Fashion Criticism: An Anthology

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This is the first anthology of fashion criticism, a growing field that has been too long overlooked. Fashion Criticism aims to redress the balance, claiming a place for writing on fashion alongside other more well-established areas of criticism. Exploring the history of fashion criticism in the English language, this essential work takes readers from the writing published in avant-garde modernist magazines at the beginning of the twentieth century to the fashion criticism of Robin Givhanthe first fashion critic to win a Pulitzer Prizeand of Judith Thurman, a National Book Award winner. It covers the shift in newspapers from the so-called womens pages to the contemporary style sections, while unearthing the work of cultural critics and writers on fashion including Susan Sontag and Eve Babitz (Vogue), Bebe Moore Campbell (Ebony), Angela Carter (New Statesman) and Hilton Als (New Yorker). Examining the gender dynamics of the field and its historical association with the feminine, Fashion Criticism demonstrates how fashion has gained ground as a subject of critical analysis, capitalizing on the centrality of dress and clothing in an increasingly visual and digital world. The book argues that fashion criticism occupied a central role in negotiating shifting gender roles as well as shifting understandings of race. Bringing together two centuries of previously uncollected articles and writings, from Oscar Wildes editorials in The Womans World to the ground-breaking fashion journalism of the 1980s and todays proliferation of fashion bloggers, it will be an essential resource for students of fashion studies, media and journalism.

Reviews

Seven billion humans on the planet clothe or adorn themselves every day. Yet the subject of dress its language; its influence on the way we express our identities, desires, allegiances, aspirations and (in many cases, our servitude) has rarely been considered worthy of serious inquiry. This essential anthology of essays on fashion corrects that oversight ... and it does so with exceptional verve and intelligence. * Judith Thurman, The New Yorker *
From Oscar Wildes musing on corsets to Connie Wangs discussion of Wokeness, this dazzling compendium of critical fashion writingwith a sweep of over one hundred yearsis as fun to read as it is intellectually provocative. * Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, US *
[Fashion Criticism: An Anthology] represents a step forward to considering fashion criticism a respected discipline alongside cultural criticism. Moreover, it can be a very useful resource for those who wish to deepen their knowledge on the subject, and it might even help them develop their own critical skills for fashion writing. Eventually, this anthology demonstrates how politics, gender, race, and other socio cultural issues are extremely interconnected with the matters of dress. Fashion criticism can be another way of examining those contexts and enrich the conversation with new, stimulating perspectives. * The Journal of Dress History *
Reprints of lesser-known essays (Campbells What Happened to the Afro), plus essays that use a variety of approaches, from glamorous description (Longs Feminine Fashions), to social theory (Sontags Looking with Avedon), make this a solid primer on cultural criticism and fashion journalism. * Library Journal *
A welcome anthology of fashion criticism establishing that writing about fashion can be as influential as designing it. Ranging across late nineteenth century gazettes, twentieth century newspapers and twenty-first century posts, its a key reference work for reading about how fashion measures up. * Alistair ONeill, Central Saint Martins, London, UK *

Author Bio

Francesca Granata is Associate Professor of Fashion Studies at Parsons School of Design. She is the author of Experimental Fashion: Performance Art, Carnival and the Grotesque Body, and editor of the non-profit journal Fashion Projects.