Communicating Fashion: Clothing, Culture, and Media

Description

Winner of the John G. Cawelti Award for Best Textbook / Primer How did you decide what to wear today? Did you base your selection on comfort or style? Did you want to blend in or stand out - or was it just the cleanest outfit available? We each make these decisions every day, reflecting how we view ourselves and impacting how others see us. Our choices matter - not just to us personally, but also to the magazine editors, brand ambassadors and trend forecasters who make a living by selling to us. Communicating Fashion introduces key concepts from the intersecting worlds of fashion and communication studies to connect how we all use clothing to express ourselves and how media systems support that process. In doing so, Myles Ethan Lascity explores social, cultural and ethical issues through the work of fashion journalism, brand promotions and the growing role of online influencers as well as the impact of film, television and art on self-image and expression. Key topics: - Advertising, Branding and Fashion Retail - Clothing, Art and Cultural Significance - Clothing as Group and Cultural Norms - Clothing, Identity and Interpersonal Communication - Fashion News and Tastemaking - Fashion, Social Media and Influencers - Meaning within the Fashion System - On-screen Clothing

Myles Ethan Lascity is Assistant Professor of Journalism and Director of the Fashion Media Program at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA.

Examines significant moments and movements in clothing and fashion and contextualizes them into a coherent narrative grounded in communication theory. Clothing is an essential part of our culture and this text illustrates how fashion isn't frivolous but rather an important facet of identity. -- Jeanne M. Persuit, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The University of North Carolina Wilmington, USA Myles Ethan Lascity marries fashion studies and communication in Communicating Fashion. He uses relatable examples, builds on scholarship, and explains in an accessible manner that will be appreciated by students just beginning to study fashion. -- Dr Andrew Reilly, University of Hawai`i, Manoa With its eminently readable style, Communicating Fashion makes fashion theory accessible by clearly expressing how we constantly send, receive and contextualize messages through our shared experience of dress. Full of excellent examples, visual aids and humorous anecdotes, the text takes a distinctly modern approach and engages the reader while respecting the intellectual underpinnings of the discipline. -- Lorynn Divita, Baylor University, USA This new landmark text opens readers to the future of how we view fashion, clothing, and the appropriate milieus that communicate with consumers regarding contemporary style. Lascity's work not only takes on a journey of recent trends but builds on the contextual elements of tomorrow's fashion and methods of scholarly inquiry. -- Joseph H. Hancock, II, Drexel University, USA