When, how and why do clothes become fashion? Fashion is more than mere clothing. It is a moment of invention, a distillation of desire, a reflection of a zeitgeist. It is also a business relying on an intricate network of manufacture, marketing and retail.
Fashion is both medium and message but it does not explain itself. It requires language and images for its global mediation. It develops from the prescience of the designer and is dependent on acceptance by observers and wearers alike.
"When Clothes Become Fashion" explores the structures and strategies which underlie fashion innovation, how fashion is perceived and the point at which clothing is accepted or rejected as fashion. The book provides a clear theoretical framework for understanding the world of fashion -- its aesthetic premises, plurality of styles, performative impulses, social qualities and economic conditions.

Marks & Spencer is an institution synonymous with quality, reliability, and customer care. But do we associate it with "fashion"? Drawing on previously unpublished company archives, "Fashion for the People" considers the company's contribution to British--and, since the 1970s, international--fashion. The author discusses how, from the 1920s, Marks & Spencer brought fashion to the high street, offering well-designed clothing at affordable prices. She examines the unique ways in which the company has democratized fashion, arguing that its pioneering role in the development of new fabrics, the employment of designers as consultants and its marketing and promotional strategies have changed the ways in which we understand and consume fashion. Marks & Spencer is not just a stalwart of the British high street. As this book shows, it has also brought fashion to the masses.

Arguably the most famous perfume in the world - most memorably endorsed by Marilyn Monroe - Chanel No 5 continues to fascinate and claims millions of devotees around the world. Created in 1921 by Coco Chanel, the perfume was one of the first to use synthetics. To complement her pioneering fashion, Chanel wanted to give the modern woman 'a perfume, but an artificial perfume...not rose or lily of the valley...a perfume that is compound', presented in a distinctively pared-back glass bottle that would become an icon in its own right (inspiring a series of works by Andy Warhol decades later). Presented in two volumes (one on the early years of Chanel No 5 from 1921 to 1945, the other on the period in which Chanel No. 5 went truly global, from the postwar years to today), Chanel No 5 explores the evolution of the perfume's packaging, composition, manufacture and marketing, with unprecedented access to the Chanel archives and those tasked with creating the fragrance today. The world's leading creatives have lent their talents to the perfume's advertising campaigns, which are given pride of place in the book, from photographers such as Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton, to film directors including Ridley Scott and Baz Luhrmann, and stylish muses - Coco Chanel herself, of course, as well as Suzy Parker, Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman, Gisele Bundchen and Lily-Rose Depp. With over 750 illustrations

With an afterword by Roger Griffin. Fashion is often thought of as a matter of personal taste, completely unconnected with the public domain of political life and citizenship. Overturning this perspective, this absorbing book reveals that, from the French Revolution to post-revolutionary China, fashion has played a significant role in political participation and protest. Fashioning the Body Politic challenges the perception of helpless fashion victims, subject to manipulation by consumerism and the fashion industry, and shows how, in a range of historical and national contexts, certain styles of dress and display were significant for both men and women's political participation and the formation of their identities as citizens. How did 'dressing up' in a variety of ways allow suffragette women to perform unconventional forms of political protest? In what ways did the uniforms of scouts and guides function to erect gender, racial and religious boundaries? Following the ban on traditional clothing in Imperial Russia, how did Russians appropriate European fashions and ethnic costumes to fashion new identities for themselves? Using these and a wealth of other case studies, Fashioning the Body Politic offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between men, women and fashion and shows that the political domain has always been permeated with the cultural practices of dress, display and bodily performance.

Light, floral, exotic or heady, perfume can be both a precious ally for self-care or the ultimate weapon of seduction. From its origins in ancient times to today's colossal cosmetic industry, the story of perfume is rich and enticing.

What parts of the world do fragrances come from? Who invented them and what are their main ingredients? How did perfume cross from the sacred to the profane? Who were the first great perfumers? What role has the fashion industry played in the history of perfume? How do you become a successful 'nose'? What stories lie behind iconic perfumes such as Chanel's N°5, CK One, or Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Mâle?

Lavishly illustrated with archival documents from the most beautiful fragrance brands, The Story of Perfume transports its readers into a precious and mesmerizing world. It is the perfect gift for special occasions and a must-have for all perfume lovers.

