Módní diplomacie: studie prvních dam České republiky

This bachelor thesis examines fashion diplomacy as a specific form of cultural and symbolic representation within public diplomacy and soft power. The aim of the thesis is to define the concept of fashion diplomacy and to analyse whether and how this phenomenon is reflected in the fashion representation of the First Ladies of the Czech Republic. The theoretical part is based on the concepts of soft power, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and symbolic diplomacy. On this basis, the thesis develops an analytical framework focusing on the symbolic function of clothing accessories, colour codes and visual symbolism, the choice of designers and cultural brands, historical and cultural references, and the public reception of fashion representation. The empirical part is based on a qualitative interpretative analysis of nine selected outfits worn by Dagmar Havlová, Livia Klausová and Eva Pavlová. The thesis shows that the fashion representation of First Ladies may carry symbolic meanings in a diplomatic context and contribute to the external representation of the state, although the extent to which it functions as fashion diplomacy differs across the analysed cases.