Fashion Theory: A Reader (Routledge Student Readers)

The clarity of Barnard's introduction, which sets out the complex agenda of his subject with an elegance that never simplifies, together with the judicious choice of extracts and articles, must surely make this collection the ideal Reader for students and scholars studying fashion from whatever perspective. - Elizabeth Wilson is currently Visiting Professor London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.

Fashion is about clothes, about time and about how the individual is linked to society; are they `with it' or not? This collection brings together a range of views and ideas from very different perspectives about fashion in a way that will be of direct interest to students of design, cultural studies, sociology and the study of fashion itself. The book includes different styles of writing and approach, some of which are just now more fashionable than others, but all have been chosen for having something distinctive and important to say about fashion. The choice of articles will give any reader a broad overview of the theoretical and cultural significance of fashion in the twenty-first century. A `reader' is something to dip into, to read different parts of at different times - in fact, if it is as well planned and put together as this one, it is a book that never goes out of fashion!

Malcolm Barnard's `Fashion as Communication' has become a standard text used on fashion courses all over the world, introducing difficult concepts and theories to students who are often most interested in designing, making and looking at things. His work on visual culture, design and fashion has made accessible to a wide audience key ideas from philosophy, sociology and social theory. Maclolm Barnard's own writing in the introduction to `Fashion Theory' is as engaging and clear as ever and he sets this collection of articles in a context that will be a continual point of reference for its readers. - Tim Dant, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of York.