The Latin American Fashion Reader

Latin American fashion''s recent gain in popularity can be seen most obviously in mass-market ranges throughout the industrialized West. From the tango-inspired dress of Argentina and guerrilla chic in downtown Buenos Aires to swimwear on Copacabana Beach and the rainbow that adorns Mayan women, Latin America has long been a source of inspiration for designers throughout the world. Until now, however, the pivotal role played by dress in this region has surprisingly been overlooked. This book is a long overdue assessment of Latin America''s influence on global fashion. The authors examine the significance of textiles and dress to Latin American culture and the reasons behind it from fashion history to popular culture and the (re)making of traditional garments, such as the poncho, the guayabera and maguey-fiber sandals. This book also considers fashion icons such as Frida Kahlo and Eva Peron, women who have been worshipped and transformed into marketable symbols of exoticism and passion, as well as the key role that dress played in their rise to celebrity on the international stage. Providing a first and definitive overview of Latin American fashion, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in Latin American cultural studies or fashion history. Winner of the 2006 Arthur P. Whitaker Prize, awarded by the Middle Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies>

About the author

Regina A. Root is Full Professor of Hispanic Studies at William & Mary, USA. An expert in participatory design and cultural production, she has authored or co-edited The Latin American Fashion Reader (Bloomsbury, 2005) Couture and Consensus (2010), and The Handbook of Fashion Studies (Bloomsbury, 2013), among others. She is editor of the Bloomsbury Fashion In Action book series.

Product details

• Authors: Regina Root, Regina A. Root
• Assisted by: Joanne B. Eicher (Editor), Regina Root (Editor), Regina A. Root (Editor)
• Publisher: Berg Publishers Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.03.2005
• EAN: 9781859738887
• ISBN: 978-1-85973-888-7
• No. of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 234 mm x 24 mm
• Series: Dress, Body, Culture (Hardcove; Dress, Body, Culture (Hardcove; Dress, Body, Culture
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Interior design, design; Latin America, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, DESIGN / Fashion & Accessories, DESIGN / Textile & Costume, Fashion & society, Fashion design & theory, Latin America – Mexico, Central America, South America, Fashion and textile design, Cultural studies: dress and society