About the Author

Diana Crane is a professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Reviews

Why do people dress the way they do? How does clothing contribute to a person's identity as a man or woman, as a white-collar professional or blue-collar worker, as a preppie, yuppie, or nerd? How is it that dress no longer denotes social class so much as lifestyle, whatever that is? Is haute couture defunct? Why may women wear pants and everything else men do, yet men may not wear skirts and everything else women do? Crane (sociology, Univ. of Pennsylvania; The Transformation of the Avant-Garde) has written widely on the history and sociology of the arts, the news and entertainment media, fashion in clothing, and other material goods. Intelligent and informative, the book proposes thoughtful answers to some of these questions and helps us find our own answers to similar questions. While highly readable and thus accessible to the casual reader, this is a scholarly work intended mainly for an academic audience. Recommended for academic libraries and public libraries with substantial collections in art and culture.DJames F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.