AH 336 - The Art of Fashion

This course examines the social and cultural history of fashionable dress in modern Western culture from the industrial revolution to the present. We will explore dress both as an image disseminated in many media to which multiple meanings about the wearer’s identity are attached, and as a material object reflecting the economic, social and political realities of its time. Contemporary fashion trends will be considered in the light of historical examples and fashion theory. (Offered as needed.) 3 credits