From insidious murder weapons to blaze-igniting crinolines, clothing has been the cause of death, disease and madness throughout history, by accident and design. Clothing is designed to protect, shield and comfort us, yet lurking amongst seemingly innocuous garments we find hats laced with mercury, frocks laden with arsenic and literally 'drop-dead gorgeous' gowns. Fabulously gory and gruesome, Fashion Victims takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the lethal history of women's, men's and children's dress, in myth and reality. Drawing upon surviving fashion objects and numerous visual and textual sources, encompassing louse-ridden military uniforms, accounts of the fiery deaths of Oscar Wilde's half-sisters and dancer Isadora Duncan's accidental strangulation by entangled scarf; the book explores how garments have tormented those who made and wore them, and harmed animals and the environment in the process. Vividly chronicling evidence from Greek mythology to the present day, Matthews David puts everyday apparel under the microscope and unpicks the dark side of fashion. Fashion Victims is lavishly illustrated with over 125 images and is a remarkable resource for everyone from scholars and students to fashion enthusiasts.

If you just can't decide what to wear, this enlightening guide will lead you through the diverse and sometimes contradictory aspects of fashion in a series of lively, entertaining and thoughtful essays from prominent philosophers and writers. A unique and enlightening insight into the underlying philosophy behind the power of fashion Contributions address issues in fashion from a variety of viewpoints, including aesthetics, the nature of fashion and fashionability, ethics, gender and identity politics, and design Includes a foreword by Jennifer Baumgardner, feminist author, activist and cultural critic, editor of Ms magazine (1993-7) and regular contributor to major women's magazines including Glamour and Marie-Claire

- An essential reference for students, curators and scholars of fashion, cultural studies, and the expanding range of disciplines that see fashion as imbued with meaning far beyond the material. - Over 300 in-depth entries covering designers, articles of clothing, key concepts and styles. - Edited and introduced by Valerie Steele, a scholar who has revolutionized the study of fashion, and who has been described by The Washington Post as one of "fashion's brainiest women." Derided by some as frivolous, even dangerous, and celebrated by others as art, fashion is anything but a neutral topic. Behind the hype and the glamour is an industry that affects all cultures of the world. A potent force in the global economy, fashion is also highly influential in everyday lives, even amongst those who may feel impervious. This handy volume is a one-stop reference for anyone interested in fashion - its meaning, history and theory. From Avedon to Codpiece, Dandyism to the G-String, Japanese Fashion to Subcultures, Trickle down to Zoot Suit, The Berg Companion to Fashion provides a comprehensive overview of this most fascinating of topics and will serve as the benchmark guide to the subject for many years to come.

Pairing hilarious poetry with the stunning collage work for which he is famous, Michael Roberts takes on the fashion world letter by letter—and in the way only a true insider can—in Fashion Victims. This gorgeous, stylish book illustrated and written by the Vanity Fair fashion director, influential stylist, and artist is a witty send-up of the fashion world that will delight style lovers, popular culture aficionados, and art lovers alike with its wit, acute observations, truth, and poignancy. Impeccably designed by Roberts himself, Fashion Victims is a perfect tongue-in-chic gift and a timeless collectible.

In the first ever book devoted to a critical investigation of the personal style blogosphere, Minh-Ha T. Pham examines the phenomenal rise of elite Asian bloggers who have made a career of posting photographs of themselves wearing clothes on the Internet. Pham understands their online activities as “taste work” practices that generate myriad forms of capital for superbloggers and the brands they feature. A multifaceted and detailed analysis, Asians Wear Clothes on the Internet addresses questions concerning the status and meaning of “Asian taste” in the early twenty-first century, the kinds of cultural and economic work Asian tastes do, and the fashion public and industry’s appetite for certain kinds of racialized eliteness. Situating blogging within the historical context of gendered and racialized fashion work while being attentive to the broader cultural, technological, and economic shifts in global consumer capitalism, Asians Wear Clothes on the Internet has profound implications for understanding the changing and enduring dynamics of race, gender, and class in shaping some of the most popular work practices and spaces of the digital fashion media economy.

What is the historical appeal of football? How diverse are its players, supporters and institutions throughout the world? What are its various traditions and how are these affected by pressures to modernize?? In what ways does the game help to reinforce or overcome social differences and prejudices? How can we understand football’s subcultures, especially football hooligan ones? The 1994 World Cup Finals in the United States have again demonstrated the conflicts which exist around football over its international future. The multi-media age beckons new audiences for top-level matches, but worries remain that the historical and cultural appeal of football itself may be the real loser. The global game? has a breadth of skills, playing techniques, supporting styles and ruling bodies. These are all subject to local and national traditions of team play and fan display. Modern commercial influences and international cultural links through players and fan styles, are accommodated within the game to an increasing extent. Yet, football’s ability to differentiate remains: at local, regional, national and even continental levels. In some cases the game’s traditions ensure that these differences are becoming as oppositional today as is modern football hooliganism. But, the overall picture is one of a game without frontiers - rich in historical and cultural detail, pluralistic in its traditions and identities. This volume brings together essays by leading academics and researchers writing on world football. Their studies draw on interdisciplinary researches in England, Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Argentina and Australia. The book will be of interest to students of sports science, cultural studies and social science and to all those who simply enjoy football as the world's greatest sporting passion.

