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9781350185654

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An amazing new celebration of black style, from Billie Holiday to Malcolm X ... the product of a lifetime's research. * The Observer * Readers/researchers interested in understanding the style practices of the African diaspora, or looking for ways to understand the field from a position that allows for a richer and more complicated ways of observing dress history [will] certainly get something from this book. * The Journal of Dress History * In this engaging book, Tulloch (Univ. of the Arts, London) expands on her work on the 'styled black body'...She uses an image or object-of the 2006 Stoned Cherrie Steve Biko T-shirt, say-and discusses its cultural weight and significance, presents readings and 'wonderings' (from her colleague Mona Choo), and then offers her own 'alternative reading.' The end result is a winsome mix of approaches to her subjects, backed up by serious scholarship. Summing up: Recommended. * CHOICE * The Birth of Cool makes a unique contribution to studies of dress and culture, as well as to black studies and diaspora studies. Tulloch deconstructs and reconstructs black aesthetics to open new pathways for understanding the lives and social histories of figures like Billie Holiday and Malcolm X. It is one of the most impressive works I have read in years. * D. Soyini Madison, Northwestern University, USA * The Birth of Cool offers a passionate reflexive analysis of transnational black glamour as an expression of undeniable presence, knowledge, and agency. As a foundational text, this book offers readers a deeper and more historical understanding of contemporary 'cool response' activism perhaps most famously practiced by Barack Obama, but visibly evident across the entire African diaspora. * Annette Lynch, University of Northern Iowa, USA *

An amazing new celebration of black style, from Billie Holiday to Malcolm X … the product of a lifetime’s research. * The Observer * Readers/researchers interested in understanding the style practices of the African diaspora, or looking for ways to understand the field from a position that allows for a richer and more complicated ways of observing dress history [will] certainly get something from this book. * The Journal of Dress History * In this engaging book, Tulloch (Univ. of the Arts, London) expands on her work on the ‘styled black body’…She uses an image or object—of the 2006 Stoned Cherrie Steve Biko T-shirt, say—and discusses its cultural weight and significance, presents readings and ‘wonderings’ (from her colleague Mona Choo), and then offers her own ‘alternative reading.’ The end result is a winsome mix of approaches to her subjects, backed up by serious scholarship. Summing up: Recommended. * CHOICE * The Birth of Cool makes a unique contribution to studies of dress and culture, as well as to black studies and diaspora studies. Tulloch deconstructs and reconstructs black aesthetics to open new pathways for understanding the lives and social histories of figures like Billie Holiday and Malcolm X. It is one of the most impressive works I have read in years. * D. Soyini Madison, Northwestern University, USA * The Birth of Cool offers a passionate reflexive analysis of transnational black glamour as an expression of undeniable presence, knowledge, and agency. As a foundational text, this book offers readers a deeper and more historical understanding of contemporary 'cool response' activism perhaps most famously practiced by Barack Obama, but visibly evident across the entire African diaspora. * Annette Lynch, University of Northern Iowa, USA *

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Carol Tulloch is Professor of Dress, Diaspora and Transnationalism at Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London, UK. She is also the Chelsea College of Arts/Victoria and Albert Museum Fellow in Black British Visual and Material Culture.

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