Project Text Outline // Josephine Baker
Sentimental Object: “away from the spotlight” showgirl costume; an experimentation of materials that takes inspiration from the banana skirt that showcases Josephine Baker’s legendary life story.
Main Concept: A glamorous costume based on Josephine Baker’s famous banana skirt from her performance danse sauvage. From a distance, the costume shows the glamour and boldness of Baker’s performing style, but from a closer observation, traces of her tragic childhood and hidden life can be shown underneath, conveying a juxtaposition of Josephine Baker’s celebrity-like lifestyle under the spotlight and the secrets that she kept from the audience.
We will be looking at primary sources from interviews with Josephine Baker conducted by The Guardian in 1974, as well as one of Josephine’s adopted sons’ written biography about her, to get a sense of what Josephine Baker was really like back in her days. We want to contrast what Josephine portrayed herself on stage with the girl from Missouri who’s hidden underneath the glamour, and the stories behind her becoming of an outspoken activist who still leaves her influence on modern fashion and culture.
