Fashion Criticism: An Anthology

In her introduction to this volume, Granata (fashion studies, Parsons Sch. of Design) acknowledges that this anthology could have taken other directions. It largely draws from the English-speaking fashion press from the late 19th to the 21st centuries, with an emphasis on the present; she reasons that reaching further back into historical sources often finds fashion disparaged as too frivolous or commercial to be art, or too feminine to be important. Granata positions this weighty anthology as an introduction to serious fashion criticism—though much of the writing is gloriously entertaining. Its three sections—late 19th century to 1960s, 1970s–90s, and 21st century—reflect major shifts in fashion writing. Authors featured include Hilton Als, Bebe Moore Campbell, Vanessa Friedman, Robin Givhan, Elizabeth Hawes, Lois Long, Susan Sontag, Oscar Wilde, and Lynn Yaeger. There are no illustrations; this volume assumes readers’ familiarity with the fashion and photography being discussed.