BeigeJournal

Fashion Victim : Our Love-Hate Relationship with Dressing, Shopping, and the Cost of Style, by Michelle Lee. Broadway, 2003.

It is kind of odd that I read this in the first place, being one of the less fashion conscious people around, but I found it very interesting.

The unifying theme of the book is that there is an ever quickening cycle of fashions going in and out of style, leading to pressure to manufacture and market garments faster and cheaper, and pressure on consumers to buy ever more clothing that will only be worn a few times. At one time styles took years to change, but now the hot new spring fashions can be completely out of date while it is still, technically, winter. This does not encourage the manufacture of high-quality, expensive clothing in nice, safe factories by well-paid workers. Nor does it leave much room for new ideas as everyone frantically emulates what everyone else is doing (and mocks anyone does anything original).

There is a lot written on fashion models, the relationships between celebrities and designers, fashion “journalism,” sweat shops, animal rights protests, and even dry cleaning.

The book is very readable, and even as someone with no clue to fashion, who buys clothes based on how I think they’d perform while cycling up a hill at 0°C (or 30°C), or while skiing, and who has never in his life had anything dry cleaned, I enjoyed reading it.