C9291 - STORIA DELL'ABBIGLIAMENTO E OGGETTI DELLA MODA

Learning outcomes

The course addresses the history of European clothing from the Early Middle Ages to the early 20th century, adopting a material culture approach, which allows for the interrelation of the social, economic, and political meanings of garments. As historical evidences, objects become a medium through which explore raw materials (textiles, leather, furs), production, exchanges, trade, markets, and the cultural contaminations between West and East that the phenomenon of fashion has always fostered since its birth in European cities in the Late Middle Ages. By the end of the course, students will acquire methods and tools for analyzing fashion objects through written, visual, and material sources; they will learn the main issues presented by the long-term history of clothing, connecting them to broad historical phenomena and processes; they will learn to move beyond a merely descriptive and chronological approach, understanding the meaning of the changes that occurred over the centuries examined, and to place the history of individual objects within their context.

Course contents

During the course, students will be provided with tools and methods for investigating the history of clothing and fashion over the long term, through objects that have been described, illustrated and have physically survived to the present day. The topics will be introduced by presenting case studies and different types of sources, through which students will understand the close relationship between clothing and its historical context.
The main themes will include:
- the origins and development of the phenomenon of fashion from the late Middle Ages to 1960
- bodies, garments and the material culture approach
- clothing and the construction of identity
- the final garments: clothing from an archaeological context
- the arts in fashion
- fashion in art, literature and magazines
- fashion as cultural heritage

Readings/Bibliography

All students are required to study:

1. a handbook of history of costume and fashion (V. Maugeri, A. Paffumi, Storia della moda e del costume, Bologna 2025;
   
2. M.G. Muzzarelli, Breve storia della moda in Italia (il Mulino, 2011).
3. Power Point presentation on Virtuale (virtuale.unibo.it).

Non-attending students are also required to study a book to be chosen from this list:

- E. Tosi Brandi, L'arte del sarto nel Medioevo. Quando la moda diventa un mestiere (il Mulino, 2017);

-I Gonzaga e la moda tra Mantova e l'Europa, eds by C.M. Belfanti, D. Sogliani (Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 2019);

- Moda del Settecento a Palazzo Morando. La donazione di Amichae, eds by E. Morini, M. Rosina (Silvana Editoriale, 2020).

Non-attending students are invited to arrange an appointment with the professor before attending the exam.

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons; seminars with case studies.

A selection of documentary, literary, iconographic sources and materials from the Middle Ages to today will be presented chronologically and / or by theme. A workshop to deepen knowledge of a material culture of fashion through archeological and archival approach. Check availability with the course teacher.

Assessment methods

Oral final exam: good orientation in the history of fashion from the Middle Ages to today, the knowledge of debates and case studies discussed.

In the evaluation of the test, account will be taken, in particular, of the student's ability to orientate himself in the use of the sources and the bibliographic material of the exam in order to obtain useful information that allows him to illustrate themes and problems and to know how to connect them together .

We will therefore evaluate:

- Mastery of content

- The ability to synthesize and analyze themes and concepts

- The ability to express oneself precisely and appropriately taking into account the specificities of the subject matter

The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the topics addressed in class, of a critical approach to them and the mastery of concepts and terms specific to the themes of fashion will be assessed with marks of excellence.

A mnemonic knowledge of the subject, together with synthesis and analysis skills articulated in a correct but not always appropriate language, will lead to discrete evaluations.

Training gaps and / or inappropriate language - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the exam material - will lead to marks that will not exceed the sufficiency.

For what concerns the assessment methods, the use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

During the lessons, case studies will be presented through seminars, and educational materials will be made available online divided by historical periods and themes (virtuale.unibo.it).

The activities (educational visits, seminars, conferences, book presentations, etc.) recommended and/or organised by the teacher are to be regarded as part of the course and will be taken into account in the assessment.

Students with disabilities or specific learning disorders (DSA) needing compensatory tools will be able to communicate their needs to the Teacher in order to be addressed to the referents and agree on the adoption of the most appropriate measures.

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti

Office hours

See the website of Elisa Tosi Brandi