This interesting, introspective book is an exploration of why we care so much about what we wear. Even the people who claim not to care what they are wearing have chosen what they put on their body and there is a reason for it, whether it is for their own comfort, because they have an emotional attachment to an item, or they like to shock those around them. The author says the only people she sees who truly can't care are those going through suffering, from depression, grief, etc.

This book looks at a history of fashion and its perception. It talks to fashion designers about why they create what they've invented. It looks at events that cause trends. But mostly it looks at people, and how they use their clothes.

Added to The Authoress Bookbox

Chosen from the Authoress Book Box.

Just could not get into this book. Looking for a new reader.

Received as a present as a participant of Oppem's Birthday Thread.
Thank you! I LOVE getting wishlist books.

I don't quite understand why anyone would pay a fortune for clothing. For a special occasion, maybe. But well made, nice, if not spactular clothing, seems more practical. I thought this book might explain the allure better.

Tagged GoryDetails for WL tag.

This wishlist-tag book arrived safely today; many thanks! I've never been much of a fashionista myself - aside from a few embarrassing youthful attempts to be "with it", involving macrame vests or too-short-to-be-comfortable mini-skirts - but the cultural and practical aspects of what to wear could be interesting. And I admit that I enjoy the Tom and Lorenzo fashion-and-pop-culture blog, in which we get to be bitchy and judgmental about the more outrageous fashions worn by celebrities or inflicted on the world by designers {wry grin}.

Later: I found much of the book quite interesting, even though the author has a fascination with shoes and coats and handbags that I do not share. But, fashion aside, there are plenty of poignant, intriguing, and sometimes funny historical tidbits here, starting with the description of a red high-heeled shoe in the museum at Auschwitz... "I was transfixed by the shoe, for it reminded me that the victims were once people so lighthearted that they went into a shop and bought red high-heeled footwear, the least sensible kind of shoe you can ear. They were human, fallibly human, and like us; they took pleasure and delight in the trivial joys of fashion. This anonymous, murdered woman, who died before I was born, would surely have bought her shoes in the same spirit that I bought mine."

The author makes some good points about the universal tendency of humans to adorn themselves one way or another, be it matching T-shirts and ripped jeans, body-paint, or Jimmy Choo shoes. She touches on many of the social meanings attached to clothes over the ages. She delves into such things as the distinction between feeling sexy and looking sexy - an important consideration, given how many of the more fetish-invoking fashions have been uncomfortable, painful, or outright dangerous to the wearer (and sometimes to others). There are literary tie-ins, such as an excerpt from The House of Mirth re Lily Bart's wardrobe, the few quality items left to her as she falls from grace.

"Clothes as text, clothes as narration, clothes as a story. Clothes are the story of our lives. And if you were to gather together all the clothes you have ever owned in all your life, each baby shoe and winter coat and wedding dress, you would have your autobiography."

I can certainly see that, to some extent: memories are attached to clothing even when it wasn't fashionable or comfortable or especially interesting, and some old photos resonate more with me for what I was wearing (however cringe-inducing!) than where or when it was taken. But I could make a similar argument for other possessions - books, say? {wry grin}

"...fashion is largely to do with pleasure, and pleasure is not rational..."

Some parts of the book included generalizations - usually about women's need/desire to look their best, whatever they might say about it - that I did not agree with, but overall I enjoyed the book, and found some interesting viewpoints on fashion that I hadn't considered before.

I plan to leave this book, bagged against the elements, on a wall or ledge in front of the Currier Museum of Art at around 2. The're currently hosting an exhibit called Killer Heels: the Art of the High-Heeled Shoe, so it seems like a perfect spot for this book. Hope the finder enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the 2016 Keep Them Moving release challenge. ***

Was heading into the Currier Museum of Art and saw this book sitting in the snow. I went over to see if there was any information to return it and then I saw the note about it being a Traveling Book, what a neat idea! Not a book I would have normally gone out and read but after being surprisingly inspired by the Killer Heels exhibit at the Currier I am definitely going to give this book a shot!