This is a compendium of the disparate notions of human beauty throughout history and cultures. It illuminates how and why, for thousands of years, men and women across the globe have gone to elaborate lengths to alter their natural appearance. People persist in changing every part of their body in an attempt, not only to make themselves feel more attractive, but also to get attention, arouse envy, conform to the prevailing custom of their particular cultural group and show off their wealth and social status. The human desire for beautification is so universal that it appears to be an in-born trait. Thus each morning as we prepare to meet the world - brush our hair, clean our teeth, put on earrings or a tie - we are performing a time-honoured ritual. This book explores and attempts to explain why our concepts of beauty vary both historically and culturally. It is also a celebration of this great diversity and features hundreds of modes of adornment and embellishment.
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About the Author
Julian Robinson has written, taught, and lectured extensively on the subjects of fashion, design, and sexuality. His many books include The Golden Age of Style, The Brilliance of Art Deco, and The Fine Art of Fashion. He lives in Australia.
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More About the Author
Julian Robinson, a noted fashion designer, author, lecturer, television personality, researcher and historian, with an international reputation, was born in London in 1931. After working as a child actor in films and becoming a Captain in the British Army during his National Service, he won a scholarship to the Cordwainer's Guild School and then a Royal Scholarship to the Royal College of Art (under Madge Garland,later Janey Ironside) being awarded a First in both Fashion and Accessory Design. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, after acting as an art education and bursary advisor.
He worked for fifteen years as a professional designer with his own Fashion House in Hanover Square, London, having a clientele that included Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Shrimpton, Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies (at the time of the Profumo affair), and Veruschka - becoming one of the founders of the Carnaby Street school of designers of the 1960s "Swinging London" era. His students, include Sally Tuffin, Marion Foale, James Wedge and Janice Wainwright, who made their names as revolutionary young designers at that time. Two of his later students, Wendy Dagworthy and Andrea Dymond, went on to become leading Professors of Fashion at two of the most prestigious fashion schools in London - the Royal College of art and St Martins Central, have continued to produce and nurture young designers of talent and flair, such as John Galliano, current Design Director at Dior.
As a Design Consultant, he undertook design and promotional work with Mary Quant, Biba, Sir Norman Hartnell, Michael of Lachaise, Hardy Amis,Yves Saint-Laurent and Zandra Rhodes, designed special collections for Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Lord & Taylor N.Y. Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and the famous Paris store Galeries Lafayette. His designs being featured in numerous editions of Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and other prestigious glossy fahion magazines. He also appeared in and hosted a number of television programmes and documentaries at that time.
In 1966 he became Director of Fashion Studies at the Hornsey College of Art, London and a dealer and collector of Art Deco artifacts and rare deluxe Art Deco pochoir publications. During this period he became well known as one of the world's leading experts on Art Deco Illustration, and sold collections to some of the world's leading museums and art galleries. His books on this subject, The Golden Age of Style, The Brilliance of Art Deco and The Fine Art of Fashion, like several of his other books, have been published internationally and translated into many languages, including French, German, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish.
In 1976 he was head-hunted to assist in the establishing of a University of the Arts in Australia. Later, he established degree and post-graduate courses at Sydney College of the Arts, where for eight years he was Associate Professor and Head of the Fashion, Textile, Graphic and Interior Design Schools. He also acted as an advisor to a number of other noted Art and Design schools in Australia, and advised the New South Wales Education Department on future design trends and establishing a fashion collection in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra - lampooned at the time as "Corsets for Canberra" in the national press.
Julian Robinson is a controversial figure whose avant-garde stance on dress, morals and sexuality has even landed him in jail. He has had to defend his opinions and behaviour in at least one parliamentary enquiry and two Supreme Court actions and was banned from ABC Television in Australia for two years. Banned from lecturing, for introducing the subject nudity and transvestite fashion into his course and then being paid a handsome court-ordered "golden handshake" by way of compensation, he travelled widely, going around the world at least fifteen times, visiting over 60 countries and living with tribal groups in remote areas - settling for a time on a remote desert island in the South Seas, with a beautiful local "tribal wife", before relocating to Los Angeles, then New York and later to Paris.
Julian Robinson is the author of over sixteen books, among them the controversial book Body Packaging - a Guide to Human Sexual Display and The Quest for Human Beauty: An Illustrated History, the latter being severely censored in several of it's international editions, as well as being on the "Black List" of several States in the U.S.A. due to the use of a number of explicit illustrations - he firmly believes that there is no part of the human body which can possibly be considered obscene. In his eyes, all parts of the human body should be considered beautiful and worthy of adornment and display.
He lives in the South of France and is currently working on an Encyclopedia of Human Aesthetics, a book on Tantra & the Tao; an Anthology of Fashion & Beauty Quotes, and another on Lucien Vogel, The Prince of Printing: the father of the modern Fashion Magazine. He is also interested in undertaking commissions from leading publishers, within the realms of fashion, culture, religion and sexuality.
