The Latin American Fashion Reader

Description

Latin American fashion's recent gain in popularity can be seen most obviously in mass-market ranges throughout the industrialized West. From the tango-inspired dress of Argentina and guerrilla chic in downtown Buenos Aires to swimwear on Copacabana Beach and the rainbow that adorns Mayan women, Latin America has long been a source of inspiration for designers throughout the world. Until now, however, the pivotal role played by dress in this region has surprisingly been overlooked. This book is a long overdue assessment of Latin America's influence on global fashion. The authors examine the significance of textiles and dress to Latin American culture and the reasons behind it from fashion history to popular culture and the (re)making of traditional garments, such as the poncho, the guayabera and maguey-fiber sandals. This book also considers fashion icons such as Frida Kahlo and Eva Peron, women who have been worshipped and transformed into marketable symbols of exoticism and passion, as well as the key role that dress played in their rise to celebrity on the international stage. Providing a first and definitive overview of Latin American fashion, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in Latin American cultural studies or fashion history.

Regina Root is Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.

Shortlisted for the Millia Davenport Award 2006, Costume Society of America 'Nizia Villaa's essay on Rio's beachwear is a sheer delight. Also outstanding are the essays by Regina Root on exuberant nineteenth-century Argentine hairstyles, Kimberly Randall on Mexican China Poblana embroidered blouses and skirts, and Marilyn Miller on "Guayaberismo and the essence of cool...there is much insight and pleasure to be gained from this novel prism through which to visualize Latin American history.' Richard Feinberg for Foreign Affairs Magazine, November-December 2005 Feature article in Elle Argentina, June 2005 'A necessary volume in the book collection of any serious student of Hispanic culture, and and 'must order' by any institution of higher education.' Diana Risk, Virginia Wesleyan College, in The Journal of American Culture 'This book offers a remarkable insight into the power of fabric and adornment.' Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies 'There is much insight and pleasure to be gained from this novel prism through which to visualize Latin American history.' Foreign Affairs (Vol. 84, No 6)