Topic:
Fashion can be considered as a form of communication, but what does it tell us? And how? This book is an academic attempt to address fashion as a form of social communication tool.
Main thesis:
What kinds of things do fashion and clothing say about us? Malcolm Barnard introduces fashion and clothing as ways of communicating and challenging class, gender, and sexual and social identities. Drawing on a range of theoretical approaches from Barthes and Baudrillard to Marxist, psychoanalytic and feminist theory, Barnard addresses the ambivalent status of fashion in contemporary culture. He looks at the producers, consumers and critics of fashion, exploring the tensions between haute couture and high culture, and asking how meanings are generated, and by whom. (Excerpt from review on Amazon)
Methodology:
Without much visual references, the methodology undertaken is not necessarily designed to have a practical impact on “how to read” fashion.
Theoretical framework:
The book draws broad theoretical approaches; postmodernity in relation to structuralism, sociology and gender studies related analysis to acknowledge fashion’s complexity and closeness to the society.
Links:
Book page on Amazon
Review in journal
Relevance:
Seems relevant for B&B project in some aspects, in particular how fashion as communication can be compared with other forms of communications.