Synopses & Reviews
The corset is probably the most controversial garment in the history of fashion. Although regarded as an essential element of fashionable dress from the Renaissance into the twentieth century, the corset was also frequently condemned as an instrument of torture and the cause of ill health. Why did women continue to don steel and whalebone corsets for four hundred years? And why did they finally stop? This lavishly illustrated book offers fascinating and often surprising answers to these questions. Valerie Steele, one of the worldand#8217;s most respected fashion historians, explores the cultural history of the corset, demolishing myths about this notorious garment and revealing new information and perspectives on its changing significance over the centuries.
Whereas most historians have framed the history of the corset in terms of oppression vs. liberation and fashion vs. health and comfort, Steele contends that womenand#8217;s experiences of corsetry varied considerably and cannot be fully understood within these narrow frames. Drawing on extensive research in textual, visual, and materials sources, the author disproves the beliefs that the corset was dangerously unhealthy and was designed primarily for the oppression of women. Women persisted in wearing corsetsand#151;despite powerful male authorities trying to dissuade themand#151;because corsetry had positive connotations of social status, self-discipline, youth, and beauty. In the twentieth century the garment itself fell out of fashion but, Steele points out, it has become internalized as women replace the boned corset with diet, exercise, and plastic surgery. The book concludes with insightful analyses of such recent developments as the reconception of the corset as a symbol of rebellion and female sexual empowerment, the revival of the corset in contemporary high fashion, and its transformation from an item of underwear to outerwear.
Review
The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology (06/03/14and#8211;11/15/14)
Review
and#39;
Dance and Fashion, the volume produced to accompany the exhibition, is a beautiful artefact in itself, lavishly and evocatively illustrated.and#39;andmdash;Paula Marantz Cohen,
Times Literary SupplementReview
"Valerie Steele dispels the myth that Gothicism is only for rebels as she tells of how designers such as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano of Christian Dior, Rick Owens, Olivier Theyskens, and Yohji Yamamoto incorporate Gothic looks into their designs; thus, giving light to cultural outsiders."and#8212;Dujour Magazine
Review
". . . Fashionistas will relish the chance to see famous creations by . . . avant-garde designers. Readers of . . . Romantic literature will enjoy seeing gothic characters and settings come to life. . . . [T]he eager consumers of adolescent vampire fantasies . . . will thrill to the clothes' sex-and-death subtext."and#8212;Karen Rosenberg, New York Times
Review
"Much more than a straightforward 'look book,' this work features four well-integrated academic essays. Together they provide insights into fashion subcultures and successfully argue that Japan remains a significant player in the world of cutting-edge fashion design."and#8212;C. Donaldson, CHOICE
Review
"From wedge to prism to stiletto, Valerie Steele and Colleen Hill of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology meticulously chronicle the world of fancy footwear in their new book. . ."and#8212;T Magazine
Review
"These informative essays trace our gay apparel from some suggestive costuming of the early 17th Century, through "out"-fits for mediated postfeminist identities, to clothing that is overt, politically affiliated and activist. Along the way are sumptuous full-color photographs of pieces from the exhibit, including an 18th Century dandyand#8217;s suit, a sexually ambiguous ladyand#8217;s riding costume by Pierre Balmain, Jean Cocteau and Christian Bernard, a Gaultierand#8217;s orange velvet dress for men with conical bosoms, and even activist drag from 1903."and#8212;
EdgeReview
and#8220;This is a splendid book on the only art everyone is involved withand#8211;fashion and clothing. Itand#8217;s superbly written and researched, and provides amazing illustrations.and#8221;and#8212;OutSmart Magazine
Review
Winner of the 2014 Milla Davenport Publication Award sponsored by the Costume Society of America.
