Dress

Tunisian-born French designer Azzedine Alaïa was well known for pairing sophisticated couture skills with influences of traditional, regional or ritual dressing codes. This poplin shirtdress in particular references the symbols and rituals of the Catholic Church. The style of the shirtdress with an elastic drawstring recalls the empirical line of baptismal gowns or the habits typically worn by nuns and nurses. The bib-shaped placket also recalls a nun’s habit. The poplin or broadcloth is a typically humble material, symbolizing nuns’ piety, and contrasts with the luxurious mousseline insets and the mother-of-pearl buttons, which are more festive and more in line with baptismal gowns.

Baptism, the Holy Sacrament of rebirth in the Catholic Church, is usually expressed by washing or marking with water: upon entering the church, Christians make the sign of the cross with holy water, a ritual blessing. The sheerness of the crosses mirrors the invisible tracing of the shape of a cross on one’s own body, which, in turn echoes the shape of the cross of the Christian crucifixion narrative.