The Face of Fashion : Cultural Studies in Fashion

"The Face of Fashion" is a study of fashion and the body which aims to establish the relations between codes and systems of clothing and the conduct of everyday life.; Jennifer Craik questions the trickle-down theory that fashion is dictated by elite designers and opinion leaders with evidence of a trickle-up effect from sub-cultures, mass consumer behaviour and everyday bricolage of fashion items.; The text addresses the neglected area of men's fashion, as well as women's fashion, within a broad examination of the role of fashion in gender identity.; The argument is developed through a number of key agencies and processes: consumerism and everyday fashion; the iconization of the body through fashion models and photography; the use of cosmetics to "make-up" the body; the nexus between fashion and gender; the changing fashions in underwear and swimwear as maps of the revealed body.; These topics are approached from an interdisciplinary perspective that treats fashion systems as ethnographic traces of the cultural projection of the body First Published in 2004.'The Face of Fashion'is a study of fashion and the body which aims to establish the relations between codes and systems of clothing and the conduct of everyday life. Jennifer Craik questions the trickle-down theory that fashion is dictated by elite designers and opinion leaders with evidence of a trickle-up effect from sub-cultures, mass consumer behaviour and everyday bricolage of fashion items. The text addresses the neglected area of men's fashion, as well as women's fashion, within a broad examination of the role of fashion in gender identity. The argument is developed through a number of key agencies and processes: consumerism and everyday fashion; the iconization of the body through fashion models and photography; the use of cosmetics to'make-up'the body; the nexus between fashion and gender; the changing fashions in underwear and swimwear as maps of the revealed body. These topics are approached from an interdisciplinary perspective that treats fashion systems as ethnographic traces of the cultural projection of the body. First Published in 2004. "The Face of Fashion" is a study of fashion and the body which aims to establish the relations between codes and systems of clothing and the conduct of everyday life. Jennifer Craik questions the trickle-down theory that fashion is dictated by elite designers and opinion leaders with evidence of a trickle-up effect from sub-cultures, mass consumer behaviour and everyday bricolage of fashion items. The text addresses the neglected area of men's fashion, as well as women's fashion, within a broad examination of the role of fashion in gender identity. The argument is developed through a number of key agencies and consumerism and everyday fashion; the iconization of the body through fashion models and photography; the use of cosmetics to "make-up" the body; the nexus between fashion and gender; the changing fashions in underwear and swimwear as maps of the revealed body. These topics are approached from an interdisciplinary perspective that treats fashion systems as ethnographic traces of the cultural projection of the body. 1. Face Of Fashion: Technical Bodies And Technologies Of Self -- 2. Exotic Impulses In Techniques Of Fashion -- 3. Fashioning Women: Techniques Of Femininity -- 4. Fashion Models: Female Bodies And Icons Of Femininity -- 5. Soft Focus: Techniques Of Fashion Photography -- 6. States Of Undress: Lingerie To Swimwear -- 7. Cosmetic Attributes: Techniques Of Make-up And Perfume -- 8. Fashioning Masculinity: Dressed For Comfort Or Style -- 9. Conclusion: Nothing To Wear. Jennifer Craik. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [226]-239) And Indexes. This book examines fashion from the role of the supermodel in the beauty business to the significance of cosmetics, perfumes and male fashions. Clearly written and accessible it argues that it is wrong to see fashion as the expression of haute couture. Instead what is judged to be fahionable emerges from a number of different sources in society. It will be required reading for students of culture and society. The Face of Fashion breaks new ground in the study of fashion by establishing the relations between the codes and systems of clothing and the conduct of everyday life. It addresses men's and women's fashion and gender identity