Review
andquot;I was delighted . . . The book reflects scholarly seriousness, offers fascinating detail, and is illustrated with unfamiliar photographs including a priceless one of Martha Graham sewing up the waistband of Eric Hawkinsandrsquo; trousers.andquot;andmdash;Debra Cash, ArtsFuse
Review
andldquo;The scholarship presented spans dimensions of time and culture, providing the reader with an impressive level of breadthandhellip;The text includes a considerable number of illustrations that enhance and support the contents of the work . . . . A useful resource for any student or practitioner who is following either of these disciplines . . . Recommended. All levels of students through researchers/faculty; dance or fashion professionals.andrdquo;andmdash;Library Journal
Synopsis
The first book to explore the synergy between dance and fashion, featuring a wide range of dance-fashion collaborations and inspirations
Synopsis
A lavishly illustrated tribute to one of the most remarkable self-invented personalities on the New York fashion scene
Susanne Bartsch has been the queen of New York City nightlife since the 1980s when she first became famous for spectacular parties, where a diverse crowd brought fashion to the level of performance art. Her most important party was undoubtedly the 1989 Love Ball, a pioneering AIDS benefit that brought the fashion world together. The Love Ball was followed by other parties, which ultimately raised more than $2.5 million for AIDS research and advocacy. Over the years, Bartsch has had a profound impact on the world of fashion and visual culture. She has been a retailer, a fashion show organizer, a muse, and a catalyst. As Holly Brubach wrote in her 1991 New Yorker profile, If there is a theme that runs through the various jobs Bartsch has held, it is perhaps a fascination with the way people present themselves with the clothes and the part they play in people s imagination.
Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartschfeatures approximately 80 looks from Bartsch s personal collection of clothing and accessories, including designs by Rachel Auburn, Body Map, Leigh Bowery, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Mr. Pearl, Vivienne Westwood, Zaldy, and many others. Dazzling color photographs allow readers to witness the incredible art of transformation."
Synopsis
Lavishly illustrated, this is the first book to explore the synergy between dance and fashion.
Synopsis
Dress and adornment have long played an important role in the visual allure of dance, and fashion designers have often been inspired by the way dancers look. The tutus and pointe shoes of the Romantic ballerina, for example, have influenced designers from Christian Dior to Christian Louboutin. Cristand#243;bal Balenciaga was inspired by the drama of flamenco, Yves Saint Laurent by the Orientalism of the Ballet Russes, and Rick Owens by the dynamism of African-American steppers. Fashion designersand#160; are also increasingly collaborating with choreographers to create stylish new dance costumesand#151;from the and#147;bumpand#8221; dresses by Comme des Garand#231;ons for Merce Cunningham and#160;to Valentinoand#8217;s and#147;Bal de Coutureand#8221; designs for New York City Ballet.
and#160;
Lavishly illustrated with both contemporary and historical images, the book features essays by ten and#160;fashion experts, who explore various aspects of the reciprocal relationship between dance and fashion, from the liberating effects of the tango to the influence of ballet on Japanese girl culture. Designers featured include Leon Bakst, Cristand#243;bal Balenciaga, Comme des Garand#231;ons, Christian Dior, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Halston, Barbara Karinka, Isaac Mizrahi, Rodarte, Yves Saint Laurent, Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, Valentino, and Iris Van Herpen. and#160;and#160;
and#160;
This beautiful book explores for the first time the synergy between dance and fashion, and is an original and inspired contribution to the study of both art forms.and#160;
Synopsis
Working quietly and without much public attention for more than 20 years, American fashion designer Ralph Rucci suddenly became a headline topic in 2002, when he was invited to show his collection at the haute couture in Parisand#151;the first American to receive such an invitation since Mainbocher in the 1930s. This sumptuously illustrated book is the first to explore in depth Rucciand#8217;s life and work, including the inspirations behind the extraordinarily beautiful and very expensive clothes he creates.
The contributors to the volume explore many aspects of Rucciand#8217;s genius and emergence as a master in the fashion world. Valerie Steele places his life and work in the context of modern fashion history and discusses his connections with such figures as Balenciaga and Halston. Patricia Mears closely examines the garments he designs, reveals what makes them so special, and considers influences on his work. Clare Sauro describes Rucciand#8217;s accessories, which complete the aesthetic vision that his fashions embody. The book is enriched with more than 100 photographs that include runway images, fashion shots of Rucciand#8217;s clients, Chado Ralph Rucci garments from the collection of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and from his own archives, as well as various inspirational objects and fashions.
