Author Description

Yuniya Kawamura Provides A Concise And Much-needed Introduction To The Sociology Of Fashion. She Argues That Clothing Is A Tangible Material Product Whereas Fashion Is A Symbolic Cultural Product. She Also Debunks The Myth Of 'the Genius Designer' Explaining That Fashion Is Not About Clothes But Is A Belief. 1. Introduction -- Etymology Of Fashion -- Fashion As A Concept And A Phenomenon -- Proponents And Opponents Of Fashion -- Studies Of Fashion In Social Science -- Outline Of The Book -- 2. Sociological Discourse And Empirical -- Studies Of Fashion -- Classical Sociological Discourse Of Fashion -- Fashion, Modernity And Social Mobility -- The Origin Of Fashion Phenomenon -- Contemporary Sociological Studies Of Fashion -- Fashion And Sociology Of Culture -- Fashion As A Manufactured Cultural Symbol -- Conclusion -- 3. Fashion As An Institutionalized System -- Theoretical Framework Of Fashion-ology -- Fashion As A Myth Supported By The System -- Different Approaches To Fashion Systems -- The Beginning Of The Fashion System -- Fashion Production As Collective Activity -- Empirical Study: The French Fashion System As A Prototype -- Conclusion -- 4. Designers: The Personification Of Fashion -- Designers In The Studies Of Fashion -- Designers, Creativity And Social Structure -- Legitimation Of Designer's Creativity -- The Star System Of Designers -- Hierarchy Among Designers In The Fashion System -- Conclusion -- 5 Production, Gatekeeping And Diffusion Of Fashion -- Diffusion Theories Of Fashion -- Gatekeepers: Making Aesthetic Judgments -- Diffusion Strategies From Fashion Dolls To Fashion Shows -- Fashion Propaganda Through Advertising -- Conclusion -- 6. Adoption And Consumption Of Fashion -- Consumption: A Historical Perspective -- Consuming Fashion As Symbolic Strategy -- Consumption And Social Status -- Consumers In Modern And Postmodern Times -- Conclusion -- 7. Conclusion. Yuniya Kawamura. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.