In the Textiles area of specialization, Nazanin Hedayat Munroe adds the history of fashion and textiles to the curriculum with the courses Global History of Dress & Textiles (BUF 2204) and 20th century Dress & Culture (ARTH 1204). As an art historian specializing in non-Western dress, Dr. Hedayat Munroe also works with students to create original Honors projects and independent study, which can be applied for course credit.
Nazanin Hedayat Munroe Books and Peer-Reviewed Articles on historic dress and textiles
NEW BOOK! Skilled Immigrants in the Textile and Fashion Industries: Stories from a Globe-Spanning History (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024)
Sufi Lovers, Safavid Silks and Early Modern Identity (Amsterdam University Press, 2023)
“Yusuf and Zulaikha in Sufi Poetry and Safavid Silks” Textile Museum Journal (Vol. 50, 2023)
A Cultural History of Western Fashion: From Haute Couture to Virtual Couture (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022) This is also the textbook for 20th c. Dress & Culture (ARTH 1204)
“Shared Provenance: Safavid-Mughal cultural and artistic exchange through 16th and 17th c. luxury silk production” Textile Society of America, 2020 Symposium: Hidden Stories, Human Lives
“Wrapped Up: Talismanic Garments in Early Modern Islamic Culture” Journal of Textile Design, Research and Practice (Issue 1, Vol. 7, 2019), Routledge/Taylor & Francis
“Interwoven Lovers: Safavid Narrative Silks Depicting Characters from the Khamsa” University of Bern, Switzerland. Ph.D. Dissertation, 2017-18.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Fashion in Safavid Iran Carrying a range of political and literary messages, fashions from Safavid Iran (1501–1722) were a versatile medium for self-expression. Safavid dress is characterized by innovative color combinations, distinctive figural motifs on fabrics, and rich texture due to the extensive use of gold- and silver-wrapped threads. Read More
Silk Textiles from Safavid Iran, 1501-1722 Safavid textiles are praised as the pinnacle of Iranian loom weaving. When the Safavids came to power at the turn of the sixteenth century, the Iranian textile industry was already well developed in the production and sale of woven silk textiles and rugs as well as raw silk for export. Read More
Silks from Ottoman Turkey Ottoman silk textiles are among the most elegant textiles produced in the Islamic world. They are characterized by large-scale stylized motifs often highlighted by shimmering metallic threads. Executed in a range of woven techniques including satin and velvet, these silks were produced for use both within the Ottoman Empire and for export to Europe and the Middle East, where they were considered among the most prized luxury objects. Read More
Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition, Exhibition Blog
The Persian-Style Riding Coat While garment styles in the Late Antique world were simple in form—consisting of the T-shaped tunic for men and children, and loose, draped garments, such as the gunna and palla, for women—Persian garments of the late Sasanian period (220–650) reflect more complex tailoring and forms. Read More
Early Islamic Garments: Inscribed Textiles The tradition of inscribed textiles in the Islamic world dates to the passing of the Prophet Muhammad (632 A.D.), whose spiritual and political authority was transferred through the donning of his mantle. Read More
Fashion and Style in Byzantium Early Byzantine designs took their form and iconography from Late Antique linen garments worn throughout the Roman Empire until the fourth century. Read More
Dress Styles in San Vitale The pinnacle of early imperial Byzantine dress is best seen in the mosaics of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora at the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy (ca. 547 A.D.) Read More
Woven Silk Textiles From Byzantium Silk textiles were produced in Byzantium long before local weavers had figured out how to acquire and produce silk from silkworms. For centuries, the Chinese held a monopoly on the raw materials required to create these highly desired textiles. Read More
Christian Imagery on Silk Textiles: The Annunciation Silk The red Annunciation silk depicts the seated Virgin dressed in royal purple, receiving a message from the angel Gabriel, encircled by floral medallions referencing a jeweled garden. Read More
Donning the Cloak: Safavid Figural Silks and the Display of Identity Abbreviated publication of Master’s thesis findings for the Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, 2008 (published under my former name, Nazanin Hedayat Shenasa)
Donning the Cloak: Safavid Figural Silks and the Display of Identity Master’s Thesis (full text) completed for San Jose State University, 2007 (published under my former name, Nazanin Hedayat Shenasa)
The Zand Dynasty (1750-1794) Summary article with architectural images for Archnet, an online collaboration between the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
