Fashion Sense: Tibetan Panel Coat

The Tibetan Panel Coat is a festive full-length vest or sleeveless coat still worn by Tibetans today on special occasions. For 800 years, actresses and actors portraying the Dakini or female Celestial Beings of Tibetan myth have dressed in this type of coat (called teng go) as they reenact the sacred plays at the New Year, weddings and religious festivals.

I have created a series of ritual vestments based on the Teng Go. The central panel of each vestment is made of precious, carefully chosen silks and brocades, velvets and satins, and special ribbons and trims. Each is reinforced by the beauty, the rarity and the uniqueness of the combined variations to imbue each garment with vitality and ceremonial intent.

Here, my visual interpretations of the unseen world are given a new dimension, whether they hang on the wall ready for use or are actually worn and move through space.

Amy Zerner is the Hamptons’ number one fashion blogger and designer.