Oscar Wilde once wrote; lsquo;Fashion is a form of ugliness so absolutely unbearable that we have to alter it every six months.rsquo; And yet it serves to make us beautiful; or at least make us feel beautiful. In Dress Code Mari Grinde Arntzen asks how and why this is ndash; how we can be enthralled by the fashion world; and at the same time appalled by the politics and practices of the garment industry? This book questions why we have such a lovendash;hate relationship with fashion.Guiding us through the major ï¬gures and brands of todayrsquo;s fashion system; Dress Code shows how they shape us and in turn why we love to be shaped by them. The book focuses on everyday; affordable lsquo;fast fashionrsquo; brands as well as the luxury market; to show how both ends of the fashion industry exert a powerful force over our lives. It also discusses trend forecasters; the media and the pressures on consumers; arguing that the world of fashion is both a dictatorship and a democracy; directing our shopping habits as well as our appearance. This study explores what happens when we get dressed: why fashion can make us feel powerful; beautiful and original; yet also paradoxically works oppressively; forcing consumers to conform. This book peels off the layers of the worldrsquo;s ï¬fth largest industry; garment by garment; to reveal fashion as a phenomenon; a business and an art. Grinde Arntzen is disturbed by its influence yet sympashy;thetic to our desire ndash; however ambivalent ndash; to be stylish; smart or trendy. Dress Code is both a succinct and thought-provoking look at how the culture of dress dominates everyday life; and a lively and honest account of the pleasures and problems of fashion.
#1934732 in eBooks 1985-07-01 1985-07-01File Name: B00Y7V0CE2
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent in Kindle form to take on tours of NYCBy Chris PollardI Had Professor Reynolds in college years ago for an architecture of NY course and we used this as our text book along with walking tours. Excellent in Kindle form to take on tours of NYC. You will never look at a NYC bldg the same.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Better than I would have expectedBy Hopeless with computersReynolds has created the kind of book that in my younger days- before arthritis and side effects from blood pressure medications had a chance to take their toll- I would have gladly read at leisure a little bit at a time to save it for as long as possible. My background is in biology and history; but I have been fascinated by architecture and building things since my childhood.After a brief historical sketch of New York’s earliest; i.e.; Dutch architecture the book is well organized by building categories- housing; theaters; churches etcetera. You can see both the forest and the trees rather than getting lost in a street-by-street tour. Guidebooks like this too often read like laundry lists of facts and figures that can dehumanize a subject like this and turn the book into a textbook. But based on the little bit I have been able to read Reynolds’ hasn’t created a typical guide book. It’s very readable.The book’s one serious drawback is; as other readers have commented; its lack of illustrations; and its lack of color illustrations really emphasizes this one shortcoming. I realize that photos showing the construction and early history of an awful lot of NY buildings were done with primitive technology and it’s sad that so many early buildings have been lost without us having an adequate photographic record of them. That can’t be helped. But; I would have really liked for this book to have more photographs of the buildings that are still around- and which people like me will never be able to see in person.9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A good book for a visitor to NYCBy A CustomerI bought this book a few days before my first visit to New York City. However; just reading very first part of this book gave me good knowledge of both history and architectures of NYC.This book starts with the born of New York City in 17th century; and covers many famous (and not so famous) architectures with about 200 photos taken by the author. It covers Georgian influence of 18th Century; Greek revival of 19th century; the Chicago school...etc. The Art Deco Skyscrapers; such as the Empire State building and the Chrysler building are well described. A whole chapter is devoted to Rockefeller Center. The history of MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) is interesting...For me; this book seems to have some small shortcomings. This book lacks "up to date" information. (This revised edition was first published in 1994.) Also; as a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright; I hope Guggenheim Museum have been covered more.
