Fashion and Jazz: Dress, identity and subcultural improvisation

Description

Born in the late 19th century, jazz gained mainstream popularity during a volatile period of racial segregation and gender inequality. It was in these adverse conditions that jazz performers discovered the power of dress as a visual tool used to defy mainstream societal constructs, shaping a new fashion and style aesthetic. Fashion and Jazz is the first study to identify the behaviours, signs and meanings that defined this newly evolving subculture. Drawing on fashion studies and cultural theory, the book provides an in-depth analysis of the social and political entanglements of jazz and dress, with individual chapters exploring key themes such as race, class and gender. Including a wide variety of case studies, ranging from Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to Louis Armstrong and Chet Baker, it presents a critical and cultural analysis of jazz performers as modern icons of fashion and popular style. Addressing a number of previously underexplored areas of jazz culture, such as modern dandyism and the link between drug use and glamorous dress, Fashion and Jazz provides a fascinating history of fashion's dialogue with African-American art and style. It is essential reading for students of fashion, cultural studies, African-American studies and history. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Illustrations ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION Signifi cance of a fashion and jazz history 1 DRESS THEORY, FASHION AND A JAZZ AESTHETIC Pattern of influence between fashion and jazz Freedom of expression in fashion and jazz The role of fashion A language of dress in jazz The influential fashion system The representation of dress Defining a jazz aesthetic Conclusion 2 A STYLISH HISTORY OF JAZZ: 1900–1960 Origins of jazz expression Ragtime music Ragtime era fashion Blues music Blues era fashion Swing music Swing era fashion Bebop music Bebop era fashion Modern jazz: Music and fashion Conclusion 3 A NARRATIVE OF JAZZ MODERNITY Postmodern identity in jazz Qualities of modernism in jazz Modern ideals in fashion Visually modern Communicating modernity Modern practices of jazz performers Conclusion 4 ASSESSING ELITISM AND BRANDING IN JAZZ Societal opposition to jazz An elite identity Male dress conformity Evolution of feminine attraction Signifying class distinction Exhibiting an eccentric manner Branding jazz in advertising Classic marketing of jazz Contemporary marketing of jazz Conclusion 5 GENDERED IDENTITIES, IDEOLOGIES AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCE Functions of published sheet music Imagining black culture Female representations: Mammy, highbrow and temptress Male representations: Servant, buffoon and sport Conclusion 6 SUBVERSIVE REPRESENTATION: VERNACULAR, DRESS AND MORALITY Radical notions of jazz Spoken word of blues singers Jazz themes in literature Visual image in fi lms Conclusion 7 NARCOTICS AND JAZZ: A FASHIONABLE ADDICTION Narcotic effect Demonizing drug addiction Concealing addiction with fashion Performing addiction in film Conclusion 8 BEYOND THE GARDENIA: BILLIE HOLIDAY Plain dame Lost in Hollywood Lady’s day 1930s: Draped in tradition 1940s: An icon emerges 1950s: Beyond the gardenia Conclusion 9 AESTHETICS OF THE JAZZ DANDY Like Gods Traditional dandy: Duke Ellington Traditional dandy: Benny Carter Modern dandy: Dizzy Gillespie Modern dandy: Gerry Mulligan Decoding jazz aesthetics in Clinton and Obama 10 PHILADELPHIA NIGHTLIFE, NOSTALGIA AND POPULAR CULTURE Philadelphia: Jazz city unsung Desiring jazz prestige Last call CODA APPENDIX I: RECOMMENDED LISTENING APPENDIX II: RECOMMENDED VIEWING BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX Untitled