This book has been adopted as a textbook in fashion schools and it is easy to see why. It's a solid introduction to fashion history and to the significant social importance of fashion. The language is accessible and its coverage of relevant issues ... comprehensive. [It] is a good balance of interesting anecdotes and modern fashion theory, which means the book will appeal to both the general reader and to fashion scholars. * TRC *
English has created a very respectable academic treatment of the last century of fashion... What is most notable about the content of this volume is the way English handles her broad topic; there are some powerful fashion images in this book, but this is no pretty coffee table accessory. English selects unique subjects within fashion for each chapter and zeroes in to prevent a deluge of meaningless and broad historical summaries. * WORN Fashion Journal *
This new edition of Bonnie English's invaluable introduction to the cultural perspectives on fashion in the twentieth century expands upon her original text, covering and updating her investigation of both the commercial and cultural aspects of fashion. Situating fashion as both intercontextual and interdisciplinary, English provides a solid grounding of issues, concerns and debates that are essential to understand for any scholar of fashion. -- Shaun Cole, London College of Fashion, UK
This edition has encompassed all the intricacies of the fashion world and refreshingly included insight into the 'business' of the industry. A valuable tool for opening up the fashion world to students, and a one-stop read that will be entertaining for 'fashionistas' who are keen to learn more about the mysteries of fashion. -- Kay McMahon, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
[T]his book has a fine, thoughtful, well-researched approach to the subject of 20th- and 21st-century fashion history. I can imagine that a new student would be very inspired by this volume, having gotten a taste of the philosophy of Quentin Bell, an introduction to Yamamoto and Yves Saint Laurent, and a broad but nuanced sense of the chronology of cultural historical events and ideas. Laying a dynamic and intriguing groundwork for lifelong study, A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th and 21st Centuries would be an excellent starting point. -- Arianna Funk * Worn Through *
[A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th and 21st Centuries] gives a comprehensive history of fashion in the 20th and 21st centuries, including fashion trends, influential designers and much much more... A fascinating fashion history text which is also surprisingly readable. -- Mary Micouris * We Heart Vintage *
It's a great book to understand both the main actors and the more informal links of fashion labels in the field. -- Alexander Bretz, Mediadesign Fachhochschule - University of Applied Sciences, Germany
We already own several books published by AVA from this series, and this is exactly what I have come to expect from the publisher. It is a well laid out book, with decent illustration and photography illustrating the most salient points of the book. Ideally suited for its educational audience and written to attract any level of reader. Bringing in the case studies and real life briefs make the books more relevant to students, as well as the interviews being very useful. What I think will be very useful for our student cohort using this book is the range of brand that are mentioned from high street to high end. -- Alison Braybrook, Plymouth College of Art, UK
