Fashion Zeitgeist : Trends and Cycles in the Fashion System

Annotation. Although it is appealing to think that fashion turns away from conventions, is this really the case? Or are "pioneering" designs simply part of a cyclical revival of forgotten fashions? Looking at some of the most influential designers of the twentieth century--from Yamamoto to Gaultier to Lagerfeld--Vinken considers the politics and philosophies that have been the driving force directing their sense of style. Vinken shows how fashion trends are informed by the past. Chanel, under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, is viewed as the only fashion house to have remained fresh after one hundred years, yet is this success essentially proof of the self-referential qualities fashion has adopted? What inspired the fetish for labels at the end of the twentieth century? Answering these questions and many more, this thought-provoking book shows how beauty, gender, sexuality, commerce, and dandyism have persisted in defining the fashion system. Read more... Abstract: Annotation. Although it is appealing to think that fashion turns away from conventions, is this really the case? Or are "pioneering" designs simply part of a cyclical revival of forgotten fashions? Looking at some of the most influential designers of the twentieth century--from Yamamoto to Gaultier to Lagerfeld--Vinken considers the politics and philosophies that have been the driving force directing their sense of style. Vinken shows how fashion trends are informed by the past. Chanel, under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, is viewed as the only fashion house to have remained fresh after one hundred years, yet is this success essentially proof of the self-referential qualities fashion has adopted? What inspired the fetish for labels at the end of the twentieth century? Answering these questions and many more, this thought-provoking book shows how beauty, gender, sexuality, commerce, and dandyism have persisted in defining the fashion system Although it is appealing to think that fashion has taken a sharp turn away from conventions established in the industry over the past century and more, is this really the case? Or are 'pioneering' designs simply part of a cyclical revival of forgotten fashions?

Looking at some of the most influential designers of the twentieth century, Vinken considers the politics and philosophies that have been the driving forces directing their sense of style.

Vinken describes 'Fashion Zeitgeist' as a trend characterized by representations of traces of the past. She considers the key concepts behind designers such as Yamamoto, Gaultier and Lagerfeld. The originality of Yamamoto's multi-layered look stems from his philosophy that it is the individual sum of experience that is important, not the collective consequences of history. Martin Margiela, although he himself refuses to be photographed or appear in the public eye, brings new individuality into fashion. Chanel, under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, is viewed as the only fashion house to have remained fresh after 100 years, yet is this success essentially proof of the self-referential qualities fashion has adopted? What inspired the fetish for labels at the end of the twentieth century?

Answering these questions and many more, this concise and thought-provoking book shows how beauty, gender, sexuality, commerce and dandyism have persisted in defining the fashion system.

"Although it is appealing to think that fashion turns away from conventions, is this really the case? Or are "pioneering" designs simply part of a cyclical revival of forgotten fashions? Looking at some of the most influential designers of the twentieth century--from Yamamoto to Gaultier to Lagerfeld--Vinken considers the politics and philosophies that have been the driving force directing their sense of style. Vinken shows how fashion trends are informed by the past. Chanel, under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, is viewed as the only fashion house to have remained fresh after one hundred years, yet is this success essentially proof of the self-referential qualities fashion has adopted? What inspired the fetish for labels at the end of the twentieth century? Answering these questions and many more, this thought-provoking book shows how beauty, gender, sexuality, commerce, and dandyism have persisted in defining the fashion system." http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/hol053/2004020615.html.

Why is it that just after you muck out your closet everything you threw away hits the runways? Vinkin (U. of Zurich) goes beyond what we used to know about fashion cycles as symptoms of economic or social trends and looks at it as pure adornment, an adult pleasure and fascination, and a form of self-expression she dubs "postfashion." She finds within trends of the twentieth century signs that dictating style from above has actually long been gone, and that fashion has advanced to a political statement or expression of identity at a very personal level, complete with an personal interpretation of time and space. Vinkin includes a number of illustrations dating from the 1870s to the 1990s. Distributed in the US by Palgrave Macmillan. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Contents 6 List of Figures 8 Part I Postfashion 10 Chapter 1 What Fashion Strictly Divided 12 Chapter 2 Adorned in Zeitgeist 50 Chapter 3 High and Low: The End of a Century of Fashion 70 Part II Eight Types of Postfashion 86 Chapter 4 Lagerfeld for Chanel: The Griffe 90 Chapter 5 Montana, Mugler: Myth 98 Chapter 6 Dolce & Gabbana: Deep South 100 Chapter 7 Comme des Garçons: Ex Oriente Lux 108 Chapter 8 Yohji Yamamoto: The Secret Sewn in 118 Chapter 9 Gaultier: Revaluation of All Values 128 Chapter 10 Helmut Lang: Fabric, Skin, Figure 136 Chapter 11 Martin Margiela: Signs of Time 148 Select Bibliography 162 Index 168 A 168 B 168 C 168 D 169 E 169 F 169 G 169 H 169 I 169 J 169 K 169 L 169 M 169 N 170 P 170 R 170 S 170 V 170 W 170 Y 170 Z 170 Part I, Postfashion -- What fashion strictly divided -- Adorned in Zeitgeist -- High and low: the end of a century of fashion -- Part II, Eight types of fashion -- Lagerfeld for Chanel: the griffe -- Montana, Mugler: myth -- Dolce & Gabbana: deep south -- Comme des garcçons: ex oriente lux -- Yohji Yamamoto: the secret sewn in -- Gaultier: revaluation of all values -- Helmut Lang: fabric, skin and figure -- Martin Margiela: signs of time Part I, Postfashion What fashion strictly divided Adorned in Zeitgeist High and low: the end of a century of fashion Part II, Eight types of fashion Lagerfeld for Chanel: the griffe Montana, Mugler: myth Dolce & Gabbana: deep south Comme des garcȯns: ex oriente lux Yohji Yamamoto: the secret sewn in Gaultier: revaluation of all values Helmut Lang: fabric, skin and figure Martin Margiela: signs of time.