Fashion, Society, and the First World War: International Perspectives

Description

This book is available open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. It is funded by Knowledge Unlatched. The historiography of the Great War has been significantly renewed in recent years; yet, despite its crucial social, economic, and cultural importance, the role that fashion played in shaping wartime experiences and economies on an international scale between 1914 and 1918 has largely gone unaddressed. Fashion, Society, and the First World War fills this gap by offering a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the war on the ways that the fashion industry functioned in a global wartime economy, as well as on the ways that women and men negotiated this new world. With an international, thematic approach, and illustrated in full color throughout, this volume discusses the reconfiguration of the fashion industry, wartime style and production, and the reframing of selfhood, gender roles, and national identity through visual, print and material culture. Through analysis of archives, visual chronicles, press, and garments, and covering an impressive range of topics, from the feathered showgirl in Paris to the evolution of pilots' uniforms, these exciting essays show how fashion, even temporarily, encouraged the articulation of an identity, a society, and a nation. Fashion, Society, and the First World War provides an extensive overview by leading fashion historians on an industry in the midst of major transformation and is both an invaluable guide and starting point for all researchers, curators, and students interested in fashion history and the cultural history of the period.

Maude Bass-Krueger is a professor in the department of Art History, Theatre, and Music Studies at the University of Ghent, Belgium. Hayley Edwards-Dujardin is an independent scholar and editor based in Paris, France. Sophie Kurkdjian is an assistant professor at the American University of Paris, France.

Fashion, Society, and the First World War provides a compelling and diverse insight into the fashion and textile industry in the context of the Great War and is highly recommended for historians of fashion and war and those in between. Remarkable is the wide-ranging inclusion of national and international case studies and perspectives, revealing the power of fashion in communicating identity as well as its impact on morale in times of crisis. The attention paid to the relationship between gender and fashion proves to be highly relevant and timely. In short, this collection effectively demonstrates why fashion matters. * The Journal of Dress History * A coherent, fresh and fascinating study by an impressive, international group of researchers ... Because of its international base, the high quality of the research manifested by its 19 contributors, and the sensitive structure set in pace by its editors, this book marks another important step in the current positive and exciting development in dress and fashion history publications. * Lou Taylor, University of Brighton, UK * This innovative book reveals how the global war altered not only the business of fashion on an international scale but also had a strong impact on personal dress practices. It splendidly shows how fashion became a powerful symbol of nationalism and played an important role concerning social norms including gender and class relationship. * Adelheid Rasche, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Germany * A long overdue transnational exploration of the business and beauty of fashion during the Great War, covering diverse aspects of wartime clothing industry, artistry and identity through absorbing scholarship and impactful illustrations. * Lucy Adlington, author of Great War Fashion: Tales from the History Wardrobe and Stitches in Time *