
Introducing Fashion Theory
From Androgyny to Zeitgeist
Andrew Reilly(Author)
Bloomsbury Visual Arts (Publisher)
2nd Edition
Published on 10. December 2020
Book
Hardback
160 pages
978-1-350-09190-0 (ISBN)
Description
How does a style become a fashion? Why do trends spread and decline? Introducing Fashion Theory explores these questions and more to help you quickly get up-to-speed with fashion theories, from scarcity to conformity, through clear practical examples and fascinating case studies.
This second edition, re-titled from Key Concepts for the Fashion Industry, includes expanded coverage on cultural appropriation, corporate greenwashing, and the criminal world of counterfeit goods.
- Illustrated examples, from Apple's post-postmodernist iWatch to Savage X Fenty's body image message on diversity
- Covers core fashion theories, from trickle-down to trickle-up, to political dress and conspicuous consumption
- Filled with learning activities, key terms, chapter summaries, and discussion questions to inspire and inform
This second edition, re-titled from Key Concepts for the Fashion Industry, includes expanded coverage on cultural appropriation, corporate greenwashing, and the criminal world of counterfeit goods.
- Illustrated examples, from Apple's post-postmodernist iWatch to Savage X Fenty's body image message on diversity
- Covers core fashion theories, from trickle-down to trickle-up, to political dress and conspicuous consumption
- Filled with learning activities, key terms, chapter summaries, and discussion questions to inspire and inform
Reviews / Votes
[Praise for the first edition]Brings a breath of fresh air to fashion theory. This book puts together a collection of insights and approaches that will facilitate the student's creative thinking process and their capacity to develop keys to solve problems. -- Maria Sargaco, Senior Lecturer & Course Leader in BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion and Communication Fantastic resource for fashion theory! -- Irene Grasser, Design Academy of Fashion, South Africa Introducing Fashion Theory: From Androgyny to Zeitgeist illustrates the scholarly study of fashion in addition to helping students and fashion professionals understand the complexity, meaning, and direction of fashion. Using historic, cultural, and current fashion examples, the book helps explain our everyday clothing habits and the paradoxical nature of fashion * Nancy J. Rabolt, San Francisco State University, USA *
More details
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
50 mono illus
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 175 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
467 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-09190-0 (9781350091900)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2020
2nd Edition
Bloomsbury Visual Arts
€26.49
Available for download
Person
Andrew Reilly, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Fashion Design and Merchandising at University of Hawaii, Manoa, US.
Content
1. Overview
Introduction to theory
Why use theory?
Methods of inquiry
What is fashion?
Who has fashion?
Fashioning the body
The tipping point
Semiotics: How does fashion mean?
Organization of text
Boxed case 1.1: Maslow's hierarchy and fashion
Boxed case 1.2: Classics can have fashionable details too
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Notes
Further reading
2. The Fashion System
Market Infrastructure theory: The role of gatekeepers
Trickle Across theory: Why new styles appear at once
Innovation theory: The role of new products
Historic resurrection: Haven't I seen this before?
Branding: Creating an identity
Summary
Boxed case 2.1: Blockchain technology and intellectual property
Boxed case 2.2: Fake followers
Boxed case 2.3: John Fairchild and the midi mistake
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Notes
Further Reading
3. Fashion and the Individual
The Public, Private, and Secret Self: What we reveal to others
Body image: Feelings about our bodies
Aesthetic perception and learning: Why are we attracted to the clothes we see?
Shifting Erogenous Zones: Reveal and conceal
Historic Continuity theory: Small changes over time
Symbolic Interaction theory: The individual and society
Boxed case 3.1: One individual starts a trend
Boxed case 3.2: The color purple
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Further reading
4. Fashion and Society
Trickle Down theory: Fashion from the top down
Trickle Up theory: Fashion from the bottom up
Scarcity/Rarity: The desire for limited items
Conspicuous consumption: The obvious
Political use of dress: Social movements
Gender: Masculinity, femininity, androgyny
Boxed case 4.1: Sensible British Taste
Boxed case 4.2: La Sape Society
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Notes
Further reading
5. Fashion and Culture
Zeitgeist: Sign of the times
Spatial diffusion: Fashion on the move
Cultural identity: Race, ethnicity, and hybridity
Style tribes: Fashion from the street
Boxed case 5.1 Hate couture
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Notes
Further reading
6. Conclusion
Consuming fashion: Selecting, purchasing, disposing
One phenomenon, many theories
What is fashion? A paradox
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Further reading
Bibliography
Index
Introduction to theory
Why use theory?
Methods of inquiry
What is fashion?
Who has fashion?
Fashioning the body
The tipping point
Semiotics: How does fashion mean?
Organization of text
Boxed case 1.1: Maslow's hierarchy and fashion
Boxed case 1.2: Classics can have fashionable details too
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Notes
Further reading
2. The Fashion System
Market Infrastructure theory: The role of gatekeepers
Trickle Across theory: Why new styles appear at once
Innovation theory: The role of new products
Historic resurrection: Haven't I seen this before?
Branding: Creating an identity
Summary
Boxed case 2.1: Blockchain technology and intellectual property
Boxed case 2.2: Fake followers
Boxed case 2.3: John Fairchild and the midi mistake
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Notes
Further Reading
3. Fashion and the Individual
The Public, Private, and Secret Self: What we reveal to others
Body image: Feelings about our bodies
Aesthetic perception and learning: Why are we attracted to the clothes we see?
Shifting Erogenous Zones: Reveal and conceal
Historic Continuity theory: Small changes over time
Symbolic Interaction theory: The individual and society
Boxed case 3.1: One individual starts a trend
Boxed case 3.2: The color purple
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Further reading
4. Fashion and Society
Trickle Down theory: Fashion from the top down
Trickle Up theory: Fashion from the bottom up
Scarcity/Rarity: The desire for limited items
Conspicuous consumption: The obvious
Political use of dress: Social movements
Gender: Masculinity, femininity, androgyny
Boxed case 4.1: Sensible British Taste
Boxed case 4.2: La Sape Society
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Notes
Further reading
5. Fashion and Culture
Zeitgeist: Sign of the times
Spatial diffusion: Fashion on the move
Cultural identity: Race, ethnicity, and hybridity
Style tribes: Fashion from the street
Boxed case 5.1 Hate couture
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Notes
Further reading
6. Conclusion
Consuming fashion: Selecting, purchasing, disposing
One phenomenon, many theories
What is fashion? A paradox
Summary
Key Terms
Discussion questions
Learning activities
Further reading
Bibliography
Index