Fashion as Communication

by Malcolm Barnard

What kinds of things do fashion and clothing say about us? What does it mean to wear Gap or Gaultier, Milletts or Moschino? Are there any real differences between Hip-Hop style and Punk anti-styles? In this fully revised and updated edition, Malcolm Barnard introduces fashion and clothing as ways of communicating and challenging class, gender, 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.

Genres: Fashion, Art, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 1996

About the author

Malcolm Barnard is Senior Lecturer in Visual Culture at Loughborough University and an internationally recognized theorist of visual culture. He has degrees in philosophy and in sociology and his PhD concerned Derrida and other French philosophers.

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Fashion as Communication, Malcolm Barnard considers the meaning of fashion in society from a variety of theoretical perspectives. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in fashion theory or semiotics.

[Nilaisme]

fashion is sometimes defined as a “constantly changing trend, favored for frivolous rather than practical, logical, or intellectual reasons”.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavens, what a dull book! Malcolm Barnard does, to be fair, make many interesting points about why we wear what we wear and so gets three instead of two stars. But, sakes, the writing is dry.

[Mark Bieraugel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book on what fashion says about us, how fashion exists in Western societies, and why we feel often ambivalent about it.

[Bella McCord · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and easily approachable work on fashion theory! Barnard thoroughly summarizes the history of theoretical approaches to understanding fashion as an art, and is generous in his definitions and examples. I highly recommend starting here if you are looking for an introduction to fashion studies, or even visual studies as a whole.

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“the difference between appearing quaint and appearing ridiculous is but thirty years.” (27)

“Fashion and clothing are not used simply to indicate or refer to social and cultural positions; they are used to construct and mark out that social and cultural reality in the first place.” (38)

[Nikki Gribuste · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the biggest fan of cover but really good book

[Exlibris Cat]

Clothing as language. On how fashion conveys class, gender, and identity.

[Merlin Okta]

to study about fashion