Fashion Writing and Criticism: History, Theory, Practice

Description

Fashion Writing and Criticism provides students with the tools to critique fashion with skill and style. Explaining the history and theory of criticism, this innovative text demonstrates how the tradition of criticism has developed and how this knowledge can be applied to fashion, enabling students to acquire the methods and proper vocabulary to be active critics themselves. Integrating history and theory, this innovative book explains the development of fashion writing, the theoretical basis on which it sits, and how it might be improved and applied. Through concise snapshot case studies, top international scholars McNeil and Miller analyse fashion excerpts in relation to philosophical ideas and situate them within historical contexts. Case studies include classic examples of fashion writing, such as Diana Vreeland at Harper's Bazaar and Richard Martin on Karl Lagerfeld, as well as contemporary examples such as Suzy Menkes and the blogger Tavi. Accessibly written, Fashion Writing and Criticism enables readers to understand, assess and make value judgments about the fascinating and changeable field of fashion. It is an invaluable text for students and researchers alike, studying fashion, journalism, history and media studies. Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS LIST OF IMAGES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PART ONE WHAT IS CRITICISM? 1 INTRODUCTION 2 ARISTOTLE AND THE ORIGINS OF CRITICISM The poetics today Aristotle’s written legacy Plato versus Aristotle on knowledge, the arts and beauty What is tragedy? The structure of a Greek tragedy 3 TALKING IN PRIVATE: THE ACADEMIES AND THE SALONS Magazines: barometers of taste Understanding taste The founding of the academies The conférences Descartes’ dualism Assessments of art: towards criticism The salons The first great critic: Denis Diderot 4 UNDERSTANDING TASTE: THE CRITIC AS QUALIFIED OBSERVER Defining philosophical aesthetics Aesthetics, beauty and criticism in modern philosophy British empiricism and its contribution to philosophical aesthetics Defining taste: the Earl of Shaftesbury, David Hume and Edmund Burke The Earl of Shaftesbury The sublime Francis Hutcheson’s philosophical aesthetics Hume’s fork Who are the critics? Immanuel Kant: Critique of Judgement (1790) 5 CHARLES BAUDELAIRE: THE BEGINNING OF FASHION CRITICISM; THE ART CRITIC OF THE SALONS Charles Baudelaire: the painter of modern life The emergence of a critical vocabulary of fashion writing: charm Charm me Charles Baudelaire, critic of the salons What is the good of criticism? Understanding Hegel 6 OSCAR WILDE AND THE APOSTLES OF AESTHETICISM Oscar Wilde’s genius ‘Ethics’ and ‘morality’ versus’ art’ and ‘aesthetics’ PART TWO REPORTING FASHION OVERVIEW Concerning the ‘snapshots’ SNAPSHOTS Fashion and morality: Leo Tolstoy: what is art? Paul Poiret: ‘Sultan of fashion’ – from tradition to innovation Diana Vreeland: ‘Why don’t you?’ – the invention of the fashion editor1 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? 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 TO FROM HERE? NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX