Wardrobe Crisis : How We Went From Sunday Best to Fast Fashion

Who makes your clothes? This used to be an easy question to answer it was the seamstress next door, or the tailor on the high street—or you made them yourself. Today, we rarely know the origins of the clothes hanging in our closets. The local shoemaker, dressmaker, and milliner are long gone, replaced a globalized fashion industry worth $1.5 trillion a year. In Wardrobe Crisis , fashion journalist Clare Press explores the history and ethics behind what we wear. Putting her insider status to good use, Press examines the entire fashion ecosystem, from sweatshops to haute couture, unearthing the roots of today's buy-and-discard culture. She traces the origins of icons like Chanel, Dior, and Hermès; charts the rise and fall of the department store; and follows the thread that led us from Marie Antoinette to Carrie Bradshaw. Wardrobe Crisis is a witty and persuasive argument for a fashion revolution that will empower you to feel good about your wardrobe again. "Who makes your clothes? Today, we rarely know the origins of the clothes hanging in our closests. The local shoemaker, dressmaker, and milliner are long gone, replaced by a globalized fashion industry worth $2.4 trillion a year." "In Wardrobe Crisis, fashion journalist Clare Press explores the history and ethics behind what we wear. Putting her insider status to good use, Press examines the entire fashion ecosystem, from sweatshops to haute couture, unearthing the roots of today's buy-and-discard culture. She traces the origins of icons like Chanel, Dior and Hermès; charts the rise and fall of the department store; and follows the thread that led us from Marie Antoinette to Carrie Bradshaw. Wardrobe Crisis is a witty and persuasive argument for a fashion revolution that will empower you to feel good about your wardrobe again"--Back cover Foreword / by Sarah Wilson Introduction Behind the seams The couture effect More please, Sir Status anxiety Because you're worth it What's in a name? Revolution baby The dog fur private eye Counter culture Seventh heaven? Grand social The ethical runway Silent spring/summer Dyeing shame Slippery customers Weird science You should see polythene Pam Waste not, want not Raising the baa Can we really change our ways?