Disseminating Dress: Britain's Fashion Networks, 1600-1970

Disseminating Dress is the first historical study of how fashion communication networks functioned and evolved in an increasingly global material world. It focuses on Britain and asks questions about the extent of global influence on fashion and the intertwining nature of written, printed, visual, and material fashion news. The collection brings together innovative scholarship from historians, art historians, and fashion scholars to consider how global and local networks of dress dissemination converged to shape fashionable dress in Britain and how British methods and aesthetics spread outwards across the world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 16 June 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Disseminating Dress delves into the intricate networks that facilitate the spread of fashion trends and innovations. It explores the dynamic processes through which new sleeve shapes, cutting techniques, and fabric innovations travel, weaving a rich tapestry of global fashion communication. This groundbreaking historical study focuses on Britain, a nation geographically separated from mainland Europe but increasingly interconnected globally. Through a comprehensive examination of the pathways forged by print, imagery, and commodities, the book reimagines a connected material world. It raises urgent questions about the extent of global influence on fashion and the intricate interplay between written, printed, visual, and material fashion news.

This collection brings together a diverse group of historians, art historians, and fashion scholars, who collaboratively explore how global and local networks of dress dissemination converged to shape fashionable dress in Britain. Contributors employ narratives of commodity and knowledge exchange to examine how fashion circulated, traversing the drawing rooms of 19th-century London and the verandas of 19th-century Australia. By examining the exchange of goods, ideas, and aesthetics, Disseminating Dress sheds light on the complex processes that shaped the global dissemination of fashion.

In conclusion, Disseminating Dress offers a groundbreaking exploration of the dynamic processes that drive the spread of fashion trends and innovations. Through its interdisciplinary approach, it provides valuable insights into the interconnected nature of the global fashion industry. By tracing the pathways of dress dissemination, the book challenges our understanding of fashion's global reach and sheds light on the complex interplay between local and global influences. This essential work will appeal to scholars, students, and fashion enthusiasts alike, as it contributes to our understanding of the rich and evolving history of fashion.

Weight: 854g
Dimension: 163 x 240 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350181038