Synopsis
One of the most exciting fashion designers in the United States, Cuban-born Isabel Toledo has been honored with a National Design Award from the Cooper- Hewitt Museum and a Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion, given by The Museum at FIT. Yet her name and work are recognized only by fashion insiders. This ravishing book brings Toledoand#8217;s creations to a wider audience, places them within the context of contemporary fashion, and examines her creative process.
and#160;
Interviewing Toledo, her husband (fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo), and other colleagues, clients, and critics, Valerie Steele gives an account of Toledoand#8217;s career and explains that while she has been heralded by leading fashion magazines and featured in stores in New York and Europe, she has not had the long-term financial backing to break out of the niche market. Patricia Mears investigates the artistic and cultural influences on Toledoand#8217;s work and analyzes her unusual methods of construction, noting that she designs in three dimensions in her mind and then begins working directly with fabric. Displaying garments Toledo has created since her first show in 1985, this book is a revelatory exploration of a fashion innovator in a mass-market industry.and#160;
Synopsis
A beautifully illustrated overview of womenand#8217;s undergarments from the 18th century to the present, with a focus on history, fashion, and craftsmanship
Synopsis
Lingerie, an enduringly fascinating subject, is revered in this gorgeous survey of immaculately crafted undergarments from the 18th century to the present.
Synopsis
Lingerie is a subject of enduring fascination. As the final barrier to the fully nude body, it is simultaneously modest and erotic. This compelling and eye-catching publication surveys lingerie from the mid-18th century to the present, covering a broad range of foundation garments, intimate apparel, and lounging clothesand#151;from bras and corsets to slips, peignoirs, and tea gowns. All pieces are gorgeously illustrated in color.
and#160;
Stunning historical garments from well-known fashion houses such as Christian Dior are included, as is risquand#233; contemporary lingerie by labels such as Agent Provocateur. When viewed as a whole, these pieces illustrate important developments in fashion over time, such as changes in silhouette, shifting ideals of propriety, and advancements in technology.
and#160;
While a number of the pieces featured in the book were worn hundreds of years ago, the majority date from the 20th century. It was at that time that lingerie started to become as beautiful and alluring as it was functional. Authors Colleen Hill and Valerie Steele show that the decorative, highly feminine styles from the early 1900s set a new precedent for the importance of lingerie in womenand#8217;s private livesand#151;a concept that remains important to many women today.and#160;
Synopsis
From its origins in the eighteenth-century literature of terror to its contemporary manifestations in vampire fiction, cinema, and art, the gothic has embraced the powers of horror and the erotic macabre. and#147;Gothicand#8221; is an epithet with a strange history and#150; evoking images of death, destruction, and decay. Ironically, its negative connotations have made the gothic an ideal symbol of rebellion for a wide range of cultural outsiders.
and#160;
Popularly associated with black-clad teenagers and rock musicians, gothic fashion encompasses not only subcultural styles (from old-school goth to cyber-goth and beyond) but also high fashion by such designers as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano of Christian Dior, Rick Owens, Olivier Theyskens, and Yohji Yamamoto. Fashion photographers, such as Sean Ellis and Eugenio Recuenco, have also drawn on the visual vocabulary of the gothic to convey narratives of dark glamour. As the text and lavish illustrations in this book suggest, gothic fashion has deep cultural roots that give it an enduring potency.
Synopsis
Scholars have long acknowledged the significance of the Japanese and#8220;fashion revolutionand#8221; of the 1980s, when avant-garde designers Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garand#231;ons introduced a radically new conception of fashion. But what has happened in the years since then?
Lavishly illustrated, Japan Fashion Now will be the first book to explore how Japanese fashion has evolved in recent years. During this time, Japanese pop culture has swept the world, as young people everywhere read manga, watch anime, and play video games. Japan has had a profound impact on global culture, often via new media.
With essays by Valerie Steele (and#8220;Is Japan Still the Future?and#8221;), Patricia Mears (and#8220;Fashion Revolutionand#8221;), Hiroshi Narumi (and#8220;Japanese Street Styleand#8221;), and Yuniya Kawamura (and#8220;Japanese Fashion Subculturesand#8221;), Japan Fashion Now explores how the world of fashion has been transformed by contemporary Japanese visual culture.
