The Essence of Style by Joan Dejean
What makes fashionistas willing to pay a small fortune for a particular designer accessory? Why does a special occasion only become really special when a champagne cork pops? Why are diamonds the status symbol gemstone, instantly signifying wealth, power, and even emotional commitment? Writing with great elan, one of the foremost authorities on seventeenth-century French culture provides the answer to these and other fascinating questions in her account of how, at one glittering moment in history, the French under Louis XIV set the standards of sophistication, style, and glamour that still rule our lives today. Joan DeJean takes us back to the birth of haute cuisine, the first appearance of celebrity hairdressers, chic cafes, nightlife, and fashion in elegant dress that extended well beyond the limited confines of court circles. And Paris was the magical center -- the destination of travelers all across Europe. Full of wit, dash, and verve, The Essence of Style will delight fans of history and everybody who wonders about the elusive definition of good taste.Since 1988, Joan DeJean has served as a Trustee Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught at Yale and Princeton in the past. She being the author of eleven works on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French literature, history, and material culture, the most recent of which is How Paris Became Paris: The Creation of the Modern City (2014); The Age of Comfort: When Paris Found Casual--and the Modern Household Started (2009); and The Essence of Style: How the French Created High Fashion, Fine Cuisine, Stylish Cafés, Style, and Sophistry (2009). She lives in Philadelphia and, when in Paris, she stays right around the corner from the house where the story begins in 1612.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780743264143 |
| ISBN 10 | 0743264142 |
| Title | The Essence of Style |
| Author | Joan Dejean |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year published | 2006-05-01 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |