Name/Title
Six Branch Dress Chest Panel (Late 20th Century)Entry/Object ID
2024.11.006Tags
Pop-up ExhibitionDescription
This is a contemporary chest panel of a six branch dress, most likely produced during the 1980s or 1990s. In Palestinian culture, it is and was frowned upon to discard of embroidery even when the rest of the dress was in tatters. Palestinian women cut the embroidered fabric sections and repurposed them for pillowcases, or framed it, as with this piece.
During the late 1960s, Palestinians revived the "six branch dress" style, named after the six vertical bands of embroidery that ran from waist to hem. This style of dress had been practiced prior to 1948 using traditional motifs that represented village styles. However, its reemergence during the mid-twentieth century showcased curvilinear motifs or branches of birds, as shown in this dress. In its widespread popularity during the 1960s, this dress became the first post-1948 style to evolve without being tied to an established regional style. The patterns in the “branches” were primarily European, however the style grew over the decades to include more traditional motifs. The beauty of the "six branch dress" was that the design structure allowed one to embroider the "branches" to reflect one's own economic necessities: very thin if times were hard, broadening the panels as small luxuries became possible.
