Latin American Fashion Reader (Dress, Body, Culture) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1859738931 ISBN 13: 9781859738931

Publisher: Berg Publishers, 2005

Synopsis

Latin American fashion's recent gain in popularity can be seen most obviously in mass-market ranges throughout the industrialized West. From the tango-inspired dress of Argentina and guerrilla chic in downtown Buenos Aires to swimwear on Copacabana Beach and the rainbow that adorns Mayan women, Latin America has long been a source of inspiration for designers throughout the world. Until now, however, the pivotal role played by dress in this region has surprisingly been overlooked. This book is a long overdue assessment of Latin America's influence on global fashion. The authors examine the significance of textiles and dress to Latin American culture and the reasons behind it from fashion history to popular culture and the (re)making of traditional garments, such as the poncho, the guayabera and maguey-fiber sandals. This book also considers fashion icons such as Frida Kahlo and Eva Peron, women who have been worshipped and transformed into marketable symbols of exoticism and passion, as well as the key role that dress played in their rise to celebrity on the international stage. Providing a first and definitive overview of Latin American fashion, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in Latin American cultural studies or fashion history.Winner of the 2006 Arthur P. Whitaker Prize, awarded by the Middle Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies

About this title

About the Author:

Regina Root is Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.

Review:

“There is much insight and pleasure to be gained from this novel prism through which to visualize Latin American history.” ―Foreign Affairs

About this edition

• Publisher: Berg Publishers
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1859738931
• ISBN 13: 9781859738931
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Root Regina