Nothing makes a woman look more out of place than an inappropriate dress. If you show too much, will you look indecent? If too little, will you look prudish? What to wear for formal occasions? What for a specific location? What fits your own age, body and behavior? The fear of choosing the wrong clothes reflects the fear of exposing insecurity about your place in society. It’s the fear of misbehavior, the fear of not satisfying the stereotypical requirements of society as a wife or lover, mother or businesswoman. One feels off, ill-fitted, and it is there to see for everyone.

For the one-year project “a woman under the influence”, which takes its title from John Cassavetes’ 1974 movie, mija t. rosa dedicates herself to investigating the much-cited and female-connoted verge of a nervous breakdown.

The central item of clothing in this project is the dress, symbol of normative social behavior. Transparency, hemline, sleeves, waistline, color – nearly every detail is charged with significance. This symbolic complexity is the theme for every item: It’s not about designing dresses for specific occasions or balancing the boundaries of unusual fashion. A mija t. rosa dress strives to match the women it was designed for: Contradictory, unadjusted, full of spirit, but always perfect.