Paris Fashion: A Cultural HistoryParis has been the international capital of fashion for more than 300 years. Even before the rise of the haute couture, Parisians were notorious for their obsession with fashion, and foreigners eagerly followed their lead. From Charles Frederick Worth to Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent, fashion history is dominated by the names of Parisian couturiers. But Valerie Steele's Paris Fashion is much more than just a history of great designers. This fascinating book demonstrates that the success of Paris ultimately rests on the strength of its fashion culture – created by a host of fashion performers and spectators, including actresses, dandies, milliners, artists, and writers. First published in 1988 to great international acclaim, this pioneering book has now been completely revised and brought up to date, encompassing the rise of fashion's multiple world cities in the 21st century. Lavishly illustrated, deeply learned, and elegantly written, Valerie Steele's masterwork explores with brilliance and flair why Paris remains the capital of fashion. |
Contents
| 1 | |
The Birth of Paris Fashion | 19 |
Liberty of Dress | 43 |
Fashion in Balzacs Paris | 63 |
The Black Prince of Elegance | 79 |
Fashioning the Parisienne | 93 |
Capital of Luxury and Fashion | 117 |
The Theater of Fashion | 139 |
Into the Twentieth Century | 193 |
Chanel and Her Rivals | 215 |
Fashion under the Occupation | 229 |
Ups and Downs of Paris Fashion | 241 |
Fashions World Cities | 263 |
Endnotes | 277 |
Image List | 299 |
| 311 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Albertine Alexander McQueen American aristocratic artists Balenciaga Balzac Baudelaire beauty bodice bourgeois Bridgeman Images Cassatt Chanel Charles Charles Frederick Worth chic Christian Dior clothes color corset costume court courtesy Fashion Group couture house cravat dandy dandyism designers dress dressmakers elegance Fashion Group Foundation fashion illustration fashion industry Fashion plate Femme Français France French fashion gown Greffulhe haute couture House of Worth increasingly Italian Journal des Dames La Vie Parisienne ladies London look Louis luxury Madame Madeleine Vionnet men’s modern Montesquiou Musée Museum of Art Niall McInerney Oil on canvas painter painting Paquin Paris Paris fashion Parisian Paul Paul Gavarni Paul Poiret Photo courtesy Fashion Photograph Poiret Portrait prêt-à-porter Princess Proust quoted ready-to-wear Revolution Robert de Montesquiou Salon sans-culottes satin silk skirt Stevens’s style suit Swann tailors theater Toudouze trans trousers University Press Uzanne Vie Parisienne wearing woman women wore worn York young Yves Saint Laurent