Under the Native American Influence

Growing up, my family and I took month long road trips all over America exploring our nation's many splendid wonders. Most often, we would travel West, as my grandmother and mother had a crazy obsession with the American Western Frontier. I completely blame these trips for my obsession with Native American culture and history.

When my grandmother past away 5 years ago, she left me one precious thing: Her jewelry. Though it was never extravagant or expensive, it always meant something. My grandmother, though originally from Paris, was a traveler who loved to see the world. But nothing astounded her more than the art and design of the Navajo. In particular, I cherish an ornate silver and turquoise bracelet. I often find myself picking out entire outfits around this bracelet and many of my grandmother's other beautiful pieces. Oh how they may not be worth much to others, but they are worth the world to me.

I think the influence of Native American art is far more extensive in history and fashion than we pay attention to. This is especially true in art deco which drew a lot of its base from not only Native American pieces but many ancient Egyptian and Greek styles as well using very geometric symbols for everyday objects. It was also very present in the fashion of the 1970s which is how my mother became first acquainted with it.