Inhaltsangabe:Zusammenfassung: Diese Diplomarbeit befasst sich mit zwei Kernthemen, einerseits geht es um die Semiotik und andererseits um Werbung, die als Massenkommunikationsmittel wesentlich zur Verbreitung von Ideologien beiträgt. Das Hauptaugenmerk der Arbeit liegt auf der kritischen Untersuchung von Werbebildern mit Bezug auf diskriminierende und stereotype Frauenbilder und auf einer detaillierten semiotischen Analyse von Werbebildern. Dem analytischen Teil dieser Diplomarbeit geht eine umfassende theoretische Einleitung, die sich aus den Hauptkapiteln 'Kommunikation und Ideologie' und 'Werbung' zusammen setzt, voraus. 'Kommunikation und Ideologie' befasst sich mit der Geschichte der Semiotik und den Theorien wesentlicher Wissenschaftler der modernen Semiotik, in weiterer Folge werden die Grundzüge von Subjektivität und ideologischen Prozessen erörtert. Das Werbekapitel setzt sich aus den Themenbereichen Geschichte der Werbung, wirtschaftliche und kommunikative Ziele des Werbemarktes, Sexismus und stereotype Darstellungen der Geschlechter zusammen. Im letzten Teil dieses Kapitels erfolgt eine Erfassung und Beschreibung bildlicher und sprachlicher Elemente mit deren Hilfe Print-Werbung semiotisch analysiert werden können. Der analytische Teil dieser Diplomarbeit setzt sich aus einer quantitativen und einer qualitativen Analyse von Werbebildern zusammen. Die quantitativen Analyse, die rund 160 Werbungen umfasst, soll einen Überblick darüber geben, wie oft Frauen, Männer und Produkte im Verhältnis zueinander abgebildet sind und die Frage klären, ob es geschlechterspezifische Produktbereiche gibt. Die qualitativen Analyse spaltet sich in zwei Bereiche auf. Im ersten Teil geht es darum, rund vierzig Werbungen gemäß ihrer frauenfeindlichen Inhalte den unterschiedlichsten Kategorien von Sexismus und Diskriminierung zuzuordnen und zu interpretieren. Der erste Teil der qualitativen Analyse wird durch eine zweite, semiotische Analyse von Bild- und Textelementen, die zehn Werbebilder umfasst, abgerundet. Am Ende der Diplomarbeit werden die gesamten Ergebnisse der Analyse nochmals zusammengefasst und außerdem wird der ideologische Einfluss den die Werbung auf die Gesellschaft hat, kritisch beleuchtet werden. Abstract: This thesis covers two main subjects by dealing with semiotics and focusing on advertising. The mass-medium advertising helps spread ideologies. One of the two main objectives of this thesis is the analysis of discriminating and [...]

This book explores the evolving relationship between fashion and transnational capitalism. It examines the inequalities and injustices that this relationship embodies and engenders within the interconnected domains of production, consumption, labour, and environmental ethics. It also considers national and transnational ways of evading, resisting, and dismantling those inequalities and injustices. An accessible and compelling read, Fashion’s Transnational Inequalities will appeal to students and scholars of fashion, sociology, politics, cultural studies, and all those interested in deconstructing the inequalities that exist in the fashion industry globally.

The book for every taste-maker and menswear acolyte - a mash-up of satirical free verse, photos and spot-on advice for creating your own totally crispy style. In your hands is an Amazonian blowgun full of deadly knowledge darts ready to be delivered straight to your cranium. You're about to begin a journey that will end in only one way - with you standing naked in an abandoned ravine watching as your old wardrobe slowly burns. Let this be your illustrated Iliad for dressing better.

From Jezebel.com, the popular website for women, comes a must-read encyclopedic guide to pop culture, feminism, fashion, sex, and much more. Within months of Jezebel's May 2007 appearance on the new media scene, fans of the blog began referring to themselves as "Jezzies" in comment threads and organizing reader meet-ups in cities all over the world. By 2008, the devotion of the self-appointed Jezzies reached such a fever pitch that the New York Times ran a feature story about them and parody blogs and copycat websites began popping up right and left. With contributions from the writers and creatives who give the site its distinctive tone and broad influence, The Book of Jezebel is an encyclopedia of everything important to the modern woman. Running the gamut from Abzug, Bella and Baby-sitters Club, The to Xena, Yogurt, and Zits, and filled with entertaining sidebars and arresting images, this is a must-read for the modern woman.