Targeting curators, researchers, and budding fashion historians, The Dress Detective provides the tools necessary for “learning to look,” learning how to take apart the dress as artifact to
uncover what political, social, and economic considerations were part of its creation; discovering the time and place of its making; and locating where it falls on the spectrum from avant-garde
to conservative. The book provides seven case studies of beautifully illustrated Western clothing. It begins with a brief history of object-based research of dress artifacts, and promotes the
minimization of anxiety and confusion through its practice-based framework. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
