This season, a whole selection of new fashion books has appeared: about the formation of American fashion, the costume of the era of Nicholas II and even the characteristics of a criminal’s wardrobe. We fill the shelves or look for a coffee table book to give as a gift, for our loved ones or for ourselves.
“EMPRESSES OF SEVENTH AVENUE”
Nancy McDonell
The book is about the formation of American fashion, i.e. how the textile industry developed in the United States after liberation from the French fashion dictatorship, under which it was until World War II. On the cover is a photograph by Irving Penn for Vogue in 1950, and in the lens are dresses by Claire McCardell, an advocate of comfort and practicality and one of the leading women of American fashion.
“DREAM JOB. BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY”
Julia Mensitieri
The message of this new product: the dream job is still a job. Millions (and perhaps billions) of euros are spent and earned in fashion, but this does not mean that the specialists involved in it are paid well for their work. Anthropologist and author Julia Mensitieri spoke to designers, stylists, photographers and others in the industry to create a broad picture of exploitation and self-exploitation in the industry. According to Mensitieri, fashion is “the vanguard of capitalism” and its current working conditions offer a glimpse into the future of many other professions.
“IRIS VAN HERPEN: RETHINKING FASHION”
Jessica Hemmings
A major study dedicated to Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, whose work spanned not only fashion, but also architecture and natural sciences. British writer and professor Jessica Hemmings points out van Herpen’s key characteristic from the very beginning, calling her “more of an artist” than a designer. The book consists of three parts, each of which reveals the main methods and characteristics of Iris’s work: “Body”, “Tools” and “Collaboration”.
“CRIMINAL WARDROBE: CHARACTERISTICS OF A DEVIANT DISGUISE”
Joan Turney
A gangster in an expensive suit, a detective in a trench coat, a hooligan in a shapeless hoodie, Norwegian knitted sweaters when the verdict is announced – in this book, clothing becomes a marker of deviance and threat. And also the cornerstone of the question: is it possible to identify a criminal by his appearance? And if so, how does it work? The authors of the collection compiled by fashion historian Joan Turney undertake to answer these questions, using various approaches and methodologies. The articles presented in the book help to see the familiar set of ideas about criminal behaviour and deviant dress as a fluid system, the foundations of which are constantly revised according to the historical and political context.
“CLOTHING AND FASHION OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. THE ERA OF NICHOLAS II”
Olga Khoroshilova
Olga Khoroshilova’s monograph is devoted to one of the most dramatic periods in the history of costume and fashion of the Russian Empire – the era of Nicholas II. The fashion of that time was a bright and colorful kaleidoscope of various styles and trends. The customs and lifestyle of that time were influenced by political events, literature and art. The book is based on archival documents, diaries and memoirs. Most of the photographs included in it are published for the first time.
“MARTIN MARGIELA: LEXICON OF STYLE”
colin hill
In a work written exclusively for V–A–C Press, fashion researcher and curator Colin Hill compiles the stylistic lexicon of Belgian designer Martin Margiela. The book consists of three parts: “Memory,” “Deconstruction,” “Play and Improvisation.” Even though Margiela’s work is paradoxical and difficult to categorize, this approach not only allows us to observe the key ideas of the eponymous brand, but also, to a certain extent, turns out to be in tune with the principles of the designer himself.
“TRAPPED. SHOES, EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT AND AFFECTS OF USE”
Ellen Simpson
Second-hand and imperfect clothing and footwear are often on the periphery of fashion and therefore beyond the reach of fashion researchers. The author of the book, Ellen Sampson, nevertheless follows this path and speaks of the living nature of the relationship between the shoe and its owner. In her work she uses various scientific methods, from phenomenology and anthropology to psychoanalysis, philosophy and art history. Sampson analyses the affective and mnemonic mechanisms associated with shoes, demonstrating how the marks left on them reflect human experience. A special feature of the book are the diary extracts that precede each chapter – a recording of an experiment that Sampson herself performed with shoes. She created a pair with her own hands, wore them and conceptualised the sensations associated with this practice.
