Silhouettes of the Soul

Otto von Busch is Associate Professor of Integrated Design at Parsons School of Design, The New School, USA. He is the author of The Psychopolitics of Fashion (Bloomsbury, 2019).Jeanine Viau is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Central Florida, USA.

An exciting and refreshing take on the relationship between religion and fashion through an exploration of “deep dress.” Silhouettes of the Soul moves beyond the Christo-centrism prominent in the study of religious dress to highlight a diverse range of religions and religious people from queer Buddhist monks to the Muslim modest fashion movement to religious robes in ancient India. This is a great book for students of fashion and curious readers alike.

• List of Illustrations List of Contributors IntroductionOtto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA)Section One: Interfacing the DivineSection One Introduction by Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA)1. The Future Body as Ultimate Dress Fiona Dieffenbacher (Parsons School of Design, USA)2. No One Can Tell: On the Silent Glamour of Meher Baba Nicola Masciandaro (Brooklyn College, CUNY, USA)3. Embodiments of Shakti: Cosmic Power Displayed by Kumaris, Incarnate Goddesses of NepalLiz Wilson (Miami University of Ohio, USA)4. Interview with Kodo Nishimura Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Mark Larrimore (The New School, USA)Section Two: Practices of Emulation and TransformationSection Two Introduction by Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA)5. Naked or Nude? Reading the Threads, the Bare and the Threadbare in Ancient Indian Religion Joseph Walser (Tufts University, USA)6. Empowered Entrepreneurs: Women of Muslim Faith and the Modest Fashion Movement in the U.S. Hassanah El-Yacoubi (University of California Riverside, USA)7. Fashioning the Subject: Black Queerness, Identity, and an Ethic of Honor Benae Beamon (Bucknell University, USA)8. From the Medieval Christ to Fashion’s Heroin Chic: The Sublime Emulation of the Emaciated Paradigm in Secular and Religious Iconography Tanya White (Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada)9. In and Out of One Another’s Closets: A Dialogue Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA) with Shekinah Morrison (University of Central Florida, USA)Section Three: The Radiance of the ConcealedSection Three Introduction by Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA) and Jeanine Viau (University of Central Florida, USA)10. Making Islamic Masculinities: Clothing Traditions in African American Islam Michael Muhammad Knight (University of Central Florida, USA)11. Holly Woodlawn, Trash Queen: Queer Agency and Resistance in the Pursuit of Glamour Jared Vázquez (University of Denver, USA)12. Fashioning A Glamour: Magical Embodiment in Contemporary Witchcraft Kristen J. Sollée (The New School, USA)13. Interview with Damcho Otto von Busch (Parsons School of Design, USA)Index