Lady Curzon's Peacock Dress: Euphemism For India's Freedom Struggle

In 1903, a resplendent Lady Mary Curzon, the Vicereine of India, made heads turn at the second Delhi Durbar, organised in commemoration of the 1902 Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. She arrived in an opulent gown embodying a masterpiece of craftsmanship, intricately hand-embroidered with shimmery beads and beetlewing studs. The design featured cascades of gold and silver peacock feathers hugging the skirt, referencing the Peacock Throne that originally stood in the Diwan-I-Khas, where the ball took place. 

The dress weighed about 4.5 kilograms, aptly symbolising the grandiosity of the event, an occasion for the high society of the time to flaunt their wealth and status. The same wealth and status that was stripped away from the Indian people under British rule. The gown is now tucked away in a glass box at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire.

The Controversial Peacock Dress

The creator of Lady Curzon's 'Peacock Dress' is recorded as Jean-Philippe Worth, the son of the pioneering fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth, in Paris. However, it encompassed the manual expertise of several zardozi craftsmen in India, reportedly from the workshop of Kishan Chand in Delhi.

The Indian artisans embroidered panels of chiffon and shipped them to France, where it was assembled and shipped back to India, right in time for the Delhi Durbar. The peacocks replicated the jewelled throne, originally made for Shah Jahan in the early 17th century but looted during the Persian invasion in 1739.

A replica of the said throne was destroyed during the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, making the dress' peacock feather design poignantly figurative. The gown is a symbol of the British hegemony and hierarchy in India, representing how the colonisers exploited Indian resources and labour for their selfish displays of power.

Lady Curzon was an essential figure in introducing Indian craftsmanship into Western fashion. Following the Peacock Dress, the demand for Jean-Philippe Worth's rendition of these traditional embroideries grew exponentially in English fashion. To this day, the dress is a focal point of debate regarding cultural appreciation versus appropriation. 

Present-Day Contention

Decades later, the glamour of the Peacock Dress continues to fascinate fashion enthusiasts. In the early 2010s, an English sartorial historian, Cathy Hay, set out on a mission to singlehandedly recreate the dress as a study and a way to raise funds for charity. She began documenting the process on her blog, quickly garnering worldwide attention.

Hay's project culminated in over a decade of hard work until cancel culture got a hold of her. Accusations of cultural insensitivity and disregard for the 'other side of history' arose, leaving her at the centre of a heated debate between the artistic face of fashion and the ethical considerations surrounding colonial symbols.

The Peacock Dress is Cancelled. I don't get it.

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The discourse extended to education systems, particularly in Britain, where critiques highlighted the tendency to gloss over the less savoury aspects of colonial history. Around 2021, the fashion content creator declared the end of her project, as critics argued the need to address the darker legacies of colonialism. 

In essence, the Peacock Dress stands as more than just a piece of clothing; it encompasses a complex web of historical, cultural, and socio-political narratives. While undoubtedly stunning, the attire emphasised the power dynamics and inequalities of the colonial period, a painful reminder of the oppression and exploitation of Indians.