the anatomy of fashion

Colin McDowell, Luigi Bonomi
Published: Sept 2013
Hardcover
358 pages

Why do we dress the way we do? Why has fashion changed and evolved over the centuries? How did the 3-piece suit come about? What is a ruff? Why have hemlines risen and fallen over time? Why did a suntan replace the pale, peaches-and-cream face as the sign of a high-class woman? In this book, fashion specialist Colin McDowell goes beyond standard fashion histories and narrative surveys to answer all these questions and more.

Fashion is both functional and expressive – we wear clothes to keep warm or for protection – but they also articulate the way we feel and are often used to impress. Fashion trends are influenced by history and their social context. For example, the waistcoat is often believed to have been introduced as part of the Victorian 3-piece suit. In fact, it was brought to England by Charles II in 1666 after his restoration and return from exile at the French court. Samuel Pepys, diarist and civil servant, wrote: 'The King hath yesterday in council declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes which he will never alter. It will be a vest, I know not well how.' Charles wanted the new garment to be part of a restrained national dress for gentlemen and the vest flourished throughout Georgian times as a show-off garment made of rich silks and heavily embroidered, often in silver and gold

The book is divided into 3 main sections. Section 1 looks at the body unclothed and the different 'skins' that cover it; subjects include human skin, pale skin v. tanned skin, tattoos; materials and fabrics; colours and pattern. In section 2 fashion is broken down into body parts and the relevant individual elements of dress are discussed – from head to toe. Body parts include the head (e.g., hats, hair, wigs), the shoulders (e.g. shoulder pads), hands (e.g., gloves, jewellry), legs (e.g., hem lengths, pantaloons, skirt shapes, hosiery) and feet (eg. shoes, boots). Section 3 returns to the body as a whole to consider how these elements combine to create 'fashion'. It analyzes themes in the history of dress, such as escapism or alienation) and also explores the significance of particular looks, from military uniform to cult styles including the grunge look, goths and gangs. By breaking down and reassembling the constituents of fashion in this way, the book provides a thorough investigation of why we dress the way we do and how it has been shaped throughout history.

The book also includes an extensive timeline that traces developments in clothing and appearance from earliest times until today, providing a chronological framework for the rest of the book and allowing the reader to follow thematic developments through time.

The book's dynamic structure and layout are equally suited for browsing and for serious reference. However, The Anatomy of Fashion is not simply a picture book. It is a sourcebook by one of the world's leading fashion scholars that seeks nothing less than a thorough analysis of the roots of every aspect of fashion today.

ISBN: 9780714849478