Fashion Zeitgeist: Trends and Cycles in the Fashion System - Although it is appealing to think that fashion turns away from conventions, is this really the case? Or are “pioneering” designs simply part of a cyclical revival of forgotten fashions? Looking at some of the most influential designers of the twentieth century–from Yamamoto to Gaultier to Lagerfeld–Vinken considers the politics and philosophies that have been the driving force directing their sense of style. Vinken shows how fashion trends are informed by the past. Chanel, under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, is viewed as the only fashion house to have remained fresh after one hundred years, yet is this success essentially proof of the self-referential qualities fashion has adopted? What inspired the fetish for labels at the end of the twentieth century? Answering these questions and many more, this thought-provoking book shows how beauty, gender, sexuality, commerce, and dandyism have persisted in defining the fashion system.

Reviews

“Fashion Zeitgeist does not make the auteur and créateur the subject of discussion anymore, but rather the conditions of fashion themselves…Vinken is theoretical but also entertaining and informative. She shows how individual designers reject fashion dictates and make fashion a subject of discussion by examining it against the standards of haute couture.”–Die Tageszeitung

“The spectrum of international top designers whose creations reflect the Zeitgeist is shown in 13 brilliant and amusing detailed analyses.”–Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung