History of Fashion 2019 Fall Semester Instructor: Rita Comanducci Credits: 3 Contact hrs/wk: 3 Prerequisite: None COURSE DESCRIPTION Creativity, a taste for beauty, tradition and imagination have always been part of Italian culture, being key factors in the shaping of its extraordinary artistic heritage, and in the emergence of a specifically Italian style. Those same qualities that fed the blossoming of Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture, and of an early market for extraordinary luxury goods, can be recognized behind the growth of a special Italian phenomenon of our own times, which was revealed to the world at the famous first catwalk in the Sala Bianca, at Pitti Palace, Florence, in 1952: that is, Italian High Fashion. The aim of this course is to explore the evolution of Italian Fashion over the last eight centuries, engaging students in a visual and cultural journey that, from the fourteenth century to our own days, will help them to appreciate the evolution of the Italian market for fashion items such as luxury clothes, designer fabrics and precious accessories. A multi-faceted and cross-thematic approach to the understanding of the style, spirit, creativity, artistic content and artisanal know-how that are embedded in Italian Fashion will be an essential feature to this course. Society as a whole will be explored in order to highlight those developments that have led to the emergence of Italian High Fashion on the world stage. Students will be presented with a wide range of issues including: the impact of gender and political structures on the shaping of an individual and group identity through clothing; the contribution given by famous Renaissance artists to the production of luxury fabrics; the establishment of a Florentine silk economy in the fifteenth century; the emergence of writings on Fashion and style; the design experiments connected to the birth of Opera; and the impact of Hollywood and Cinecittà industries on Fashion production in our time. Thanks to the material explored during each class students will be encouraged to establish dynamic relationships between cases pertaining to the past and contemporary fashion, costume and cultural issues; and, at the same time, to recognize the critical part played by Florence in all of this. A variety of site visits ranging from specialist collections to contemporary workshops and ateliers will add freshness and excitement to this learning experience. COURSE STRUCTURE The course will consist of class presentations (slide lectures), site visits and a field trip. Each class lecture will be followed by a class discussion. LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the course students should have achieved: - The ability to recognise and analyse in a critical way the fundamental aspects of Fashion evolution explored during the semester; - The understanding of how artistic developments affected the market for clothes, fabrics and luxury goods; - The ability to establish a connection between Fashion and wider cultural/economic phenomena; International Studies Institute @Palazzo Rucellai @Palazzo Bargagli www.isiflorence.org Via della Vigna Nuova, 18 Via della Vigna Nuova, 18 Lungarno delle Grazie, 22 [email protected] 50123 Firenze (Italy) 50123 Firenze (Italy) 50122 Firenze (Italy) Cod. Fisc. 94084400483 Fax +39 055 2646721 Phone +39 055 2645910 Phone +39 055 5359751 Partita IVA: 06820750484 - The ability to interpret primary and secondary sources and to use these sources to develop an independent vision of the subject; - The ability to articulate in a fluent way, both in a written and oral form, the knowledge acquired. ASSESSMENTS AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS Students will be evaluated on the basis of the following: - Participation and class discussion: 15% - Test 1: 10% - Mid Term Exam: 20% - Test 2: 10% - Final Paper: 20% - Final Exam: 25% Participation and class discussion: Participation and class discussion are essential. Each student is expected to give an active and critical contribution to the discussion. Test 1 and Test 2: Tests 1 and 2 will consist of multiple choice questions. Mid Term Exam and Final Exam: The Mid Term and Final Exams will be held in class and will consist of a mixed format test (multiple choice, open questions, identification of photos, blanks to be filled in). Final Paper: The Final Paper will consist of an essay (up to 8 double spaced pages) on a topic selected by the student or proposed by the instructor. Final Paper topics will be assigned during week 9. Submission is due by December 2. Optional Paper/s: Students who wish to improve their Grade are encouraged to submit in due time a short paper (3 to 4 pages) on a topic to be defined with the instructor. Each of the above requirements will assess