Synopsis
An astute exploration of the most outrageous shoe designs of the 21st century
Synopsis
A fabulously illustrated examination of extreme contemporary shoe design, including its place in fashion history and its relationship to art and consumer culture.
Synopsis
This fabulously illustrated book explores western cultureandrsquo;s fascination with extravagant and fashionable shoes. Over the past decade, shoe design has become increasingly central to fashion, with fashion companies paying ever more attention to shoes and other accessories. High-heeled shoes, in particular, have become the fashion accessory of the 21st century.
Co-written by one of the worldandrsquo;s leading historians of fashion and an authority on fashion accessories, the book features approximately 150 pairs of the most extreme and ultra-fashionable styles of the past 12 years, including work by such prominent designers as Manolo Blahnik, Pierre Hardy, Christian Louboutin and Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier, as well as shoes by influential design houses such as Azzedine Alaandiuml;a, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Prada. Avant-garde styles by up-and-coming designers such as Japanandrsquo;s Kei Kagami and Noritaka Tatehana are also highlighted.
Shoe Obsession examines recent extreme and fantastical shoe styles in relation to the history of high heels, the role of shoes as a reflection of their wearersandrsquo; personality traits, and the importance of shoes in art and exhibitions. The book is lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs of spectacular contemporary shoe designs.
Synopsis
An unprecedented in-depth exploration of the complex interrelationship between high fashion and queer history and culture
Synopsis
From Christian Dior to Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen, many of the greatest fashion designers of the past century have been gay.and#160; Fashion and style have played an important role within the LGBTQ community, as well, even as early as the 18th century.and#160; This provocative book looks at the history of fashion through a queer lens, examining high fashion as a site of gay cultural production and exploring the aesthetic sensibilities and unconventional dress of LGBTQ people, especially since the 1950s, to demonstrate the centrality of gay culture to the creation of modern fashion.and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Contributions by some of the worldand#8217;s most acclaimed scholars of gay history and fashion and#150; including Christopher Breward, Shaun Cole, Vicki Karaminas, Jonathan D. Katz, Peter McNeil, and Elizabeth Wilson and#150; investigate topics such as the context in which key designersand#8217; lives and works form part of a broader and#147;gayand#8221; history; the and#147;archeologyand#8221; of queer attire back to the homosexual underworld of 18th-century Europe; and the influence of LGBTQ subcultural styles from the trouser suits worn by Marlene Dietrich (which inspired Yves Saint Laurentand#8217;s and#147;Le Smokingand#8221;) to the iconography of leather. Sumptuous illustrations include both fashion photography and archival imagery.
Synopsis
A lavishly illustrated tribute to one of the most remarkable self-invented personalities on the New York fashion scene
Synopsis
Lavishly illustrated, this catalogue celebrates one of the most extraordinary self-invented personalities on the New York fashion scene with more than 200 images of her amazing world.
Synopsis
Susanne Bartsch has been the queen of New York City nightlife since the 1980s when she first became famous for spectacular parties, where a diverse crowd brought fashion to the level of performance art. Her most important party was undoubtedly the 1989 Love Ball, a pioneering AIDS benefit that brought the fashion world together. The Love Ball was followed by other parties, which ultimately raised more than $2.5 million for AIDS research and advocacy. Over the years, Bartsch has had a profound impact on the world of fashion and visual culture. She has been a retailer, a fashion show organizer, a muse, and a catalyst. As Holly Brubach wrote in her 1991
New Yorker profile, andldquo;If there is a theme that runs through the various jobs Bartsch has held, it is perhaps a fascination with the way people present themselvesandmdash;with the clothes and the part they play in peopleandrsquo;s imagination.andrdquo;
and#160;
Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartschand#160;features approximately 80 looks from Bartschandrsquo;s personal collection of clothing and accessories, including designs by Rachel Auburn, Body Map, Leigh Bowery, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Mr. Pearl, Vivienne Westwood, Zaldy, and many others. Dazzling color photographs allow readers to witness the incredible art of transformation.and#160;
About the Author
Valerie Steele is director and chief curator, Patricia Mears is deputy director, and Clare Sauro is assistant curator of accessories, all at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. Valerie Steele is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Corset: A Cultural History; Fashion, Italian Style; and Fifty Years of Fashion, all published by Yale University Press.