Radical Fashion [Anglais] [Relié]

In her first book, Frankel presents a fashion-first look at the world, giving readers at least a decade of new material. This collection of her interviews with fashion designers, previously published in journals such as the Independent and Dazed & Confused, offers a closer, more penetrating look into some of the world's most intriguing designers. Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and John-Paul Gaultier are some of the designers showcased, alongside images of their clothes. The reproductions of the work that originally ran with each piece are enticing eye candy, sweetening the illuminating and juicy revelations printed in the accompanying interviews. The interviews, which took place between 1997 and April 2001, seem to preserve each designer's pre-glory moments in time while presenting other designers' careers as the standard by which all success is measured. Although thorough in her coverage, Frankel does leave out prominent designers in America and Europe to include lesser-knowns from Britain. Radical Fashion offers a short list of designers who innovate on the avant-garde of design. Since the honor of inclusion is bestowed upon only the most eccentric of the London/Milan/Paris set, the book seems a bit more elitist than Visionaries, excluding progressive designers such as Galliano, Gianni Versace, and Viktor & Rolf. The text offers a more academic glimpse of fashion and its extreme, with articles centered on one main concept. For example, a discussion of haute couture leads to Azzedine Alaia and Gautier, whereas Helmut Lang's vision is related to an essay about mixing art and fashion. The essays are extremely well researched as the authors, including Frankel, take on more complex concepts of design and also consider how fashion has altered in the face of modernity. The pictures included here are less glamorous and, on the whole, smaller, but they are useful reference points for the text. Both titles include notable quotes from each designer, highlighting their perspective on fashion. Radical Fashion is an excellent source for fashion theory, whereas Visionaries offers closer insight into the designers themselves. Rachel Collins, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Three major trends currently dominate international fashion: the invasion of Paris couture houses by hip British designers; the creation of highly conceptual collections by austere European minimalists; and the near-architectural construction of contemporary Japanese clothes. Spearheading these movements are members of what could be called the old-school avant-garde-uncompromising yet established designers like Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan, Martin Margiela and Helmut Lang, Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake.

The official publication of the exhibition of the same name at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Radical Fashion spotlights the work of 11 such mavericks. Stunning photo-essays, created by the individual designers specially for the book, paired with stimulating commentary by curators and fashion historians, make this look book the ultimate accessory for anyone addicted to style.

Exhibition Schedule: The Victoria and Albert Museum, London: Oct. 2001-Jan. 2002

Claire Wilcox, assistant curator of the V&A's Department of Textiles and Dress, is the co-author of Modern Fashion in Detail and the author of Bags.