Fashion transformation Portuguese fashion dictate Sri Lankan fashion arena

Abstract

Priyanka Virajini Medagedara Karunaratne The cultural determinations of different visual priorities of dresses make carvings and mural during the 16th Century in Sri Lanka visualized on earlier dress and dressing visions of the country during a period that intensified Sri Lankan Portuguese cultural exchanges. This period seems having various social, cultural and political impulses that energized varieties of dress strategies. Historical research of this nature demands working across cultural and economic contexts and, making the dress categories Sri Lankan and foreign too absolute, it is requires that historical exploration of what is now established as contemporary dress in Sri Lanka. According to the linear theory of social change the concept of western would be identified as a gate way to the concept of modernity. These two concepts were instrumental in forming the base of ideologies of fashion movement of royal clan during the Kotte period in Sri Lanka. The exclusive fashion line of the royalty has changed after the Portuguese invasion during the period of 1505. Sri Lankan Kings adopted western stitched long sleeved loose jacket with clinging draped cloth. The Queens too adopted western long stitched dress. Succeeding era, the Kings changed their lower unstitched cloth to a stitched pantaloons followed by the Portuguese Kings. This paper explores, in what ways the outfit accentuates the idea of changing contemporary new notions of dress composition which entails a linear movement in Sri Lanka. The results shows that Sri Lankan fashion is made up of rich set of possible combinations (tradition and modernity) which entails authentic individuation of an outfit. Qualitative method was adopted for the research. Data for this research was gathered from original historical literary records, texts, illustrations, temple murals and carvings. Systematic sequence of observational studies was carried out to gather, sort and analyze data. Validity data were confirmed with cross checking with literary sources.