A King Named Tut and His Influence on Fashion

It’s not every day that archaeology and fashion collide, but they did on November 4, 1922, when Howard Carter, an intrepid Brit, discovered the tomb of the boy king, Tutankhamun. Not only did Carter open a window on ancient history, but he unwittingly unleashed Tutmania upon a world that was soon gilded and embellished with neo-Egyptian motifs. It’s a spell that’s never really been broken, and under which costume and fashion designers have tended to fall. Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra is unforgettable, as is Dior’s take on the land of the Nile. For spring 2015, designers like Dries Van Noten and Fausto Puglisi looked eastward for inspiration; the latter adding some new strut to the look of Tut.