Fashion History and Mediation
The Fashion History and Mediation course at Parsons Paris takes a critical perspective on the development of fashion in relation to media, capitalism, and Western culture. Led by Antoine Bucher, Fashion Studies students in this course begin with fashion plates, outlining the development of different media and how fashion mediation evolved with it. They look at seminal works like Paris Fashion by Valerie Steele, with whom Fashion Studies students had the opportunity to see speak at the European Fashion Heritage Association conference hosted at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in November.
Beyond readings, students also leave the classroom to take class trips to Parisian fashion museums such as Musée Yves Saint Laurent, to discuss museums as another form of fashion mediation just like magazines and film.
Sharing his first-hand experience and expertise, Antoine brings in rare fashion ephemera almost every week to show students the transformation of fashion plates, dress patterns, postcards, fashion magazines, autobiographies of fashion designers, and more. These experiences bring students to reflect critically on fashion practices and the construction of the fashion world through media.