Cool Shades: The History and Meaning of Sunglasses

Author:   Vanessa Brown
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:  

9780857854452


Pages:   192
Publication Date:   18 December 2014
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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Cool Shades: The History and Meaning of Sunglasses


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Overview

Cool Shades provides the first in-depth exploration of the enduring appeal of sunglasses in visual culture, both historically and today. Ubiquitous in fashion, advertising, film and graphic design, sunglasses are the ultimate signifier of 'cool' in mass culture; a powerful attribute pervading much fashion and pop cultural imagery which has received little scholarly attention until now. Accessible and highly engaging, this book offers an original history of how sunglasses became a fashion accessory in the early twentieth century, and addresses the complex variety of meanings they have the power to articulate, through associations with vision, light, glamour, darkness, fashion, speed and technology in the context of modernity. Cool Shades will be of great interest to students of fashion, design, visual and material culture, cultural studies and sociology, as well as general readers fascinated by this iconic fashion staple.

Full Product Details

Author:   Vanessa Brown
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 0.90cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.272kg
ISBN:  

9780857854452


ISBN 10:   0857854453
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   18 December 2014
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Reviews

Brown delivers a fascinating explication of an iconic fashion accoutrement: sunglasses. She discusses how they have served as a popular cultural signifier, particularly since the 1920s, and explains their purportedly 'cool' quality ... This short but insightful volume explores the influence of urban developments, the early turn to goggles and then eventually to Ray-Ban aviators, and the ultimate evolution of 'modern cool.' ... According to Brown, sunglasses also were linked with African Americans, the femme fatale, white hipsters, the Beats, and late modernity ... Likening shades to Breton's top hat and Robinson's bowler, Brown offers that they stand as 'the ultimate symbol of the age.' A thoroughly intriguing account. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. -- R. C. Cottrell, California State University, Chico CHOICE


Author Information

Vanessa Brown is a Senior Lecturer responsible for Design Culture and Context in the School of Art and Design (Department of Fashion, Knit and Textiles) at Nottingham Trent University, UK.

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