DRESSCODES 1

Costume history inspired painters as early as the 19^th century. Proof of this interest can be found in the numerous books and essays published by archeologists, art historians and design theorists, who, from their study of monuments from the past recomposed the formal variations of clothing and provided documentation for history paintings.
But fashion refers to a more complex reality. While it is manifested, quite eloquently, in the adornment of the body, it is not limited to that. Fashion is present in words, in behaviors as much as in ideas, French author Honoré de Balzac reminds us. To write its history therefor means questioning the notion of source and the different historiographical traditions it may pertain to. This lecture will be an opportunity to share some of the methodologies implemented throughout my doctoral research. By placing fashion within art history, the idea is not to suggest a mere assimilation to fine arts, or simply to consider the process of “becoming art”, but to adopt an heuristic perspective questioning the writing of its history.