Fashioning
Fashion is one of the books that I've reviewed for the latest issue of My Creative
Diva magazine. I’m a sucker for glossy fashion books but this made a nice change as it
looks at the history of fashion and the way it has influenced some of today’s
biggest designers. For more of my reviews and lots of interviews with some creative
and inspiring women head over to www.my-creativediva.co.uk.
We live in a
world of fast fashion, where trends come and go in the blink of an eye and
affordable high street clothing means that we can clear out our wardrobes each
season. Eighteenth and nineteenth century fashion was much slower and therefore
greater attention was paid to detail, resulting in some fabulously intricate
clothing that would have been treasured by their owners.
Fashioning Fashion highlights a major
collection of European dress acquired by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
from two of the foremost dealers in the field, Martin Kamer and Wolfgang Ruf.
It is a celebration of the beauty of fashion from years gone by that takes you through
the evolution of European fashion, including significant pieces such as an
embroidered man’s vest emblazoned with powerful messages relevant to the French
Revolution. The text provides historical context to show
how political events and technological innovations have influenced style,
whilst the beautiful large images combine paintings from the time with photographs from today’s catwalks.
It is wonderful
to see how these beautiful items from the past have inspired contemporary
designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Bailey,
and to admire the silhouettes from centuries ago that remain just as stylish
and desirable today.
Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in
Detail, 1700-1915, £36.00
Published by Prestel
ISBN 987-3-7913-5062-2
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