What the book is about
Dress and fashion are central to our understanding of figurative art. From the stylization of the body to subtle textile embellishments and richly symbolic colours, dress tells a story and provides clues as to the cultural beliefs of the time in which artworks were produced. This concise and accessible book includes checklists that facilitate the analysis of dress in art, including paintings, photographs, drawings and art installations. The book includes works from museums around the world by artists such as Elisabeth Vigée le Brun, Thomas Gainsborough, James Jacques Tissot, Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray, Yinka Shonibare, Mickalene Thomas, Kent Monkman and many others.
Reading Fashion in Art is an essential handbook for any gallery visitor and students of art or dress history. The step-by-step methodology helps the reader learn to look at any work of art that includes the dressed body and confidently develop a critical analysis of what they see.
Lydia Edwards, Author of How to Read a Dress and How to Read a Suit writes:
"An important, accessible book that beautifully highlights the symbiosis between art and fashion history... At its core is an approach which is sorely needed in scholarship ... The tools to achieve appreciation, understanding and enjoyment are presented within these pages."
Justine de Young, Editor of Fashion in European Art, writes:
"A thorough, thoughtful guide to evaluating the role and impact of clothing in art - useful not only for students and scholars, but also for anyone curious about fashion in art."
Laura Beltran-Rubio, PhD Candidate writes in the journal DRESS:
"In short, Reading Fashion in Art offers a fantastic practical guide to tackling the process of analyzing the representation of dress in the visual arts."
Charlotte Nicklas, Senior Lecturer in Arts and Design, University of Brighton writes in the journal COSTUME:
"Mida's clear, detailed demonstrations of the complex process of visual analysis, along with the exhaustive checklist templates included in the appendices, make it a valuable tool for fashion history researchers at university level and beyond."
Reading Fashion in Art is an essential handbook for any gallery visitor and students of art or dress history. The step-by-step methodology helps the reader learn to look at any work of art that includes the dressed body and confidently develop a critical analysis of what they see.
Lydia Edwards, Author of How to Read a Dress and How to Read a Suit writes:
"An important, accessible book that beautifully highlights the symbiosis between art and fashion history... At its core is an approach which is sorely needed in scholarship ... The tools to achieve appreciation, understanding and enjoyment are presented within these pages."
Justine de Young, Editor of Fashion in European Art, writes:
"A thorough, thoughtful guide to evaluating the role and impact of clothing in art - useful not only for students and scholars, but also for anyone curious about fashion in art."
Laura Beltran-Rubio, PhD Candidate writes in the journal DRESS:
"In short, Reading Fashion in Art offers a fantastic practical guide to tackling the process of analyzing the representation of dress in the visual arts."
Charlotte Nicklas, Senior Lecturer in Arts and Design, University of Brighton writes in the journal COSTUME:
"Mida's clear, detailed demonstrations of the complex process of visual analysis, along with the exhaustive checklist templates included in the appendices, make it a valuable tool for fashion history researchers at university level and beyond."
Reading Fashion in Art is also available from Amazon or can be ordered from your local bookstore.