Fashion Theory: An Introduction

"Books that explain and analyse the nature, production and consumption of fashion are very fashionable at present. Fashion is explained in terms of the body, or fetish, or gender or culture. Slightly less fashionable, it seems, are introductory books on the theories of fashion. All explanations and analyses of fashion presupposed at least one theory (of gender, or class, for example) and all apply some theory to the material they cover, but few take the time to explain those theories. This introduction to fashion theory surveys and contextualises the ways in which a wide range of disciplines (including sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, fashion history, gender studies and cultural history) have used different theoretical approaches to explain, and sometimes to explain away, the astonishing variety, complexity and beauty of fashion. Themes covered include individual, social and gender identity, clothes and the body, the erotic, consumption and communication. This introduction looks at some of the most influential and important theories on fashion bringing to light the presuppositions involved in the things we think and say about fashion. "-- "Fashion is both big business and big news. From models' eating disorders and sweated labour to the glamour of a new season's trends, statements and arguments about fashion and the fashion industry can be found in every newspaper, consumer website and fashion blog. Books which define, analyse and explain the nature, production and consumption of fashion in terms of one theory or another abound. But what are the theories which run through all of these analyses, and how can they help us to understand fashion and clothing? Fashion Theory: An Introduction explains some of the most influential and important theories on fashion: it brings to light the presuppositions involved in the things we think and say about fashion every day and shows how they depend on those theories. This clear, accessible introduction contextualises and critiques the ways in which a wide range of disciplines have used different theoretical approaches to explain - and sometimes to explain away - the astonishing variety, complexity and beauty of fashion. Through engaging examples and case studies, this book explores: - fashion and clothing in history - fashion and clothing as communication - fashion as identity - fashion, clothing and the body - production and consumption - fashion, globalization and colonialism - fashion, fetish and the erotic This book will be an invaluable resource for students of cultural studies, sociology, gender studies, fashion design, textiles, or the advertising, marketing and manufacturing of clothes"--

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.