Fashion History: A Global View

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Fashion History: A Global View proposes a new perspective on fashion history. Arguing that fashion has occurred in cultures beyond the West throughout history, this groundbreaking book explores the geographic places and historical spaces that have been largely neglected by contemporary fashion studies, bringing them together for the first time. Reversing the dominant narrative that privileges Western Europe in the history of dress, Welters and Lillethun adopt a cross-cultural approach to explore a vast array of cultures around the globe. They explore key issues affecting fashion systems, ranging from innovation, production and consumption to identity formation and the effects of colonization. Case studies include the cross-cultural trade of silk textiles in Central Asia, the indigenous dress of the Americas and of Hawai'i, the cosmetics of the Tang Dynasty in China, and stylistic innovation in sub-Saharan Africa. Examining the new lessons that can be deciphered from archaeological findings and theoretical advancements, the book shows that fashion history should be understood as a global phenomenon, originating well before and beyond the fourteenth century European court, which is continually, and erroneously, cited as fashion's birthplace. Providing a fresh framework for fashion history scholarship, Fashion History: A Global View will inspire inclusive dress narratives for students and scholars of fashion, anthropology, and cultural studies.

Reviews

Fashion History: A Global View is inspirational for new studies on fashion history by showing how new styles were initiated at times, in places and in ways that ordinarily are not included in fashion history. The book can further extend the way fashion history is taught at the colleges and the universities. * Markets, Globalization & Development Review *
How wonderfully well-timed is this book! A milestone in the field, Fashion History marks a point to which fashion scholarship has been evolving, and at which we can now pause and take stock. -- Antonia Finnane, University of Melbourne, Australia.
This new fashion world history persuasively argues for a definition of fashion beyond the modern west. From Chinese lip fashions to vernacular version of the standard suit (shorts and T shirts) this is an essential overview of the development and state of the field. Ranging in topic from the Ancient World to past and present East, South and South-east Asia, the book will surprise and delight. Notable for its clarity and precision, illustrated with fascinating examples, the book is essential reading for all students and devotees of fashion and its histories. -- Peter McNeil, University of Technology Sydney, Australia and Aalto University, Finland

Author Bio

Linda Welters is Professor of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design and Director of the Graduate Program at the University of Rhode Island, USA. Abby Lillethun is Associate Professor of Fashion Studies in the Department of Art and Design at Montclair State University, USA.