Style is predominantly an individual matter--the way people put themselves together creates a sense of individual identity--but collectively it creates a sense of common culture in a community, a city, or a country.
Geographically isolated from the fashion hubs of Paris and New York, Australia may not yet be synonymous with style. But as it moves away from the beach look that it is usually associated with and adopts haute couture, Australia is emerging as a shining star in the southern hemisphere.
Though not the political capital of the country, Sydney is nevertheless Australia's cultural capital, and the style hub and epicenter of the country's fashion evolution. "Sydney Street Style" depicts the style of this less-explored fashion capital. Beautifully assembled and packed with full color photos of the stylish and eclectic residents of Sydney, this book will be a welcome addition to the library of any fashionista or armchair traveler.

Although fashion fixtures and A-list celebrities pack the front rows at the biggest, most glamorous shows at fashion week, the most creative attire is often found not on the catwalks or inside the auditoriums but on the streets. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai, where a vintage Vivienne Westwood frock pairs perfectly with a chic puffer, and neon brights elevate distressed denim to veritable haute couture.

"Shanghai Street Style "marksthe inaugural volume in an exciting new street style series from Intellect. With an array of up-and-coming young designers like Coko Wan, Nio, and Helen Lee, Shanghai is swiftly cementing its status as a global fashion destination--its first fashion week was in 2011--and this book brings together more than one hundred full-color photographs showcasing the remarkable diversity of styles seen on its streets. Alongside the photographs are short pieces of critical commentary by Vicki Karaminas and Toni Johnson-Woods, shedding light on the city's changing culture and how this is expressed through the clothing choices of ordinary city-dwellers going about their daily routines. The result is a stunning street-level look at the trends shaping Shanghai's fascinating fashion scene, with interesting echoes of East meets West and old meets new. Eye-catching, entertaining, and informative, "Shanghai Street Style" gets at the roots of Shanghai trendsetters' distinct personal styles, identifying the ideas and important cultural forces behind the trends.

When we open our closet doors each morning, we seldom consider what our sartorial choices say, whether we tend toward jeans and a well-worn concert t-shirt or wingtips and a three-piece suit. Yet, how we dress divulges more than whether we crave comfort or couture; our clothing communicates who we are and how we relate to our culture. But how does a Balenciaga bag or a tough leather jacket topped by liberty spikes signify these things?
Fashion in Popular Culture considers this question. Combining fashion theory with approaches from literature, art, advertising, music, media studies, material studies, and sociology, contributors from across Europe, Australia, and the United States consider the function of fashion within popular culture. Fashion, they show, has the capacity to both influence and be influenced by popular culture, and its meaning is also contingent upon context. Chapters in the book cover both historical and contemporary concerns, addressing a variety of other questions, including the role fashion plays in subcultures.
For students and scholars of fashion and popular culture--or anyone fascinated by what clothing can convey--"Fashion in Popular Culture" offers an engaging, interdisciplinary analysis.

Once upon a time, one had to read Japanese in order to enjoy manga. Today manga has become a global phenomenon, attracting audiences in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. The style has become so popular, in fact, that in the US and UK publishers are appropriating the manga style in a variety of print material, resulting in the birth of harlequin mangas which combine popular romance fiction titles with manga aesthetics. Comic publishers such as Dark Horse and DC Comics are translating Japanese "classics," like "Akira," into English. And of course it wasn't long before Shakespeare received the manga treatment. So what is manga?

Manga roughly translates as "whimsical pictures" and its long history can be traced all the way back to picture books of eighteenth century Japan. Today, it comes in two basic forms: anthology magazines (such as "Shukan Shonen Jampu") that contain several serials and manga 'books' (tankobon) that collect long-running serials from the anthologies and reprint them in one volume. The anthologies contain several serials, generally appear weekly and are so thick, up to 800 pages, that they are colloquially known as phone books. Sold at newspaper stands and in convenience stores, they often attract crowds of people who gather to read their favorite magazine.

Containing sections addressing the manga industry on an international scale, the different genres, formats and artists, as well the fans themselves, "Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives "is an important collection of essays by an international cast of scholars, experts, and fans, and provides a one-stop resource for all those who want to learn more about manga, as well as for anybody teaching a course on the subject.

Australian genre fiction writers have successfully exploited the Australian landscape and peoples and as a result their books are today "sold by the millions" across boundaries. They have created stories that are imaginative, visionary, and diverse. They appeal to local and international readerships and, most importantly, are thoroughly entertaining, thus making them a strong presence in the popular fiction bazaar.Sold by the Millions: Australia's Bestsellers is the first collection to concentrate on Australia's best-selling material that forms the armchair reading of many Australians. Leading experts of popular fiction provide introspective pieces on Romance, Horror, Crime, Science Fiction, Western, Comics, Travel, Sports and Children's writing so that a wholesome picture emerges of the wide range of reading and research options available for scholars.