What I'm Reading (Part 1) ....

Summer is my time to read. I love to lay in the backyard on a chaise and catch up on my reading.... Hot off the press from Berg are two new titles that dovetail my research: Fashion and Art as well as Victorian Fashion Accessories. Although I intend to write in-depth reviews for academic journals, my initial reading of these two books suggest that they would appeal to general audiences as well.  

In Fashion and Art, editors Adam Geczy and Vicki Karaminas have compiled a selection of essays by leading scholars including Valerie Steele, Hazel Clark, Joanne Eicher and Diana Crane on the intersection of fashion and art. To date, papers on the topic were difficult to find and this book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the discourse thereon. My initial review of this book indicates that Valerie Steele's essay on Fashion and Art in this book mirrors her comments in Milan as well as my interview with her for Fashion Projects. I am looking forward to digging deeper into these essays, especially since this is a topic that I am passionate about. 

In Victorian Fashion Accessories, Ariel Beaujot, who did her graduate studies at the University of Toronto, considers the history of women's fashion accessories such as the parasol, the glove and the fan during the Victorian era. Turning a phd thesis into a book that is accessible and interesting to non-academics is no small feat, and so far this book has been delightful, providing that necessary balance between scholarly research and general interest reading. In my own research on the paintings of James Tissot, I've noted that the glove and parasol figure prominently in his works, and I'm looking forward to understanding the nuances of meaning in the depiction of these accessories with the help of this book.