On Fashion [Paperback]

Shari Benstock (Editor), Suzanne Ferriss (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1994

Until recently, fashion was considered the "F-word" in intellectual circles, dismissed as unworthy of serious attention. Yet no area of life, no individual moment, stands outside fashion's discourses. Intuitively, we all know that clothing is a language, incessesantly communicating messages about its wearer. But who speaks this language, to whom it is addressed, what does it mean, and how are its meanings established and tranformed? On Fashion explores the ways our material, political, psychological, sexual, even intellectual lives are woven into fashion's fabric. This stimulating collection of essays explores fashion's symbolic and figurative functions in photography, cinema, and video; in consumerism, postmodernism, and feminism; in political and material culture; and in self-definition and subjectivity. They demonstrate the pervasive reach of fashion and its expressions. The collection contains over sixty photographs and illustrations and includes essays by Barbara Brodman, Mary Ann Caws, Helene Cixous, Linda Benn DeLibero, Diana Fuss, Cheryl Herr, Karla Jay, Deborah Jenson, Douglas Kellner, Ingeborg Majer O'Sickey, Leslie W. Rabine, Andrew Ross, Sonia Rykiel, Carol Shloss, Kaja Silverman, Maureen Turim, and Iris Marion Young.

Editorial Reviews

Review

What function do the clothes we adorn ourselves with really perform? Are we dressing for success, for the spectator, for ourselves or merely to cover our bodies? The ill-fitting viewpoint that one's attire displays one's aptitude, character or standing seems to prevail. Do clothes make the woman? The fashion industry and its powerful media images dictate the way individuals portray their personas and the way we view ourselves. On Fashion presents a collection of essays that look inside the constructed world of fashion and dress, and the constraints in which women become captive. With style, fashion and fantasy as the themes, these essays reveal how fashion claims ownership of our bodies. The clothes on our backs become the portrayal of power-we are what we wear. Clothes portray a number of different aspects about an individual-femininity or masculinity, lifestyle, attitude and, in some cases, political affiliation. The fashion industry grasps this passion, modifies it to fit within the world of design and profits from it immensely. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by SH --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Shari Benstock is a professor of English at the University of Miami and the author of Women of the Left Bank: Paris, 1900-1940 and Textualizing the Feminine: On the Limits of Genre. Suzanne Ferriss is an assistant professor in the liberal arts department at Nova University.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press; First Edition edition (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813520339
• ISBN-13: 978-0813520339
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,398,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)