Cette série explore la riche et diverse histoire du commerce et de la consommation à travers différentes époques et cultures. Des marchés antiques aux stratégies de vente au détail modernes, chaque volume révèle l'évolution fascinante de la manière dont les gens ont acheté, vendu et consommé des biens. En se concentrant sur des aspects clés tels que la mode, le design et l'alimentation, la collection offre des aperçus profonds sur les forces sociales et économiques qui ont façonné nos habitudes d'achat.
Exploring the evolution of menswear retailing from 1880 to 1939, this book delves into the complexities of masculine identity and male consumption patterns. It examines how men engaged in activities often deemed 'unmanly,' such as selling and buying clothing, providing fresh insights into their lives and identities during this transformative era. Through this lens, the work highlights the interplay between fashion and masculinity, revealing broader cultural implications.
A History of the Retailing and Consumption of Domestic Furnishings
Focusing on the evolution of home furnishings retailing over the last three centuries, this book examines the complex relationship between retailers and consumers. It highlights the dual role of retailers as both suppliers and advisors, addressing the aspirations of consumers aiming to create personalized living spaces. Through a cross-disciplinary lens, it evaluates the dynamics of consumption and the changing nature of home decor, revealing the often contradictory influences at play in the quest to transform houses into homes.
The study explores how Britain's consumer culture and modern business practices were shaped by the ready-to-wear boys' clothing market. Through comprehensive visual and statistical analysis, it connects the design and retailing of boys’ apparel to broader social, cultural, and economic issues. This investigation highlights the significance of boys' clothing production and consumption in understanding the rise of consumer society, mass-market fashion, and evolving concepts of childhood and masculinity.
"Addressing the subject of clothing in relation to such fundamental issues as national identity, social distinction, gender, the body, religion and politics, Clothing Culture, 1350-1650 provides a springboard into one of the most fascinating yet least understood aspects of social and cultural history. Nowhere in medieval and early modern European society was its hierarchical and social divisions more obviously reflected than in the sphere of clothing. Indeed, one of the few constant themes of writers, chroniclers, diarists and commentators from Chaucer to Pepys was the subject of fashion and clothes. Whether it was lauding the magnificence of court, warning against the vanity of fashion, describing the latest modes, or decrying the habit of the lower orders to ape the dress of their social superiors, people throughout history have been fascinated by the symbolism, power and messages that clothes can project. Yet despite this contemporary interest, clothing as a subject of historical enquiry has been a largely neglected field of academic study. Whilst it has been discussed in relation to various disciplines, it has not in many cases found a place as a central topic of analysis in its own right. The essays presented in this volume form part of a growing recent trend to put fashion and clothing back into the centre ground of historical research. From Russia to Rome, Ireland to France, this volume contains a wealth of examples of the numerous ways clothing was shaped by, and helped to shape, medieval and early modern European society. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the study of clothing can illuminate other facets of life and why it deserves to be treated as a central, rather than peripheral, facet of European history"--Publisher's description