Description
Book SynopsisIf you just can''t decide what to wear, this enlightening guide will lead you through the diverse and sometimes contradictory aspects of fashion in a series of lively, entertaining and thoughtful essays from prominent philosophers and writers.
- A unique and enlightening insight into the underlying philosophy behind the power of fashion
- Contributions address issues in fashion from a variety of viewpoints, including aesthetics, the nature of fashion and fashionability, ethics, gender and identity politics, and design
- Includes a foreword by Jennifer Baumgardner, feminist author, activist and cultural critic, editor of Ms magazine (1993-7) and regular contributor to major women''s magazines including Glamour and Marie-Claire
Trade Review“Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. (Choice, 1 August 2012)
"All in all, this is a valuable text not just because of the marriage of the academic with the everyday, but because of the diverse issues that it touches on. It's a well-rounded effort and even the most jaded fashion person will find something new between its covers." (The Licentiate, 26 September 2011)
Table of ContentsForeword ix
Jennifer Baumgardner
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Jessica Wolfendale and Jeanette Kennett
Part 1 Being Fashionable and Being Cool 13
1 What Makes Something Fashionable? 15
Anya Farennikova and Jesse Prinz
2 Fashion, Illusion, and Alienation 31
Nick Zangwill
3 Tryhards, Fashion Victims, and Effortless Cool 37
Luke Russell
Part 2 Fashion, Style, and Design 51
4 The Aesthetics of Design 53
Andy Hamilton
5 Share the Fantasy: Perfume Advertising, Fashion, and Desire 70
Cynthia A. Freeland
6 Computational Couture: From Cyborgs to Supermodels 88
Ada Brunstein
Part 3 Fashion, Identity, and Freedom 103
7 Wearing Your Values on Your Sleeve 105
Daniel Yim
8 Fashion and Sexual Identity, or Why Recognition Matters 120
Samantha Brennan
9 Slaves to Fashion? 135
Lauren Ashwell and Rae Langton
10 Fashion Dolls and Feminism: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Barbie? 151
Louise Collins
Part 4 Can We Be Ethical and Fashionable? 167
11 Sweatshops and Cynicism 169
Matthew F. Pierlott
12 Women Shopping and Women Sweatshopping: Individual Responsibility for Consumerism 18
Lisa Cassidy
13 A Taste for Fashion 199
Marguerite La Caze
Notes on Contributors 215
