Fashion as communication

What kinds of things do fashion and clothing say about us? If we wear Donna Karan, Moschino, Gaultier or Westwood, what statements do we make? Are there any real differences between Punk and the New Look? In Fashion as Communication Malcolm Barnard introduces fashion and clothing as a way of communicating class, gender, sexuality and social identities.

This interdisciplinary work clearly analyses how fashion and clothing have been understood as modern and postmodern phenomena. Drawing on the theoretical approaches to culture, in particular those of Simmel, Derrida, Baudrillard and Jameson, the author assesses the consequences of postmodernism for fashion as a mode of communication. Concepts such as class, gender, reproduction and resistance are explored in a clear and concise manner and further reading on each subject is detailed.