Reviews for Fashion Reader

The average rating for Fashion Reader based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-11-22 00:00:00 Josh Josh Linda Grant is a British writer of Eastern European descent, and the aim of this book - the way I read it - is to present fashion as a serious topic. And it goes a little overboard. While the extracts concerning purses, shoes or department stores, and their link to women's liberation (stretched over time), were interesting, though not necessarily enlightening, the thesis that the desire to be beautifully attired is a reaction to the trauma of the Holocaust is far fetched (and, based on my limited experience with survivors of the camps, quite unfounded). Constructing a chapter proving that Americans could not 'do business as usual' after 9/11 because war never reached their territory, while Londoners showed "Blitz spirit" after 7/7 - was, even to me, not in a good taste (parts of my city were turned to rabble in WWII, and we had random street executions among other things; this may have something to do with resilience, but only when seen from a distance). Also, it was completely unfair on the author's part to close the book with a pretty detailed account of one of the character's experiences in Auschwitz - that's not what I bargained for, reaching for a book on fashion - to support her thesis that fashion is a manifestation of the indomitable human spirit. (The afterword that follows is about the author buing herself a too-tight Armani coat thanks to the in-store fitting service -because it is important to follow a dream.) Two stars, because the above-mentioned ending made me wince - I may revisit the ratings, if I find some use for th highlights - but the book contains many interesting chapters and passages on: - clothing and migration (fashioning oneself) - Dior's New Look; - department stores, as the first public spaces accessible to modern, well-to-do women; - Poiret - dressing while middle-aged - sexiness; - chador. The whole thing is very subjective, very personal, and filled with opinions, and it is easy to come across some that may appear jarring.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-12-26 00:00:00 Jeffrey Wong This is one of the emptiest books I've ever read. Ironically, there is very little that's thoughtful about this book. Grant seemingly can't make up her mind about what she wanted this book to be (an autobiography, a biography, a treatise?); she both repeats herself and contradicts herself (which demonstrates the poor organization, poor substantive editing, and poor thinking that riddles this book); she often takes her own assumptions as absolute truths; she doesn't adequately address any of the three things she mentions in the subtitle; and she often writes chapters as collections of scarcely-related digressions. Grant also includes a heinous and completely unnecessary story on pages 68-69 (which, if you decide to read this book, I highly recommend skipping). What is most disappointing about this book is its failure to accomplish its ostensible purpose: to convince the reader that fashion isn't merely superficial (and I would have been an easy reader to convince, because I already believe that fashion can be much more than skin-deep).