New Reads | Chenoune and Barthes

I've taken it upon myself to revisit the basics and re-read every history of men's fashion books I plowed through in graduate school. Maybe it's the fact that I'm starting to teach at the university again in January, maybe its a quiet sense of making things that are a bit too normal in my own studio, or maybe its the pretty pictures that are initiating this; either way, it seems like a worthy endeavor. There's still so much to be learned.

I'm starting with Farid Chenoune's A History of Men's Fashion, and mixing in some Barthes to really make my head hurt. Looking at contemporary designers is exciting from time to time, but reading about style from the past really inspires me.

I'm seeing this as a jump-start to my thinking about a spring/summer collection and runway showcase. Wanna come?