‘Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves’; the fetishization of Romani fashion

Words by Arabella Green

As someone who adores flowing bohemian skirts, headscarves and hoop earrings, I’m aware that Romani style has been relevant throughout generations of fashion trends and is still highly influential.

The figure of the ‘Gypsy’ (a pejorative term hence the quote marks) is one that traditionally evokes a sense of escapism and liberty, living boldly on the fringes of constrictive, sterile society. A beautiful image but undoubtedly demeaning, fetishising, and shallow.

‘Romani woman in traditional dress’ by Konstanty Mańkowsk, 1887.

‘Gypsy’ fashion was categorised by Armani (when interviewed by the New York Times in 2008) as “fringing, lace, layering, decoration, multiple colours and patterns - all great tools for a designer to make an impact with”. The latter half of that statement is certainly uncomfortable. How odd to view an ethnic minority’s way of dress as a tool to ‘make an impact’ yet disregard the people themselves — and this difference between fascination/appreciation of minority cultures versus their objectification/appropriation is a common issue. 

Famously, the hippie counter-culture movement of the Sixties took inspiration from the loose, colourful clothing of the Romani (and also Native American styles) —  and successfully adopted the ‘vagrant and free’ mythologising connotations of the Romani people. This look is typified in the dress of Woodstock goers and rock icon Janis Joplin. Moving forward, the ‘bohemian’ look also suited the performative nonconformity and individualism of the Seventies. The fashion choices of Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks reflect this outward expression of freeness (and, funnily enough, Fleetwood Mac actually have a song called ‘Gypsy’).

‘Woodstock Hippies’, Anonymous, Photograph, Pinterest.

According to Mihaela Moscaliuc, brands like Yves Saint Laurent commodified this idea of ‘gypsiness’ during this period and made the look more palatable to ‘civilised’ society. In the decades since, designers like Prada, Ralph Lauren, Pucci and John Galliano have also taken inspiration from ‘Gypsy’ motifs. Galliano described the fashion as “a perfect fantasy … we all know reality is often very different from the fiction”.

Currently, the rise of social media, like TikTok and Instagram, has created impossibly quick fashion cycles with microtrends and aesthetics like ‘whimsigoth’ also grasping at these Romani roots.

So what does all this mean?

Throughout history Romani travellers have been stigmatised and subject to ethnic cleansing. The fifteen and sixteen hundreds saw anti-Romani laws passed in most of Europe, including Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, England, Poland, etc. They continued to be persecuted for centuries, culminating in the Porajmos (the Romani Holocaust) in which the Nazis sentenced murdered 500,000 to 1,500,000 Roma and Sinti people in the death camps.

Considering this, the absorption of Romani wear into white-dominated mainstream media whilst bypassing the reality of discrimination is … definitely interesting. As a white woman, I won’t comment on the morality of this but it’s food for thought.

Still from A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Directed by Francis Lawrence. Lionsgate Films, 2023. Film.

Furthermore, representations of the Romani people in Pop culture are scarce and are typically women, an example being The Hunchback of Notre Dame’s Esmerelda. Portrayed by Victor Hugo as young and seductive, this characterisation shifted slightly with Disney in the humility and strength seen in the song ‘God Help the Outcasts’.

A more tenuous example is Lucy Grey Baird from Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. She is part of the Covey who are  speculated to be inspired by the Romani due to their nomadic nature, colourful attire and penchant for musical performance.

‘Esmerelda’, Disney, 1996.

There is also a lot of music written about the mythic ‘Gypsy woman’ (that even being a title of a Tim Buckley song). For example, Cher’s ‘Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves’ that won her a Grammy Award nomination.

It’s interesting how the focus is so often on a romantic or tragic narrative of a young ‘Gypsy’-esque woman, never really exploring other community figures or the insidious systems that dictate their actions. In a New York Times piece Franca Sozzani, the then editor of Italian Vogue, touched on the implications of adopting cultural aesthetics so superficially: “Women ignore political issues when choosing clothes. Gypsy style is “an easy look that gives a sense of richness and freedom I think is totally separated from the social background.”

I’m optimistic about Githu Muigai’s (UN Special Rapporteur) hope that “fashion’s enduring enthusiasm for Gypsy style could be used to improve their situation” but it seems more accurate that, in fact, “we claim the Gypsy for ourselves, and assign the Roma to the institutions that fail them” (Moscaliuc).

Referenced

The New York Times. “Gypsy style, in the harsh light of day.” The New York Times. Oct 03, 2008. Accessed 24 Apr, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/style/03iht-rgypsy.1.16664803.html#:~:text=As%20the%20groups%20migrated%2C%20they,flounced%20skirts%20and%20billowing%20blouses.

Moscaliuc. Mihaela. “DRESSING LIKE A GYPSY: A Zuihitsu on the Disturbing Triumph of the Imagination.” Vestoj. Accessed Apr 24, 2021.https://vestoj.com/dressing-like-a-gypsy/#rf15-6854