Adorned in Dreams
Fashion and Modernity
2nd Edition
Published on 11. June 2026
Book
Hardback
314 pages
978-1-350-39973-0 (ISBN)
Description
When Adorned in Dreams was first published in 1985, Angela Carter described the book as 'the best I have read on the subject, bar none.'
From haute couture to haberdashery, and 'deviant' dress to Dior, Elizabeth Wilson traces the social and cultural history of fashion and its complex relationship to modernity. From the 'dress reform' movement to certain strands of feminism, Wilson delights in the power of fashion to mark out identity - or subvert it.
Explore topics including fashion and city life, feminism and fashion, and oppositional dress in this authoritative scholarly text on fashion's pivotal role in modern society.
From haute couture to haberdashery, and 'deviant' dress to Dior, Elizabeth Wilson traces the social and cultural history of fashion and its complex relationship to modernity. From the 'dress reform' movement to certain strands of feminism, Wilson delights in the power of fashion to mark out identity - or subvert it.
Explore topics including fashion and city life, feminism and fashion, and oppositional dress in this authoritative scholarly text on fashion's pivotal role in modern society.
Reviews / Votes
Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity is one of the best books ever published on the significance of fashion in society . . . as relevant today as when it was first published * Valerie Steele, editor of Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture * When it was first published in 1985, Adorned in Dreams pioneered new territory in the study of fashion . . . no text since has come close to challenging or overtaking its original claims * Christopher Breward, National Museums Scotland * Sharply focused, consistently intelligent, and broadly informative * Los Angeles Times *More details
Series
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
17 bw
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
860 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-39973-0 (9781350399730)
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
Person
Elizabeth Wilson's writing career began in the 'underground' magazines of the early 1970s, (Frendz, Red Rag, Spare Rib, Come Together) before she became an academic. She's written for the Guardian and her non-fiction books include The Sphinx in the City (1992) (shortlisted for the Manchester Odd Fellows Prize), Bohemians (2000) and Love Game (2014) (long listed for the William Hill sportswriting prize), as well as six crime novels, including War Damage (2009) and The Girl in Berlin (2012) (long-listed for the Golden Dagger Award).
Content
Preface to the re-issue
1: Introduction
2: The History of Fashion
3: Explaining it Away
4: The Fashion Industry
5: Fashion and Eroticism
6: Gender and Identity
7: Fashion and City Life
8: Fashion and Popular Culture
9: Oppositional Dress
10: Utopian Dress and Dress Reform
11: Feminism and Fashion
12: Changing Times/Altered States
Afterword
References
Further reading
Bibliography
Index
1: Introduction
2: The History of Fashion
3: Explaining it Away
4: The Fashion Industry
5: Fashion and Eroticism
6: Gender and Identity
7: Fashion and City Life
8: Fashion and Popular Culture
9: Oppositional Dress
10: Utopian Dress and Dress Reform
11: Feminism and Fashion
12: Changing Times/Altered States
Afterword
References
Further reading
Bibliography
Index