90853 - History of Costume and Fashion

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student acquires skills and knowledge concerning the main socio-economic and cultural transformations occurred in Italian and European fashion, with a node out of Europe, during the ninetieth and twentieth century. In particular, he has the ability to read analytically documents, apply appropriate methodologies and historiographical concepts, to critically interpret, in a global perspective, historical change of fashion in contemporary age.

Course contents

Beginning with the period of French hegemony in the second half of the 19th century and leading up to the strict contemporary period, the course aims to offer students a historical reconstruction of the main internal fluctuations in the fashion industry over the last two centuries.

- Fashion and costume: definitions and synergies

- Costume between yesterday and today;
- The origin of contemporary fashion;
- Fashion and costume: possible contaminations.


- The history of fashion

- Haute couture vs. haute couture
- Fashion, clothing, world wars
- The prêt-à-porter
- Youth cultures and clothing
- The Myth of Made in Italy

- The recent history of fashion
- Fast fashion and globalisation;
- Designer from tailor to influencer;
- Heritage, tradiction, recovery.

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography for attending students

S. Gnoli, MODA. Dalla nascita dell'haute couture a oggi, Carocci Editore: Roma, 2019.

Materiale (slides, appunti, approfondimenti) delle lezioni.

Bibliography for non-attending students

S. Gnoli, MODA. Dalla nascita dell'haute couture a oggi, Carocci Editore: Roma, 2019.

M.G. Muzzarelli, Breve storia della moda in Italia, Il Mulino: Bologna, 2011 (capp. Introduzione, I - II - III - IV - V - VI e VII, pgg. da 7 a 101)

Teaching methods

Theoretical lectures by the professor; viewing of audio-visual materials; in-depth meetings on specific topics.

Assessment methods

There will be two types of final exams: one for attending students and one for non-attending students.

Both will be written tests (multiple choice questions; no penalty for incorrect answers), but one will cover the programme for attending students and the other the programme for non-attending students.

Teaching tools

Videos, slides, in-depth analysis.

Office hours

See the website of Eleonora Chiais