Overview

Paris has been the international capital of style for three hundred years. Although challenged by other fashion cities such as Milan, London and New York, Paris remains special. This fascinating book shows that the strength of the French fashion industry rests on the depth and sophistication of its fashion culture. Revised and updated, Paris Fashion is reprinted here in paperback for the first time. More than just a history of famous designers and changing styles, the book is about fashion as a cultural ideal and a social phenomenon. By focusing on a 'case study' of Paris, Steele provides brilliant insights into the significance of fashion in modern urban society. The author, an internationally recognized authority on the history of fashion, is the author of many books, including Fashion and Eroticism, Women of Fashion: 20th-Century Designers, Fetish: Fashion, Sex & Power, and Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now. Reprinted August 1999.

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9781859739730

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Reviews

'This is an original, gracefully written study of Paris fashion, one that manages to say as much about national character, in a sense, as it does about the rise and fall of hemlines... I would not only recommend it to anyone interested in the psychology of clothes, but to anyone planning a sejour in France - as much required reading, say, as the Green Guides of Michelin.' Los Angeles Times Book Review '[Steele's] book offers many insights and pleasures, including some excellent quotations.' The New York Times 'An impressive compendium of information.' The New York Times Book Review 'Anne Hollander, Valerie Steele, and Bill Cunningham are members of a small band of American critics and scholars now writing and talking about fashion with knowledge of the business, the craft and the art. They know its history and its meaning ... Above all they respect their profession and grant it due importance.' Dress: Journal of the Costume Society of America 'A mine of novel information and fascinating illustrations, Valerie Steele's book is good to look at and good to read.' Eugen Weber 'An innovative renewal of a subject all too often explored ploddingly. Ms. Steele enhances brilliantly the eternal appeal of French couture.' Palmer White, author of Schiaparelli 'Once I started reading, I could not stop! Valerie Steele's book is wonderfully witty, pleasurable to read and so well documented. It is one of the best complete studies on Paris fashion that I have ever come across.' Jean-Michel Tuchscherer, Former Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 'Steele's book is a richly textured analysis of sources - artistic, economic, literary, social, and it is a perfect book to recommend to students and many others beside.' Costume

This is an original, gracefully written study of Paris fashion, one that manages to say as much about national character, in a sense, as it does about the rise and fall of hemlines... I would not only recommend it to anyone interested in the psychology of clothes, but to anyone planning a sejour in France - as much required reading, say, as the Green Guides of Michelin. Los Angeles Times Book Review [Steele's] book offers many insights and pleasures, including some excellent quotations. The New York Times An impressive compendium of information. The New York Times Book Review Anne Hollander, Valerie Steele, and Bill Cunningham are members of a small band of American critics and scholars now writing and talking about fashion with knowledge of the business, the craft and the art. They know its history and its meaning ... Above all they respect their profession and grant it due importance. Dress: Journal of the Costume Society of America A mine of novel information and fascinating illustrations, Valerie Steele's book is good to look at and good to read. Eugen Weber 'An innovative renewal of a subject all too often explored ploddingly. Ms. Steele enhances brilliantly the eternal appeal of French couture.' Palmer White, author of Schiaparelli 'Once I started reading, I could not stop! Valerie Steele's book is wonderfully witty, pleasurable to read and so well documented. It is one of the best complete studies on Paris fashion that I have ever come across.' Jean-Michel Tuchscherer, Former Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 'Steele's book is a richly textured analysis of sources - artistic, economic, literary, social, and it is a perfect book to recommend to students and many others beside.' Costume

'This is an original, gracefully written study of Paris fashion, one that manages to say as much about national character, in a sense, as it does about the rise and fall of hemlines... I would not only recommend it to anyone interested in the psychology of clothes, but to anyone planning a sejour in France - as much required reading, say, as the Green Guides of Michelin.' Los Angeles Times Book Review '[Steele's] book offers many insights and pleasures, including some excellent quotations.' The New York Times 'An impressive compendium of information.' The New York Times Book Review 'Anne Hollander, Valerie Steele, and Bill Cunningham are members of a small band of American critics and scholars now writing and talking about fashion with knowledge of the business, the craft and the art. They know its history and its meaning ... Above all they respect their profession and grant it due importance.' Dress: Journal of the Costume Society of America 'A mine of novel informatio

Author Information

Valerie Steele Director,The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

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