, what is wrong and bad? The view of the world ever widened to different opinions, reality and its perception became individual.
Free from the tight corset of answers we nearly tumble under the overwhelming complexity of questions and questionable layers of reality and truth. What do you believe and why should you think it's true?
The white shirt is like the white canvas you spill your different, individual ideas and values over. As the most original of clothing, the german word „Hemd“ comes from the term „to cover, to cloth“. The white shirt is a sign of prosperity and non-manual work (white-collar worker – blue-collar worker) and formal wear.
It is a true classic – is it really? What makes it classic and how far can it be altered and still be perceived as The White Shirt? Is it rather men's or women's wear and what's the difference? How far can this difference be blurred? Can the male connotations of seriousness and respectability be transferred to women's wear and still be female? How far can the formal white shirt be adapted to an individual style and still stay within the boundaries? And where are those?
Free from the tight corset of answers we nearly tumble under the overwhelming complexity of questions and questionable layers of reality and truth. What do you believe and why should you think it's true?
The white shirt is like the white canvas you spill your different, individual ideas and values over. As the most original of clothing, the german word „Hemd“ comes from the term „to cover, to cloth“. The white shirt is a sign of prosperity and non-manual work (white-collar worker – blue-collar worker) and formal wear.
It is a true classic – is it really? What makes it classic and how far can it be altered and still be perceived as The White Shirt? Is it rather men's or women's wear and what's the difference? How far can this difference be blurred? Can the male connotations of seriousness and respectability be transferred to women's wear and still be female? How far can the formal white shirt be adapted to an individual style and still stay within the boundaries? And where are those?