students’ knowledge of what follows: - topics presented and discussed in class - topics presented and discussed during site visits/field trip - class readings and handouts. ATTENDANCE Attendance is mandatory for all the classes, site visits and for the field trip. Absences and late arrival will lower the final grade. ABSENCES POLICY: Students are allowed two unjustified absences. To be excused for any additional absence, they must show a doctor’s note (that is, not just a prescription or a form attesting that they went to see a doctor). Each unexcused absence after the previous two will diminish the final grade by one point (e.g. from A to A-) CLASSROOM AND COURSE POLICY All students are expected to follow the uniform policy of the Institute: - They are expected to develop the appropriate respect for the historical premises which the school occupies and they are not permitted to eat, drink or chew gum in class - They are expected to be on time for all the classes and site visits and they are not allowed to check their smartphones and laptops while in class. The same applies to wearing earbuds or headsets of any sort. Students who do not respect this rule will be considered absent from class without any reasonable justification. Tests and Exams will not be rescheduled. Prescribed Readings are meant to be prepared before each class. GRADING POLICY International Studies Institute @Palazzo Rucellai @Palazzo Bargagli www.isiflorence.org Via della Vigna Nuova, 18 Via della Vigna Nuova, 18 Lungarno delle Grazie, 22 [email protected] 50123 Firenze (Italy) 50123 Firenze (Italy) 50122 Firenze (Italy) Cod. Fisc. 94084400483 Fax +39 055 2646721 Phone +39 055 2645910 Phone +39 055 5359751 Partita IVA: 06820750484 Grade A: The student’s work demonstrates an understanding of the subject that goes beyond assigned course readings. The student writes essays/exam questions that are an original synthesis of source materials, demonstrating the ability to evaluate source material critically. Written arguments are clear, well-organized and well-presented; oral presentations are concise and incisive. The student has distinguished himself/herself throughout the course of the semester for his/her contributions to class discussion. Grade B: The student’s work shows a clear understanding of assigned readings and materials covered in class. The student writes clear, well-organized and well-presented essays/exam questions; oral presentations are concise and incisive. The student is prepared in class and asks relevant questions. Grade C: The student’s work shows a basic understanding of the subject treated in assigned readings and covered in class. However, written and/or oral work is deficient in one or more of the following areas: clarity, organization or content. The student’s work is generally in need of improvement Grade D: The student’s work shows occasional understanding of the subject treated in assigned readings and covered in class. Written and/or oral work is deficient in one of more of the follow areas: clarity, organization or content. The student does not participate in class discussion and has not frequented the instructor’s office hours. Grade F: The student’s work does not demonstrate understanding of the subject treated in assigned readings and covered in class. Written and/or oral work are either insufficient or are not submitted. The student appears unprepared in class and has not frequented the instructor’s office hours. BIBLIOGRAPHY Course Readings (all available in the course drive or online) Calefato P., Italian Fashion in the Latest Decades: From Its Original Features to the “New Vocabulary”, «Journal of Asia-Pacific Pop Culture», I, 2016, pp. 1-17; Belfanti, C. M., The Civilization of Fashion: at the Origins of a Western Social Institution, «Journal of Social History», XVIII, 2009, pp. 261-83; Berselli, A., Souvenir of a Costume Designer, in Paulicelli, Stutesman, Wallenberg (eds.), Film, Fashion, and the 1960s, cit., pp. 217-20; Bonito Fanelli, R., The Pomegranate Motif in Italian Renaissance Silks: Interpretation of Pattern and Color, in S. Cavaciocchi (ed), La seta in Europa sec. XIII – XX, Le Monnier, 1993, pp. 507-30; Borgioli, C., Wearing the Sacred: Images, Space, Identity in Liturgical Vestments (13th to 16th Centuries), «Espacio, tiempo y forma», VI, 2018, pp. 169-95 (excerpts from) Castiglione, Baldassar, The Book of the Courtier (Il Cortegiano, 15281), translation by L. Eckstein Opdike, Charles Scribdner’s Sons, 1903, available online at: https://archive.org/details/bookofcourtier00castuoft/page/n11, pp. 36-37, 55-56, 79, 102-105, 179-80; Caratozzolo, V. C., Enchanted Sandals: Italian Shoes and The Post–World War II International Scene, in C. Giorcelli, P. Rabinowitz (eds.), Accessorizing the Body: Habits of Being I, University of Minnesota