It is not enough to copy forms of Arab and Ottoman artworks ‒ artists must “re-create” them in the cauldron of their sensibility and in the context of their times.(Paraphrasing Jean-Marcel Humbert)
The influence of Orientalism was evident in European fashion throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first changes were seen in the motifs used in jewellery before they became evident in clothing as the century progressed. The straight tunics worn in the Arab and Ottoman world influenced women’s clothing, the straight cut, and natural waists representing a change to the shape of Western women’s dress which had previously featured corsets and crinolines. This new, more natural shape was developed by a number of different designers and dressmakers. One such designer was Mariano Fortuny, whose Orientalism-inspired textile designs and garments, such as tunics or capes and coats similar to Bedouin cloaks, had a major impact on European fashion in the early 20th century.