DSCZ110 History of Clothing I

Theatre Faculty
Winter 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/2. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jitka Ciampi Matulová (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. MgA. Marie Jirásková, Ph.D.
Set and Costume Design Department – Dean’s Office – Theatre Faculty – Janáček Academy of Performing Arts
Supplier department: Set and Costume Design Department – Dean’s Office – Theatre Faculty – Janáček Academy of Performing Arts
Timetable
Wed 12:45–14:15 A719
Prerequisites
The prerequisites are knowledge of the history of civilization (history) and art history at the high school level.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course aims to present fashion, clothing and the fashion industry from various perspectives, encouraging students to consider these areas within contemporary philosophical, sociological, political, economic and cultural contexts by the end of the course. Students will be encouraged to think about clothing in a much broader context than just its material, functional, and self-presentational aspects.
Learning outcomes
Students are familiar with a wide range of topics and issues related to the development of clothing and fashion from approximately the mid-19th century to the present day
They understand the relationship between clothing and the social reflection of the body and embodiment
They perceive the overlaps between the field and philosophy, sociology, psychology, etc.
They are familiar with basic topics related to the creation, production, presentation, and sale of fashion in the past and present
They are familiar with the basic topics related to the creation, production, presentation, and sale of fashion in the past and today
They are oriented in the basic trends, personalities, and topics related to the fashion world (both official and alternative) of a defined period
Students can apply their knowledge from the course when thinking about clothing as a reflection of society, contemporary political, sociological, and cultural contexts, and individual self-presentation
Syllabus
  • A brief overview of the development of clothing and fashion from antiquity to the 19th century.
  • Philosophy and fashion – phenomenology, poststructuralism, feminism (Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Erving Goffman, Roland Barthes, Michele Foucault, Judith Butler, etc.)
  • The fashion industry – industrialization of the textile sector, fast fashion vs. slow fashion.
  • Fashion retail and fashion presentation (from department stores to e-shops, from fashion magazines to Instagram).
  • Charles Frederick Worth and the beginnings of haute couture, the emergence of ready-to-wear and prêt-à-porter collections, etc.
  • The body and physicality from the 19th to the 21st century (sports, women's emancipation, body cult, cosmetic surgery, makeup, sexual revolution, male femininity, etc.)
  • Reform of women's clothing 1900-1920 (Paul Poiret, Mariano Fortuny, Coco Chanel, etc.)
  • Fashion design and fine arts – (influences and intersections of Dadaism, Surrealism, Fauvism, abstraction, Pop Art, Op Art, etc.)
  • Major trends in fashion in the second half of the 20th century (New Look, Space Look, Nude Look, hippies, power dressing, unisex fashion, etc.)
  • Japonism in fashion, Japanese fashion designers – the philosophy of traditional clothing, modern fashion design, and influence on Euro-American fashion.
  • Experimental fashion (experiments with shape, materials, meanings – Rei Kawakubo, Martin Margiella, Leigh Bovery, Hussein Chalayan, etc.)
  • Catwalk as performance (Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Hussein Chalayan, etc.)
  • Grand Czech design and Czech fashion design after 1989
  • Subcultures and tribes of the 20th and 21st centuries (goth, emo, lolita, fitness, etc.), queer style (lesbian and gay fashion, trans fashion, drag, etc.)
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Baughová, Gail, Encyklopedie textilních materiálů. Příručka módního návrháře, Praha 2012.
  • Thomas, Dana. Fashionopolis. Why What We Wear Matters. New York 2017.
  • Francesca Granata. Experimental Fashion. Performance Art, Carnival and the Grotesque Body. London 2017.
  • Jarošová, Helena, Filozofie těla - klíč k hlubšímu chápání těla a šatu, Praha 2013.
Teaching methods
Lecture, independent student work
* Number of contact hours per week:2
* Number of hours of independent student work per week:2
Assessment methods
an essay on a given topic, which must meet the requirements specified along with the topic
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Winter 2014, Winter 2015, Winter 2016, Winter 2017, Winter 2018, Winter 2019, Winter 2020, Winter 2021, Winter 2022, Winter 2023, Winter 2024.
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