Author Description

Paris, the undisputed capital of the fashion world, is rich in talented designers, skilled craftsmen and native chic. It has been a magnet for stylish men and women since the seventeenth century. While fashion and the industries surrounding it have evolved considerably since then, the City of Light's preeminence remains a constant. "Fashion Show" explores the ideas and inspirations that have driven Paris fashion through the ages, and it investigates why, in an era of globalization, this venerable city remains an undisputed Mecca. An essay by Pamela A. Parmal, Chair of Textiles and Fashion Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, outlines the history of the local fashion industry from its beginnings through the mid-twentieth century. Didier Grumbach, head of the esteemed Chambre Syndicale, Paris, discusses the current state of Paris fashion and its future, exploring the role of the runway shows. And work from a selection of the most influential fashion couturiers and designers of the moment--among them Valentino, Lacroix, Dior, Chanel, Azzedine Alaia, Viktor & Rolf, Rochas and Yohji Yamamoto--appears with brief histories of the houses, profiles of the designers and photographs conveying the grand sweep of their work and their predecessors', from the age of the kings to the age of award shows. This is the world of fashion at its most exciting and glamorous, a visually stunning and widely accessible history and a celebration of the fine art and high style of Paris couture.