The Berg Companion to Fashion

by Valerie Steele (Editor)

- An essential reference for students, curators and scholars of fashion, cultural studies, and the expanding range of disciplines that see fashion as imbued with meaning far beyond the material.

- Over 300 in-depth entries covering designers, articles of clothing, key concepts and styles.

- Edited and introduced by Valerie Steele, a scholar who has revolutionized the study of fashion, and who has been described by The Washington Post as one of "fashion's brainiest women."

Derided by some as frivolous, even dangerous, and celebrated by others as art, fashion is anything but a neutral topic. Behind the hype and the glamour is an industry that affects all cultures of the world. A potent force in the global economy, fashion is also highly influential in everyday lives, even amongst those who may feel impervious.

This handy volume is a one-stop reference for anyone interested in fashion - its meaning, history and theory. From Avedon to Codpiece, Dandyism to the G-String, Japanese Fashion to Subcultures, Trickle down to Zoot Suit, The Berg Companion to Fashion provides a comprehensive overview of this most fascinating of topics and will serve as the benchmark guide to the subject for many years to come.

Genres: Fashion, Research

800 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Valerie Steele is director and chief curator and Melissa Marra is associate curator of education and public programs, both at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Reviews

[Momo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, loved the textbooks for the class this was for, they were so well thought out and really helped the information stick since they used multiple teaching techniques.

[Anna Katherina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through and through, this is more like a dictionary- or a very small encyclopedia- that's broadly applicable to the industry. There's really not much to be said about it other than it covers a pretty decent selection of things; I'd probably recommend picking this up especially if you're a beginner- though it won't help teach you how to sew anything.