Relating to clothes is a fundamental experience in the lives of most Western women. Even when choice is fraught with ambivalence, clothing matters. From considerations about dressing for success, to worries about weight, through to investing particular articles of clothing with meaning bordering on the sacred, what we wear speaks volumes about personal identity - what is revealed, what is concealed, what is created.
This book fills a gap in the existing literature on the ambivalence of fashion and dress by drawing on a wide range of women's experiences with their wardrobes and providing empirical data noticeably absent from other studies of women and dress. Navigating what is clearly a contested realm in feminist scholarship, contributors provide rich case studies of the reality of women's relationships with clothing. While on the surface concerns about fashion or dress may appear to reflect gendered patterns, in fact clothing may be used to challenge ascribed meanings about femininity.

Moralists have raged throughout history against various fashions for being too short, too long, too tight, too loose or too costly. Highlighting the times when choice of dress was a moral minefield, this enlightening and entertaining book looks at fashion extremes over the centuries, from the sexual display of the codpiece through to corsets, crinolines and decolletage. Providing a sharp and humorous look at the outright risque as well as the grotesquely exaggerated and even the repulsive, Ribeiro shows how dress has functioned variously as a vehicle of righteousness or turpitude and as an expression of sexuality, class or social status. In 747 St Boniface deemed wide stripes and scarlet borders to incite lust and ruination of the soul. Well over a millennium later immodest dress ranked high in Jesuit Father Bernard Vaughan's book on the sins of society. Medical practitioners once labelled the v-necked top, now a standard style, 'the pneumonia neckline'. Was it the force of society or sheer vanity of fashion that drove women to wear sleeves the size of balloons? Are sexual boundaries between dress worn by men and women diminishing? What morals still bind us to our Judeo-Christian heritage and lead us to express ourselves through appearances?Lavishly illustrated and packed with countless thought-provoking quotes, Dress and Morality is an in-depth exploration of the comical vanities and social etiquettes associated with dress in the past. At last here is the much-anticipated updated edition of this classic book.

Dress and fashion are powerful visual means of communicating ideology, whether political, social or religious. From the communist values of equality, simplicity and solidarity exemplified in the Mao suit to the myriad of fashion protests of feminists such as French revolutionary women's demand to wear trousers, dress can symbolize ideological orthodoxy as well as revolt. With contributions from a wide range of international scholars, this book presents the first scholarly analysis of dress and ideology through accessible case studies. Chapters are organized thematically and explore dress in relation to topics including nation, identity, religion, politics and utopias, across an impressive chronological reach from antiquity to the present day. Dress & Ideology will appeal to students and scholars of fashion, history, sociology, cultural studies, politics and gender studies.

The fashion model's hold on popular consciousness is undeniable. How did models emerge as such powerful icons in modern consumer culture? This volume brings together cutting-edge articles on fashion models, examining modelling through race, class and gender, as well as its structure as an aesthetic marketplace within the global fashion economy. Essays include treatments of the history of fashion modelling, exploring how concerns about racial purity and the idealization of light skinned black women shaped the practice of modelling in its early years. Other essays examine how models have come to define femininity through consumer culture. While modelling's global nature is addressed throughout, chapters deal specifically with model markets in Australia and Tokyo, where nationalist concerns colour what is considered a pretty face. It also considers how models glamorize consumption through everyday activities, and neoliberal labour forms via reality TV. With commentaries from industry professionals who experienced the cultural juggernaut of the supermodels, the final essay situates their impact within the rise of brand culture and the globalization of fashion markets since 1990. Accessible and highly engaging, Fashioning Models is essential reading for students and scholars of fashion and related disciplines.

Little Book of Schiaparelli chronicles the work of one of history's most influential and eccentric couturiers. Endowed with a strikingly imaginative and experimental approach to fashion, Elsa Schiaparelli cultivated a combination of the witty and the surreal, the cutting edge and the elegant, from her garments and jewellery to her collaborations with Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau and Alberto Giacometti. Exquisitely illustrated and expertly written, the book follows a biographical chronology detailing her life, career and primary creative themes of her work. Images of Schiaparelli's finished designs, along with close-up details and illustrations of her personal sketches, showcase the brilliance of her innovative oeuvre, and the legacy that lives on in the House of Schiaparelli to this day.

