Fashion
A Philosophy
Svendsen, Lars
Irons, John (TRN)
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BOOK SUMMARY
Fashion is at once a familiar yet mysteriously elite world that we all experience, whether were buying a new pair of jeans, reading Vogue, or watching the latest episode of Project Runway. Lars Svendsen dives into that world in Fashion, exploring the myth
Submit a book reviewBOOK SYNOPSIS
Fashion is at once a familiar yet mysteriously elite world that we all experience, whether we're buying a new pair of jeans, reading Vogue, or watching the latest episode of Project Runway. Lars Svendsen dives into that world in Fashion, exploring the myths, ideas, and history that make up haute couture, the must-have trends over the centuries, and the very concept of fashion itself.
Fashion opens with an exploration of all the possible meanings encompassed by the word "fashion," as Svendsen probes its elusive place in art, politics, and history. Ultimately, however, he focuses on the most common use of the term: clothing. With his trademark dry wit, he deftly dismantles many of the axioms of the industry and its supporters. For example, he points out that some of the latest fashions shown on runways aren't actually "fashionable" in any sense of the word, arguing that they're more akin to modern art works, and he argues against the increasingly prevalent idea that plastic surgery and body modification are part of a new wave of consumerism. Svendsen draws upon the writings of thinkers from Adam Smith to Roland Barthes to analyze fashion as both a historical phenomenon and a philosophy of aesthetics. He also traces the connections between the concepts of fashion and modernity and ultimately considers the importance of evolving fashions to such fields as art, politics, and philosophy.
Whether critiquing a relentless media culture that promotes perfect bodies or parsing the never-ending debate over the merits of conformity versus individual style, Lars Svendsen offers an engaging and intriguing analysis of fashion and the motivations behind its constant pursuit of the new.
AUTHOR BIO
Lars Svendsen is associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Bergen. He is the author of numerous books, including A Philosophy of Boredom, published by Reaktion Books; The Philosophy of Evil; and Man, Morals and Genes: A Critique of Biologism.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface 1. Introduction - A Philosophy of Fashion?2. The Principle of Fashion - The New3. The Origins and Spread of Fashion4. Fashion and Language5. Fashion and the Body6. Fashion and Art7. Fashion and Consumption8. Fashion as an Ideal in Life ConclusionReferences
BOOK REVIEWS
"A reliable basic theory of its practice. Svendsen sums up and renders obsolete many previous, famous explanations. . . . I like his lack of complicity with his subject."--The Guardian
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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 1861892918
ISBN(13-digit): 9781861892911
Dewey Decimal: 391.001
Library of Congress: oc2007062986
Book Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 188
