Electric Fashion

Electric Fashion PDF

Author: Christine Suppes

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9788857224824

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Fashion editor and electronic journal pioneer Christine Suppes shares her personal collection of late 20th and early 21st century costume in photographs by Frederic Aranda.

World Clothing and Fashion

World Clothing and Fashion PDF

Author: Mary Ellen Snodgrass

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-03-17

Total Pages: 1785

ISBN-13: 131745166X

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Taking a global, multicultural, social, and economic perspective, this work explores the diverse and colourful history of human attire. From prehistoric times to the age of globalization, articles cover the evolution of clothing utility, style, production, and commerce, including accessories (shoes, hats, gloves, handbags, and jewellery) for men, women, and children. Dress for different climates, occupations, recreational activities, religious observances, rites of passages, and other human needs and purposes - from hunting and warfare to sports and space exploration - are examined in depth and detail. Fashion and design trends in diverse historical periods, regions and countries, and social and ethnic groups constitute a major area of coverage, as does the evolution of materials (from animal fur to textiles to synthetic fabrics) and production methods (from sewing and weaving to industrial manufacturing and computer-aided design). Dress as a reflection of social status, intellectual and artistic trends, economic conditions, cultural exchange, and modern media marketing are recurring themes. Influential figures and institutions in fashion design, industry and manufacturing, retail sales, production technologies, and related fields are also covered.

A Life Electric

A Life Electric PDF

Author: Azadeh Westergaard

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2021-07-27

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 0593114612

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A lyrical biography of the eccentric engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla “An elegant and enlightening look at a man who brightened the whole world.” –Booklist, starred review Born at the stroke of midnight during a lightning storm, Nikola Tesla grew up to become one of the most important electrical inventors in the world. But before working with electricity, he was a child who loved playing with the animals on his family's farm in Serbia. An inventor since childhood, Tesla's patents encompassed everything from radar and remote-control technology to wireless communications. But his greatest invention was the AC induction motor, which used alternating currents ( AC) to distribute electricity and which remains the standard for electric distribution today. Tesla's love of animals also remained constant throughout his life and led to his anointment as the Pigeon Charmer of New York for his devotion to nature's original wireless messengers. Exploring his groundbreaking inventions against the backdrop of his private life, A Life Electric introduces Nikola Tesla to young readers unlike ever before. Azadeh Westergaard's lyrical debut brings compassion and humanity to the legacy of the brilliant inventor, while the esteemed illustrator Júlia Sardà deftly brings him to life.

Garments of Paradise

Garments of Paradise PDF

Author: Susan Elizabeth Ryan

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2014-06-13

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0262027445

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A historical and critical view of wearable technologies that considers them as acts of communication in a social landscape. Wearable technology—whether a Walkman in the 1970s, an LED-illuminated gown in the 2000s, or Google Glass today—makes the wearer visible in a technologically literate environment. Twenty years ago, wearable technology reflected cultural preoccupations with cyborgs and augmented reality; today, it reflects our newer needs for mobility and connectedness. In this book, Susan Elizabeth Ryan examines wearable technology as an evolving set of ideas and their contexts, always with an eye on actual wearables—on clothing, dress, and the histories and social relations they represent. She proposes that wearable technologies comprise a pragmatics of enhanced communication in a social landscape. “Garments of paradise” is a reference to wearable technology's promise of physical and mental enhancements. Ryan defines “dress acts”—hybrid acts of communication in which the behavior of wearing is bound up with the materiality of garments and devices—and focuses on the use of digital technology as part of such systems of meaning. She connects the ideas of dress and technology historically, in terms of major discourses of art and culture, and in terms of mass media and media culture, citing such thinkers as Giorgio Agamben, Manuel De Landa, and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. She examines the early history of wearable technology as it emerged in research labs; the impact of ubiquitous and affective approaches to computing; interaction design and the idea of wearable technology as a language of embodied technology; and the influence of open source ideology. Finally, she considers the future, as wearing technologies becomes an increasingly naturalized aspect of our social behavior.