The culture of fashion: A new history of fashionable dress

This illustrated survey of 600 years of fashion investigates its cultural and social meanings from medieval Europe to 20th-century America. It provides a guide to the changes in style and taste, and challenges existing fashion histories, showing that clothes have always played a pivotal role in defining a sense of identity and society, especially when concerned with sexual and body politics. With a chronological structure, each chapter focuses on both male and female fashion of a specific period, covering its fascinating developments. It discusses: androgynous dressing; body piercing; fabrics, clothing and the rise of city life; dress, and the changing shape of the human body; controversies surrounding trousers and leg wear for both men and women; exposure of flesh; fashion and social status; and the dissemination of fashion through travel, film, magazines and catwalk shows.

Author: Christopher Breward
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Published: 03/02/1995
Pages: 264
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.40lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.60w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780719041259

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 04/24/1995 pg. 67
Library Journal 07/01/1995 pg. 76