Description
The way we dress says much about who we are and what we value. This course will examine how fashion has been a way for people to express moral concerns, aesthetic taste, and social status throughout history. This course is a survey of the history of costume in the Western world with particular emphasis on Italy, from antiquity to modern times. Various primary sources such literary texts, works of art, and actual garments (with museum visits) will be analyzed to define the characteristics of costume for each historical period. The course aims to identify and examine the forces that have governed fashion styles such as sumptuary laws and moral codes of behavior. The production of jewelry and the demand and trade of luxury goods will also be covered. Students will study how fashion styles have changed as a consequence of war, economic prosperity or depression, and technological developments, and how fashion styles of the past continue to inspire.
