Everyday Fashion: Interpreting British Clothing Since 1600

Everyday Fashion explores the stories behind ordinary clothes, arguing that grandmothers' wardrobes are archives of interest and importance. It demonstrates how fashion is a central medium through which we experience the world and negotiate our place within it, and how the ways that supposedly 'ordinary and 'everyday fashion objects have been designed, manufactured, worn, cared for, and remembered matter deeply to our historical understanding.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 28 December 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Ordinary clothes possess extraordinary tales, defying the academic and curatorial emphasis on the spectacular and the opulent. Everyday Fashion emerges as a compelling argument, asserting that your grandmother's wardrobe holds equal significance and intrigue as any museum store. Fashion, a vital conduit through which we encounter the world and shape our identity, permeates our daily lives from the moment we awaken to the time we retire for the night. Consequently, the design, manufacture, wear, care, and remembrance of seemingly 'ordinary' and 'everyday' fashion objects hold profound importance in our historical comprehension.

Beginning at 1550, a pivotal epoch when the term 'fashion' shifted from its original meaning of 'making' to encompass stylistic transformation, each chapter delves into the definition of everyday fashion and its evolution over time. Through innovative research methodologies, the book showcases the changing contours of everyday fashion, illuminating the rich tapestry of British museum collections. A series of illustrated object biographies penned by renowned fashion curators from the United Kingdom further accentuates the diverse richness of everyday fashion, highlighting its presence within the country's museum holdings. Collectively, this volume pierces beyond the superficial veneer of fashion, unveiling the intricate mechanics of the fashion business, the hidden realms of the workroom, the diverse roles of makers, and the diverse experiences associated with consuming, wearing, and caring for ordinary clothes in the United Kingdom spanning from the 16th century to the present day. By undertaking this exploration, the book prompts readers to reevaluate the dynamics of fashion systems and reassess the boundaries between fashion and dress scholarship.

Dimension: 246 x 189 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350232457