Talisman
Talisman was inspired by the iconic hand-shaped amulet called the hamsa in Judaism, also found in many Mediterranean and Arabic cultures. The hamsa is a symbol of luck and protection, and features a blue eye to ward against the evil eye.
The strapless cotton sateen bandeau top is yellow with the traditional good-luck blue eye across the front and has a scattered pattern of the Hebrew word chai, which both literally means life, and stands on its own as a symbol in Judaism. The eye was engineered to match across the princess seams of the bodice and the chais match across every seam.
a
a
The cotton sateen skirt is made up of seven overlapping blue hamsas drawn with a red outline, a red chai, and a white free-form organic mehndi-inspired design. The blue suggests both the good fortune promised with the blue eye on the hamsa and the blue of the Israeli flag, itself a reference to the traditional Jewish prayer shawl. The hamsas ring the waist, creating a 360-degree talisman against bad luck.
Talisman was featured in the International Textiles and Apparel Association Live Gallery Design Exhibition and the Iowa State University Fashion Show.
a