Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity

Author:   Elizabeth Wilson (Independent Scholar, UK)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Edition:   2nd Revised edition
ISBN:  

9781350399747


Pages:   314
Publication Date:   11 June 2026
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity


Overview

When Adorned in Dreams was first published in 1985, Angela Carter described the book as ‘the best I have read on the subject, bar none.’ From haute couture to haberdashery, and ‘deviant’ dress to Dior, Elizabeth Wilson traces the social and cultural history of fashion and its complex relationship to modernity. From the ‘dress reform’ movement to certain strands of feminism, Wilson delights in the power of fashion to mark out identity - or subvert it. Explore topics including fashion and city life, feminism and fashion, and oppositional dress in this authoritative scholarly text on fashion’s pivotal role in modern society.

Full Product Details

Author:   Elizabeth Wilson (Independent Scholar, UK)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Edition:   2nd Revised edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.40cm , Length: 23.20cm
Weight:   0.724kg
ISBN:  

9781350399747


ISBN 10:   1350399744
Pages:   314
Publication Date:   11 June 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Preface to the re-issue 1: Introduction 2: The History of Fashion 3: Explaining it Away 4: The Fashion Industry 5: Fashion and Eroticism 6: Gender and Identity 7: Fashion and City Life 8: Fashion and Popular Culture 9: Oppositional Dress 10: Utopian Dress and Dress Reform 11: Feminism and Fashion 12: Changing Times/Altered States Afterword References Further reading Bibliography Index

Reviews

Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity is one of the best books ever published on the significance of fashion in society . . . as relevant today as when it was first published * Valerie Steele, editor of Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture * When it was first published in 1985, Adorned in Dreams pioneered new territory in the study of fashion . . . no text since has come close to challenging or overtaking its original claims * Christopher Breward, National Museums Scotland * Sharply focused, consistently intelligent, and broadly informative * Los Angeles Times *


Author Information

Elizabeth Wilson's writing career began in the ‘underground’ magazines of the early 1970s, (Frendz, Red Rag, Spare Rib, Come Together) before she became an academic. She's written for the Guardian and her non-fiction books include The Sphinx in the City (1992) (shortlisted for the Manchester Odd Fellows Prize), Bohemians (2000) and Love Game (2014) (long listed for the William Hill sportswriting prize), as well as six crime novels, including War Damage (2009) and The Girl in Berlin (2012) (long-listed for the Golden Dagger Award).

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