Surprise and seduction: Theorising fashion via the sociology of wit Dita Svelte A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Social Sciences Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences UNSW Sydney 12 September 2019 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: SVELTE First name: DITA Other name/s: ISHTAR ARTEMIS Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School: School of Social Sciences Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences Title: Surprise and seduction: Theorising fashion via the sociology of wit Abstract 350 words maximum: What insights might a sociology of wit as applied to the phenomenon of fashion generate? This thesis applies the sociology of humour to fashion to develop a concept of wit that contributes to further understanding fashion. The thesis argues that this concept of wit is characterised by qualities of surprise and seduction. Surprise is defined as the experience of an unexpected, creative intellectual insight expressed in a pithy manner; seduction is the experience of being led astray, and also the desire of the subject to be led astray. The thesis demonstrates the presence of empirical sites of wit within fashion in the form of the dandy and glamour. It utilises Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus [2000] (1836) to further conceptualise the wit of fashion at the intersection of theories of humour and theories of fashion. The contribution of the wit of fashion to classical texts in the sociology of fashion is considered with reference to contemporary empirical examples. Thorstein Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption is expanded to develop an idea of the ‘conspicuous wit’ of fashion from the perspective of the designers Alessandro Michele for Gucci and Demna Gvasalia for Vetements and Balenciaga; Roland Barthes’ idea of the singular, integrated, economically oriented fashion system is expanded to encompass the proliferation of contemporary witty fashion systems through an examination of Moschino and the work of the house of Viktor & Rolf. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). 12 September 2019 ………………………………………………………..………………………..……………………………………… Signature Witness Signature Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: ~ ! ~2 Originality statement ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed: Dita Svelte Date: 12 September 2019 ~ ! ~3 Acknowledgements With immense thanks to Dr Melanie White, for her abundant enthusiasm and infinite patience. I could not wish for a more careful and attentive supervisor. Thanks also to my partner, Ash Haroon, for his love and continued support throughout the process of writing this thesis. I could not have completed this project without him. Thanks to my peers Dr Megan Catherine Rose and Abbie White for their advice and friendship. Additional thanks also to Dr Emilie Auton and Dr Nicholas Apoifis. Thanks to Associate Professor Paul Jones for his support during the conceptual formulation of this project, and Associate Professor Claudia Tazreiter for her helpful comments. I would like to acknowledge the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UNSW Sydney, for contributing research funding toward this work. ~ !5 ~ Table of Contents List of figures, page 7. Chapter One Introduction: A Dress and an Epigram, page 12. Chapter Two Literature Review: The Elements of a Sociology of Wit, page 32. Chapter Three Elements of a Sociology of Wit, Part One: Surprise and the Dandy, page 69. Chapter Four Elements of a Sociology of Wit, Part Two: Seduction and Glamour, page 107. Chapter Five Wit’s Contribution to Fashion Studies: Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus, page 163. Chapter Six Wit and Contemporary Fashion Studies, Part One: Veblen and the Conspicuous Wit of Gucci, Vetements and Balenciaga, page 190. Chapter Seven Wit and Contemporary Fashion Studies, Part Two: A Proliferation of Fashion Systems, page 238. Chapter Eight Conclusion: The Sociological Wit of Fashion – Surprise and Seduction, page 283. References, page 290. ~ ! ~6 List of figures Chapter One Introduction: A Dress and an Epigram Figure 1.1. Jean-Paul Gaultier ballgown, page 12. Figure 1.2. Detail, Jean-Paul Gaultier evening gown, page 15. Figure 1.3. Matthew Darly, The Flower Garden (1777), page 19. Figure 1.4. Edina and Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous, page 20. Figure 1.5. Ben Stiller as the fictional character Derek Zoolander, page 20. Figure 1.6. Madonna’s conical bra lingerie, produced by Gaultier for the Blond Ambition tour of 1990, page 21. Figure 1.7. Lady Gaga’s infamous meat dress, worn for the 2010 MTV Music Video Awards, page 22. Figure 1.8. Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran in concert, page 23. Figure 1.9. Iconic David LaChapelle images from his ‘Disaster’ series, featuring Viktor & Rolf, page 23. Figure 1.10. Karl Lagerfeld’s iconic silhouette, page 24. Chapter Two Literature Review: The Elements of a Sociology of Wit Figure 2.1. Screenshot of an email from burberry.com, indicating instant fashion’s new temporality, page 37. Chapter Three Elements of a Sociology of Wit, Part One: Surprise and the Dandy Figure 3.1. Engraving of Beau Brummell, page 72. Figure 3.2. Detail from the cover of The World According to Karl, where the ‘a’ in Karl has been replaced by his iconic silhouette, page 90. ~ !7 ~ Figure 3.3. Lagerfeld interviews himself, moments before walking out on his interviewer for banal and irritating questions, page 91. Figure 3.4. A typical image from Fuck Yeah Menswear, with terse poetic text superimposed over a stylish image, page 92. Figure 3.5. An example of Janelle Monae’s typical monochromatic attire, page 94. Figure 3.6. Still from Monae’s ‘Pynk’ music video, page 95. Chapter Four Elements of a Sociology of Wit, Part Two: Seduction and Glamour Figure 4.1. Red carpet glamour – Cate Blanchett in Armani Privé at the 2014 Oscars ceremony, page 110. Figure 4.2. Nicole Kidman’s 1980s ‘glamour shots’ for Dolly magazine, page 111. Figure 4.3. Glamour as abstract mask. Ernst Blumenfeld’s image of Jean Patchett from the cover of Vogue, January 1950, page 111. Figure 4.4. David Beckham – sports star and style icon of masculine glamour, page 112. Figure 4.5. The glamorous Villanelle in vintage taffeta skirt and Rosie Assouline blouse page 140. Figure 4.6. Think pink! Villanelle in costume before a particularly gruesome public evisceration, page 141. Figures 4.7-4.14. Villanelle does Vienna, pages 143-144. Figure 4.15. Blue in Burberry, page 145. Figure 4.16. Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and Eve Pilastri (Sandra Oh) first meet in a hospital bathroom. Villanelle is instantly attracted by Eve’s tangled mane, page 146. Figures 4.17-4.18. Villanelle dresses for a psychological assessment for her fitness to kill in Molly Goddard and Balenciaga, page 147. Figures 4.19-4.20. Public assassination, Villanelle style, page 149. Figures 4.21-4.23. Unexpected designer luggage – the best kind of surprise, page 150. Figure 4.24. An intimate dinner date ends at knifepoint, page 151. ~ 8! ~ Figure 4.25. Prelude to penetration, page 152. Figure 4.26. Roman holiday. Villanelle, in a striking scarlet pantsuit, overlooks the fallen body of Eve moments after shooting her, page 153. Figure 4.27. Fake Hèrmes elevator kill, page 154. Figure 4.28. ‘Love in an Elevator’ lipstick, page 154. Figures 4.29-4.31. Macquillage! page 155. Figures 4.32. Blood-bond via makeup, page 156. Chapter Six Wit and Contemporary Fashion Studies, Part One: Veblen and the Conspicuous Wit of Gucci, Vetements and Balenciaga Figure 6.1. Gucci menswear Autumn-Winter 2017, page 193. Figure 6.2. Vetements’ famous DHL T-shirt, presented as part of the Spring-Summer 2015 collection, page 194. Figure 6.3. Gucci website men’s homepage – a flurry of bold colour, exotic locales, accessories, pets and excess, page 195. Figure 6.4. Balenciaga’s minimalist grid homepage, page 196. Figure 6.5. Clicking through Balenciaga’s website reveals more minimal grids, page 196. Figure 6.6. Balenciaga ‘shopping bag’, Autumn/ Winter 2019, a lambskin imitation of the typical designer shopping bag, page 197.