Between 1887 and 1920, the humble hatpin went from an unremarkable item in every woman's wardrobe, to a fashion necessity, to a dangerous weapon that caused men to tremble in fear (it was said). Big hair and big hats of the era meant big hatpins, and their weaponized use sparked controversy. There were ""good"" uses of hatpins, such as fending off an attacker in the street. There were also ""bad"" uses, such as when a woman being arrested tried to stab a police officer. But seriously: All those protruding pins seemed to threaten men everywhere in the public sphere. Suddenly women were armed and dangerous on the streets. It did not sit well with the patriarchy, who responded with hysterical crusades and often ludicrous legislation aimed at curbing the hatpin and disarming American women.

The highly competitive world of retail branding and brand packaging is evident in the increasing demand for creating unique, eye-catching and recognisable clothing packaging designs. Designers continue to focus their talent by leveraging striking visual devices into an internal and external messaging system via the product's packaging design, which acts as a portable and extendable marketing tool. This superbly designed book showcases innovative, custom-packaging designs across a range of products, including footwear, clothing and apparel, fashion products, and more. Fashion Packaging Now presents in highly illustrated, full-colour detail how the brand connects with the item and with the packaging itself, and offers unique insight on individual project design production strategies. The case studies are modern, contemporary examples, which also feature many well-known brands, such as Adidas, Nike, and Puma. This book will be a source of inspiration for design aficionados, advertising and merchandise managers, students, brand and retail managers, and educators in the product design and graphic design fields.

'When times are hard, fantasy and escapism are crucial' Alexander McQueen Having grown up in London's East End, Alexander McQueen left school at 15 to become a tailor's apprentice on Mayfair's Savile Row. At 22, he joined the prestigious MA course at Central Saint Martins and, after presenting his 1992 graduate collection (bought on the spot by influential fashion stylist Isabella Blow), went on to change the course of fashion. McQueen was defiant in his opinions on creativity ('Give me time and I'll give you a revolution'), women ('I design clothes because I don't want women to look all innocent and naive ... I want people to be afraid of the women I dress') and craft ('You've got to know the rules to break them. That's what I'm here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition'). He drew much of his inspiration from the natural world ('I have always loved the mechanics of nature and to a greater or lesser extent my work is always informed by that') and consistently challenged perceptions of beauty ('People find my things sometimes aggressive. But I don't see it as aggressive. I see it as romantic, dealing with a dark side of personality'). This attractive book in an accessible format is the perfect gift for fans of fashion and Alexander McQueen, capturing the wit and spirit of a true visionary.

Four stunning pocket-sized fashion books in one box set.

Includes Little Book of Chanel, Little Book of Dior, Little Book of Gucci and Little Book of Prada – telling the stories of four iconic fashion houses. With images of the four houses' most timeless and celebrated designs, plus captivating text on the personalities and lives of the creative geniuses behind the brands, The Little Guides to Style is the quintessential collection that will delight any fashion lover.

Fashion Writing and Criticism provides students with the tools to critique fashion with skill and style. Explaining the history and theory of criticism, this innovative text demonstrates how the tradition of criticism has developed and how this knowledge can be applied to fashion, enabling students to acquire the methods and proper vocabulary to be active critics themselves. Integrating history and theory, this innovative book explains the development of fashion writing, the theoretical basis on which it sits, and how it might be improved and applied. Through concise snapshot case studies, top international scholars McNeil and Miller analyse fashion excerpts in relation to philosophical ideas and situate them within historical contexts. Case studies include classic examples of fashion writing, such as Diana Vreeland at Harper's Bazaar and Richard Martin on Karl Lagerfeld, as well as contemporary examples such as Suzy Menkes and the blogger Tavi. Accessibly written, Fashion Writing and Criticism enables readers to understand, assess and make value judgments about the fascinating and changeable field of fashion. It is an invaluable text for students and researchers alike, studying fashion, journalism, history and media studies.

Fashion in Fiction examines the ways in which dress 'performs' in a wide range of contemporary and historical literary texts. Essays by North American, European and Australian scholars explore the function of clothing within fictional narratives, including those of film, television and advertising. The book provides a groundbreaking examination of the interconnected worlds of fashion and words, providing perspectives from socio-cultural, historical and theoretical readings of fashion and text-based communication. Covering a variety of genres and periods, Fashion in Fiction analyses fashion's role within a range of creative media, exploring the many ways that dress communicates, disrupts and modulates meaning across different cultures and contexts.

