Description
Book Synopsis"A Ration of Fashion" investigates Israel's first seven years as a sovereign state through the unusual prism of dress. Clothes worn by Israelis in the 1950s reflected political ideologies, economic conditions, military priorities, social distinctions, and cultural preferences, and all played a part in consolidating a new national identity. Based on a wide range of textual and visual historical documents, the book covers both what Israelis wore in various circumstances and what they said and wrote about clothing and fashion. Written in a clear and accessible style that will appeal to the general reader as well as students and scholars, "A Ration of Fashion" introduces the reader both to Israel's history during its formative years and to the rich field of dress culture.
Trade Review“...fascinating developments loom large in Anat Helman’s deeply researched and thoughtful account, which draws on a wealth of sources, from popular periodicals such as
Haishah and
Lagever to the minutes of kibbutz meetings and the anguished letters sent to the Ministry of Rationing and Supply ... Supported by this lively material, Helman’s work highlights one of the most important, yet barely studied, ways in which clothing ... furnished the new state with a bonanza of sartorial possibilities.” -- Jenna Weissman Joselit (George Washington University) in Studies in Contemporary Jewry, vol. 29 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016)
