Valerie Steele Libri

A spectacular showcase of the inimitable style and haute couture collection of fashion icon Daphne Guinness

Paperback. Pub Date :2013-09-16 576 English Thames Hudson This ambitious and fascinating book traces the history of fashion in every part of the world. from Greco-Roman woven-cloth clothing and the silk court dress of the Chinese Tang dynasty to contemporary sportswear designers and Japanese street culture Organized chronologically. the book traces the evolution of fashion period by period and trend by trend. while detailed timelines provide historical and cultural context The Whole Story is indispensable for everyone who loves the line of a superb suit or knows the joy of wearing a great pair of shoes.

"Shoe Obsession examined our cultures ever-growing fascination with extravagant and fashionable shoes. Accessories used to be just that--secondary to clothing fashions. Today, however, shoes have become the main fashion story, replacing the It bag as the most desirable accessory. High-heeled shoes--the fashion shoes of the 21st century--have become so tall that even a 4-inch heel is considered low. Shoe Obsession featured over 150 examples of the most extraordinary shoe styles of the 21st-century, highlighting the new concepts, constructions, materials, and types of embellishment that have positioned shoes at the height of fashion"--Museum at FIT web site

Corsets. High heels. Thigh-high leather boots. Tattoos and body piercing. What do they mean? Historically grounded and abundantly illustrated, Fetish: Fashion, Sex, and Power charts the boundaries of the normal and `perverse', showing how even the most unusual clothing fetishes enable their wearers (male and female, gay and straight) to use clothing to express their social and sexual identities.

Describes top trends and designers of the past fifty years, including their social and cultural contexts

Explores the increasing prominence of women in the fashion design and examines their contributions to twentieth-century fashion

Dress and adornment have long played an important role in the visual allure of dance, and fashion designers have often been inspired by the way dancers look. The tutus and pointe shoes of the Romantic ballerina, for example, have influenced designers from Christian Dior to Christian Louboutin. Cristóbal Balenciaga was inspired by the drama of flamenco, Yves Saint Laurent by the Orientalism of the Ballet Russes, and Rick Owens by the dynamism of African-American steppers. Fashion designers  are also increasingly collaborating with choreographers to create stylish new dance costumes—from the “bump” dresses by Comme des Garçons for Merce Cunningham  to Valentino’s “Bal de Couture” designs for New York City Ballet.   Lavishly illustrated with both contemporary and historical images, the book features essays by ten  fashion experts, who explore various aspects of the reciprocal relationship between dance and fashion, from the liberating effects of the tango to the influence of ballet on Japanese girl culture. Designers featured include Leon Bakst, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Comme des Garçons, Christian Dior, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Halston, Barbara Karinka, Isaac Mizrahi, Rodarte, Yves Saint Laurent, Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, Valentino, and Iris Van Herpen.      This beautiful book explores for the first time the synergy between dance and fashion, and is an original and inspired contribution to the study of both art forms. 

The concept of fetishism has recently assumed a growing importance in critical thinking about the cultural construction of sexuality. Yet until now no scholar with an in-depth knowledge of fashion history has studied the actual clothing fetishes themselves. Nor has there been a serious exploration of the historical relationship between fashion and fetishism, although erotic styles have changed significantly and "sexual chic" has become increasingly conspicuous. Marshalling a dazzling array of evidence from pornography, psychology, and history, as well as interviews with individuals involved in sexual fetishism, sadomasochism, and cross-dressing, Steele illuminates the complex relationship between appearance and identity. Based on years of research, her book Fetish: Fashion, Sex & Power explains how a paradigm shift in attitudes toward sex and gender has given rise to the phenomenon of fetish fashion.

This comprehensive book explores the collaborations between Louis Vuitton and various artists, designers, and photographers. The updated edition highlights recent partnerships, featuring over eighty collaborators and significant contributions from key figures like Nicolas Ghesquière and Takashi Murakami. With 536 pages and over 130 new images, it captures the evolving interplay between fashion, art, and design.

Founded in 1969 by the Fashion Institute of Technology, The Museum at FIT is a specialized fashion museum famous for its innovative and award-winning exhibitions. The museum has been the site of more than 200 exhibitions since the 1970s, and Exhibitionism commemorates approximately 33 of the most influential of these, including Fashion and Surrealism (1987), a groundbreaking show that explored the relationship between art and fashion; The Corset (2000), a beautiful and brilliant exploration of the most controversial garment in fashion history; and Fairy Tale Fashion (2016), a magical look at the such enchanted and emblematic items as the glass slipper and the red riding hood.Exhibitionism also includes highlights from more recent, award-winning exhibitions, such as A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk (2013) and Black Fashion Designers (2017). Each exhibition included in the book are illustrated using installation photos, images of individual garments, and texts that explain the importance of the exhibition and the objects it featured. The authors provide an engaging, “behind the scenes” look at the process of exhibition making.