Paris Fashion: A Cultural History

by Valerie Steele

Paris has been the international capital of style for three hundred years. Although challenged by other fashion cities such as Milan, London and New York, Paris remains special. This fascinating book shows that the strength of the French fashion industry rests on the depth and sophistication of its fashion culture. Revised and updated, Paris Fashion is reprinted here in paperback for the first time. More than just a history of famous designers and changing styles, the book is about fashion as a cultural ideal and a social phenomenon. By focusing on a 'case study' of Paris, Steele provides brilliant insights into the significance of fashion in modern urban society. The author, an internationally recognized authority on the history of fashion, is the author of many books, including Fashion and Eroticism, Women of 20th-Century Designers, Fashion, Sex & Power, and Fifty Years of New Look to Now.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, History, Fashion History, Art, France, Design

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 1988

About the author

Valerie Steele is director and chief curator and Melissa Marra is associate curator of education and public programs, both at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.

Reviews

[Kaelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Very well researched and so many beautiful pictures. A wonderful introduction to French fashion history and the social/cultural world of Paris over the years.

[marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

read for school

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buttressed by history, this analysis of the Paris fashion industry is breath-taking in the nearly 400 years that it covers ... from fashion plates in early women’s magazines to runway photos, the book argues for the preminence of Paris as the ultimate capital of haute couture ... splendid illustrations ...

[Mark Bieraugel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steele's work is a history not of Paris culture but rather how Paris became and remains the fashion center of the world. Written with humor and deep knowledge she brings in enough political history to make sense of the city's history of fashion. Well illustrated and carefully researched, an excellent addition to those interested in fashion and couture history.

[Mills College Library]

391.00944 S8145 2017

[reveurdart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Near perfect overview, and even better alongside the companion book, Paris, Capital of Fashion. Recommended.

[Elizabeth Judd Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, lavishly illustrated book in the history of fashion in Paris. It concentrates mainly on the 19th century, tho earlier & later eras are discussed as well.

[Brimmer Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive guide to Paris fashion and how it has the cultural capital of the fashion industry

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of a survey work to be useful with too many tangents on the art side of fashion. There are also an insane number of block quotes.