He worked for fifteen years as a professional designer with his own Fashion House in Hanover Square, London, having a clientele that included Elizabeth Taylor, Jean Shrimpton, Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies (at the time of the Profumo affair), and Veruschka - becoming one of the founders of the Carnaby Street school of designers of the 1960s "Swinging London" era. His students, include Sally Tuffin, Marion Foale, James Wedge and Janice Wainwright, who made their names as revolutionary young designers at that time. Two of his later students, Wendy Dagworthy and Andrea Dymond, went on to become leading Professors of Fashion at two of the most prestigious fashion schools in London - the Royal College of art and St Martins Central, have continued to produce and nurture young designers of talent and flair, such as John Galliano, current Design Director at Dior.
As a Design Consultant, he undertook design and promotional work with Mary Quant, Biba, Sir Norman Hartnell, Michael of Lachaise, Hardy Amis,Yves Saint-Laurent and Zandra Rhodes, designed special collections for Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, Lord & Taylor N.Y. Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and the famous Paris store Galeries Lafayette. His designs being featured in numerous editions of Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and other prestigious glossy fahion magazines. He also appeared in and hosted a number of television programmes and documentaries at that time.
In 1966 he became Director of Fashion Studies at the Hornsey College of Art, London and a dealer and collector of Art Deco artifacts and rare deluxe Art Deco pochoir publications. During this period he became well known as one of the world's leading experts on Art Deco Illustration, and sold collections to some of the world's leading museums and art galleries. His books on this subject, The Golden Age of Style, The Brilliance of Art Deco and The Fine Art of Fashion, like several of his other books, have been published internationally and translated into many languages, including French, German, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish.
In 1976 he was head-hunted to assist in the establishing of a University of the Arts in Australia. Later, he established degree and post-graduate courses at Sydney College of the Arts, where for eight years he was Associate Professor and Head of the Fashion, Textile, Graphic and Interior Design Schools. He also acted as an advisor to a number of other noted Art and Design schools in Australia, and advised the New South Wales Education Department on future design trends and establishing a fashion collection in the Australian National Gallery, Canberra - lampooned at the time as "Corsets for Canberra" in the national press.
Julian Robinson is a controversial figure whose avant-garde stance on dress, morals and sexuality has even landed him in jail. He has had to defend his opinions and behaviour in at least one parliamentary enquiry and two Supreme Court actions and was banned from ABC Television in Australia for two years. Banned from lecturing, for introducing the subject nudity and transvestite fashion into his course and then being paid a handsome court-ordered "golden handshake" by way of compensation, he travelled widely, going around the world at least fifteen times, visiting over 60 countries and living with tribal groups in remote areas - settling for a time on a remote desert island in the South Seas, with a beautiful local "tribal wife", before relocating to Los Angeles, then New York and later to Paris.
Julian Robinson is the author of over sixteen books, among them the controversial book Body Packaging - a Guide to Human Sexual Display and The Quest for Human Beauty: An Illustrated History, the latter being severely censored in several of it's international editions, as well as being on the "Black List" of several States in the U.S.A. due to the use of a number of explicit illustrations - he firmly believes that there is no part of the human body which can possibly be considered obscene. In his eyes, all parts of the human body should be considered beautiful and worthy of adornment and display.
He lives in the South of France and is currently working on an Encyclopedia of Human Aesthetics, a book on Tantra & the Tao; an Anthology of Fashion & Beauty Quotes, and another on Lucien Vogel, The Prince of Printing: the father of the modern Fashion Magazine. He is also interested in undertaking commissions from leading publishers, within the realms of fashion, culture, religion and sexuality.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
MY BEST UNCENSURED BOOK SO FAR ...................,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Quest for Human Beauty: An Illustrated History (Hardcover)
'The Quest for Human Beauty: An Illustrated History' is the first uncensured book of its kind.& certainly the best I have written - others being 'Body Packaging: A Guide to Human Sexual Display'(1987) 'The Fine Art of Fashion: An Illustrated History'(1989, revised edition 1998) 'The Brilliance of Art Deco'(1988, revised edition1997) 'Fashion of the 40's'(1976/80) 'Fashion in the 30's'(1977/85) 'The Golden Age of Style: Art Deco Fashion Illustration'(1976/82) etc.....Having been a college and university design lecturer for many years, in the UK, Europe, the USA, Australia,Japan and elsewhere, I believe it is a must for all young design students,all those who wish to enter the fashion and beauty industries, & those interested in human diversity & cultural ways and traditions, as I have tried to show in the 750 plus illustrations , all forms of techniques of beautification, body modification & modes of adornment, unhindered by the ideas and notions of moralists and law makers. Many of my professional colleagues were outraged by what I have shown, although their teenage children & the young students I have spoken to ,have been fascinated. For further information you can contact me on email bodyarts@hotmail.com I am also looking for further information and illustrations for my new work 'A Celebration of Human Differences' as well as help & sponsorship for an exhibition aimed at saving our precious human diversity, & possibility of starting a permanent museum on the subject. Help and advice is desperately needed. THANKS JR.
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