Born in the Brazilian countryside, and nearly six feet tall by the age of 14, Gisele Bundchen grew from humble roots into the most successful supermodel in the world. This book celebrates her 20-year milestone in the industry with a unique and spectacular collection of jaw-dropping glamour and intimate, personal insights. Gisele was just 18 when she made her breakthrough in the S/S 1998 ready-to-wear "Rain" show of Alexander McQueen, who chose "The Body" thanks to her ability to walk in towering heels on a slippery runway. The same year, Gisele secured her first British Vogue cover, and swiftly became the most in-demand cover girl of her generation. The following year, she was chosen for the cover of American Vogue, shot by Steven Meisel, and lauded as "the return of the sexy model" with her bronzed, athletic beauty defying late-'90s grunge. Since then, Gisele has appeared on more than 1,000 covers around the globe, in approximately 450 fashion shows, and in multinational campaigns for the biggest fashion and beauty brands. With more than 300 photographs, this book is curated and art directed by Giovanni Bianco. From Gisele's legendary nude portrait by Irving Penn, chosen as the book's cover, to iconic shots from such industry luminaries as Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, Peter Lindbergh, David LaChapelle, Juergen Teller, Inez & Vinoodh, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, and Corinne Day, it is a unique artistic presentation of the most famous Brazilian export together with Pele and Senna and the highest-earning model in the world. The breathtaking image collection is accompanied by an introduction by Steven Meisel and tributes from Gisele's closest friends, family, and fashion leaders, who shed light on how and why she has become one of the greatest models of all time. First published as a limited edition-now available in a popular TASCHEN edition! Gisele is donating all her proceeds from the book to charity.

Cool Shades provides the first in-depth exploration of the enduring appeal of sunglasses in visual culture, both historically and today. Ubiquitous in fashion, advertising, film and graphic design, sunglasses are the ultimate signifier of 'cool' in mass culture; a powerful attribute pervading much fashion and pop cultural imagery which has received little scholarly attention until now. Accessible and highly engaging, this book offers an original history of how sunglasses became a fashion accessory in the early twentieth century, and addresses the complex variety of meanings they have the power to articulate, through associations with vision, light, glamour, darkness, fashion, speed and technology in the context of modernity. Cool Shades will be of great interest to students of fashion, design, visual and material culture, cultural studies and sociology, as well as general readers fascinated by this iconic fashion staple.

'Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress...' - Gianni Versace

From Elizabeth Hurley's safety pin dress to Jennifer Lopez's plunging green gown, Versace has always been a brand at the cutting edge of fashion. With a foot firmly placed in pop culture, Versace is beloved by fashionistas and celebrities alike, providing iconic moments like Lil Nas X's gold armour at the 2021 Met Gala, many of Elton John's eclectic tour outfits and the gown worn by Lady Diana in her posthumous tribute in Harper's Bazaar.

Exquisitely illustrated and expertly written, this book explores the story of the brand, from its creation in 1978 by Gianni Versace to its iconic status today. Featuring images of red-carpet moments, key pieces and stunning catwalk shows, this is a fabulous collection of all things Versace.

The field of dress history has experienced exponential growth over the past two decades. This in-depth investigation examines the expanding borders and porous boundaries of the discipline today, outlining key debates and showcasing the most exciting research. With international case studies from a wide range of scholars, the volume encompasses work from a variety of historical periods from the late 18th century to the present day. Contributors examine, critique and expand the methodologies and sources used in fashion history, analyse how dress is collected, displayed and sold, and investigate clothing's meanings and uses in the practice of identity. Exploring overlooked territories and new approaches to analysis, the book offers students and scholars a fresh appraisal of dress history in the 21st century.

One person's deadly sin is another person's latest go-to piece. Whether it's carrot pants, shoulder pads, or leopard print, the fact is that, when it comes to fashion, (almost) everything reappears eventually. But why do past trends return, and is there a way to predict when a piece will be back in style again? Deja vu Style is all about these special pieces, featuring the celebrities who made them popular while explaining their comeback. From the miniskirts of the 1960s to the platform shoes of the 1990s and more, this entertaining book on fashion brings them all together. Fashion historians and experts in vintage fashion provide fascinating background knowledge. Sustainability plays a role here, too, because nothing combats the phenomenon of fast fashion better than wearing rediscovered fashion gems. Text in English and German.