Fashion And Orientalism

Description: Orientalism is a central factor within the fashion system, both subtle and overt. In this timely and groundbreaking book, the author shows the extent of the influence that the Orient had, and continues to have, on fashion. Our concept of Western fashion is unthinkable without it, whether in terms of the growth of the cotton industry or of garments we take for granted, such as the dressing gown. From pre-modern to contemporary times, the book demonstrates that in the realms of fashion the Orient is not simply a construction or a fascination of the imperial West with its eastern other. Rather, it reveals the extent of cross-pollination, exchange and multiple translation that has taken place between East and West for the last five hundred years. Exploring topics including Chinoiserie, masquerade, bohemianism, Japonisme, the 'de-Orientalisation' of the Orient, perfume, and the birth of couture, Fashion and Orientalism is an essential read for students and scholars of fashion, cultural studies and history.

Contents: Introduction Early Orientalism and the Barbaresque 1690-1815: Chinoiserie, Indiennerie, Turquerie and Egyptomania 1815-1871: Turkophilia, Afromania and the Indes 1870-1944: The Japoniste Revolution, the De-Orientalising of the Orient, and the Birth of Couture 1944-2007: Orientalisms: Postwar Revivalism and Trans-Orientalism Conclusion: The Revenge of China Bibliography Index

Author Biography: Adam Geczy is an artist and writer, and Senior Lecturer at Sydney College of the Arts, a faculty of the University of Sydney, Australia. He is co-author with Michael Carter of Reframing Art (Berg, 2006) and his Art: Histories, Theories and Exceptions (Berg, 2008) won the CHOICE Award for Best Art Book of 2009. He has recently completed editing a major collection of essays with Vicki Karaminas on Fashion and Art (Berg, 2012).