Paris Fashion: A Cultural History

Description

Paris has been the international capital of fashion for more than 300 years. Even before the rise of the haute couture, Parisians were notorious for their obsession with fashion, and foreigners eagerly followed their lead. From Charles Frederick Worth to Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent, fashion history is dominated by the names of Parisian couturiers. But Valerie Steele's Paris Fashion is much more than just a history of great designers. This fascinating book demonstrates that the success of Paris ultimately rests on the strength of its fashion culture - created by a host of fashion performers and spectators, including actresses, dandies, milliners, artists, and writers. First published in 1988 to great international acclaim, this pioneering book has now been completely revised and brought up to date, encompassing the rise of fashion's multiple world cities in the 21st century. Lavishly illustrated, deeply learned, and elegantly written, Valerie Steele's masterwork explores with brilliance and flair why Paris remains the capital of fashion.

Valerie Steele is director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she has organized more than 25 exhibitions. She is also the founder and editor in chief of Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, and the author of more than 20 books including The Corset: A Cultural History; Fetish: Fashion, Sex, and Power; and Women of Fashion: Twentieth-Century Designers. Described in The Washington Post as one of "fashion's brainiest women" and by Suzy Menkes as "The Freud of Fashion," Steele combines serious scholarship (and a Yale Ph.D.) with the rare ability to communicate with general audiences. As author, curator, editor, and public intellectual, Valerie Steele has been instrumental in creating the modern field of fashion studies and in raising awareness of the cultural significance of fashion.

This edition of Paris Fashion: A Cultural History has been substantially expanded and updated from its two earlier editions. Steele published the original (CH, Nov'88, 26-1655) early in her career, and since then has risen as a leading voice in fashion scholarship. She serves as the chief curator at the museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and as editor in chief of the academic journal Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture. This new edition reflects the intervening rise in both Steele's career, and the field of academic fashion history as a whole. The particular focus on the 19th century remains from the first edition, but chapters on the earlier and more recent periods have been added and expanded, and the 19th-century chapters have been updated (the endnotes are full of citations of sources written since the first edition). In addition to endnotes, the book includes an image list (well over double the images in the original, most in color) and selected bibliography. Those with the earlier editions (the second edition appeared in 1998) should consider investing in this update. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. * CHOICE * Valerie Steele is a rare writer who can tell her story both intellectually and visually. With images as strong as the bons mots, Paris Fashion offers both page turners and time for reflection. -- Suzy Menkes, International Editor, Vogue Online [Steele's] book offers many insights and pleasures. * The New York Times (Review of the Previous Edition) * This is an original, gracefully written study of Paris fashion ... I would not only recommend it to anyone interested in the psychology of clothes, but to anyone planning a sejour in France - as much required reading, say, as the Green Guides of Michelin. * Los Angeles Times Book Review (Review of the Previous Edition) * An impressive compendium of information. * The New York Times Book Review (Review of the Previous Edition) * Steele's book is a richly textured analysis of sources - artistic, economic, literary, social, and it is a perfect book to recommend to students and many others beside. * Costume (Review of the previous edition) * There is no better guide to the shifting fortunes of Paris fashion than Valerie Steele. Informed, provocative, and accessible, this third edition of a landmark book will continue to inspire future generations. -- Christopher Breward, Edinburgh University, UK Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, a delight to simply browse through. -- Midwest Book Review With a wealth of new illustrations, as ravishing as they are informative, and with new insights into Paris fashion, this book is more than ever indispensable to anyone interested in understanding the making of a fashion city. -- Agnes Rocamora, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, UK Valerie Steele's Paris Fashion is indispensable reading for costume historians and style mavens, students of French culture and lovers of French arts de vivre. With matchless acuity, rigor, and verve, Dr. Steele shows how and why Paris emerged as the greatest fashion city in Western history. Paris Fashion is a triumph of scholarship and storytelling alike. If I could only own one book on fashion, this would unquestionably be it. -- Caroline Weber, Columbia University, US Significantly revised and updated, this important new edition of a fashion classic develops earlier historical accounts and incorporates recent scholarship on fashion cities. Steele writes with her usual lucidity and the book is a delight. -- Caroline Evans, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, UK Once I started reading, I could not stop! Valerie Steele's book is wonderfully witty, pleasurable to read and so well documented. One of the best complete studies on Paris fashion that I have ever come across. * Jean-Michel Tuchscherer, Former Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Review of the Previous Edition) * Paris Fashion is one of the most important books ever written on the elusive topic of fashion. With exceptional clarity and insight, Valerie Steele paved the way for a "fashion turn" in many disciplines. This third edition is a welcome update, beautifully illustrated and elegantly written. An absolute must-read. -- Frederic Godart, INSEAD, US, author of Unveiling Fashion (2012) Valerie Steele's Paris Fashion is the one-stop scholarly guide to French fashion. Beautifully written and deeply researched, it is widely considered the leading work in English on the subject. Based mainly on primary sources, it demonstrates a feeling for French culture that is palpable on every page. -- Peter McNeil, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia