BOOK REVIEW: FASHIONEAST: THE SPECTRE THAT HAUNTED SOCIALISM

New Yorker blog book review: FashionEast: The Spectre that Haunted Socialism, by Djurda Bartlett

Review Excerpt: “Bartlett divides socialist fashion into three phases: Utopian dress, state-sponsored dress, and “samizdat-style” everyday apparel. From the nineteen-thirties through the waning years of Socialism, she writes, the official response to fashion “kept changing … from total rejection to grudging acceptance and creeping consumerism, but all these changes were state-orchestrated and channelled through the state-owned fashion media.” This tension, between an ever-changing medium and a state structure rigidly opposed to change, is fascinatingly detailed in her study. Below, Bartlett shares some images of socialist fashion, and answers some questions about her book. . . .”