Artwear: Fashion and Anti-Fashion

Description

A crocheted wool coat of exuberant textures and glowing colours; a shibori dyed and pleated silk vest of baroque sensuousness; a headdress of ribbon intricately ruched in the shape of a leaping fish; an evening gown made from shredded dollar bills; a kimono that carries art appliqued on its sleeve; a coat of many arms - these are just a few of the beautiful, imaginative, provocative, even surreal works of wearable art included in this richly illustrated book. Artwear sets the context for the genre as the latest in the long line of aesthetic dress reforms that began with the Arts and Crafts movement. It goes on to trace the history of the art form as it developed out of the hippie styles and studio fibre art of the 1960s and 1970s until today, highlighting many of its leading practitioners and discussing its characteristic forms and processes.

Melissa Leventon was Curator of Textiles at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco from 1992-2002. She now works as an independent consultant specializing in costumes and textiles with the Curatix Group, which she founded in 2000.