Fashion Writing and Criticism : History, Theory, Practice (Paperback)

Acknowledgements List of illustrations Part 1 What is Criticism? Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Aristotle and the origins of criticism Chapter 3 Talking in private: the Academies and the Salons Chapter 4 Understanding Taste: The Critic as Qualified Observer Chapter 5 Charles Baudelaire: the Beginning of Fashion Criticism; The Art Critic of the Salons Chapter 6 Oscar Wilde and the apostles of aestheticism Part 2 Reporting Fashion: Overview Snapshots Fashion and morality: Leo Tolstoy's What is Art? Paul Poiret: 'sultan of fashion' - from tradition to innovation Diana Vreeland: 'Why Don't you?' - the invention of the fashion editor Christian Dior: the 'New Look' and reporting by Carmel Snow Yves Saint Laurent - a 1970s analysis of 'The couturier and his brand' What is fashion irony? Mild sarcasm or feigning ignorance? Reporting on the Japanese revolution in Paris Richard Martin as essayist: Karl Lagerfeld reworks Chanel Being critical about 'deconstruction': theoretical approach or 'le destroy'? What is a reviewer? - and how can we recognise one? What gives Suzy Menkes the status of professional critic? ACNE Paper: the beauty of print, the splendour of the page How to be a 'critical' blogger: Moving beyond the PR Release Conclusion: where do we go from here? Bibliography Index