Caroline Evans analyses the work of experimental designers, the images of fashion photographers, and the spectacular fashion shows that developed in the final decade of the twentieth century to arrive at a new understanding of fashion's dark side and what it signifies? Drawing on a variety of literary and theoretical perspectives - from Marx to Benjamin - Evans argues that fashion plays a leading role in constructing images and meanings during periods of rapid change. She shows persuasively that fashion stands at the very centre of the contemporary, where it voices some of Western culture's deepest concerns.

- An essential reference for students, curators and scholars of fashion, cultural studies, and the expanding range of disciplines that see fashion as imbued with meaning far beyond the material. - Over 300 in-depth entries covering designers, articles of clothing, key concepts and styles. - Edited and introduced by Valerie Steele, a scholar who has revolutionized the study of fashion, and who has been described by The Washington Post as one of "fashion's brainiest women." Derided by some as frivolous, even dangerous, and celebrated by others as art, fashion is anything but a neutral topic. Behind the hype and the glamour is an industry that affects all cultures of the world. A potent force in the global economy, fashion is also highly influential in everyday lives, even amongst those who may feel impervious. This handy volume is a one-stop reference for anyone interested in fashion - its meaning, history and theory. From Avedon to Codpiece, Dandyism to the G-String, Japanese Fashion to Subcultures, Trickle down to Zoot Suit, The Berg Companion to Fashion provides a comprehensive overview of this most fascinating of topics and will serve as the benchmark guide to the subject for many years to come.

Designed to be as internationally relevant as the fashion it discusses, Chic Thrills extends fashion theory beyond the interpretation of style, and shows how it relates to the economic realities and motivations of those who create the clothing we buy and wear. Among the issues the contributors address are: Feminism and the politics of fashion * The relationship of non-European cultures to Western fashion * Fashion and the negotiation of identity * Recent trends in fashion photography and the media representation of fashion * Industrial conditions, production constraints and the relationship of garment workers to the clothes they make * Playing with a different sex: fashion and the lesbian couple * Fascism and fashion: Paris haute couture under Nazi occupation * Fashion and the postmodern body.

An exploration of the parallel development of product and graphic design from the 18th century to the 21st. The effects of mass production and consumption, man-made industrial materials and extended lines of communication are also discussed.