Background
Steele, Valerie Fahnestock was born on June 29, 1955 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Daughter of George S. and Valerie (Noel) Steele.
- Photos
- Works
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Other photo of Valerie Fahnestock Steele
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Other photo of Valerie Fahnestock Steele
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Other photo of Valerie Fahnestock Steele
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Other photo of Valerie Fahnestock Steele
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Other photo of Valerie Fahnestock Steele
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- Photos
- Works
book
Shoes: A Lexicon of Style
( "There is a bit of Imelda Marcos in many women," begins...)
"There is a bit of Imelda Marcos in many women," begins the fascinating, energetic text of Shoes. This chic book taps into the obsession, the fetish, and the fashion of footwear, from the pump to the sneaker, the boot to the stiletto. There are no ancient Roman sandals in this book. Instead, noted author Valerie Steele speaks directly to modern shoe enthusiasts and delves into their soles. Highly illustrated with cutting-edge photos and filled with quips and quotes from Tom Ford, Manolo Blahnik, Ann Magnuson, and other aficionados, this book stirs up the debate over high heels, bows to the joys of athletic footwear, and probes the power of shoes to convey status and sex appeal. This is an exuberant, often irreverent, contemporary history of shoes for the well- shod of every "style tribe."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0847821668/?tag=2022091-20
Fifty Years of Fashion New Look to Now Exhibition Brochure
(The gallery brochure for an exhibition of postwar fashion...)
The gallery brochure for an exhibition of postwar fashion that not only described the great designers and their creations but also placed trends in clothing within their social and cultural contexts. Curated with text by Valerie Steele; introduction by Dorothy Twining Globus. Staple-bound self-wrappers; 12 pages; monochrome illustrations; 4 x 9 inches.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LWBIE0O/?tag=2022091-20
The Corset: A Cultural History unknown Edition by Valerie Steele 2003
(The Corset: A Cultural History Steele, Valerie ( Author )...)
The Corset: A Cultural History Steele, Valerie ( Author ) { Paperback } 2003
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUFML4W/?tag=2022091-20
Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now
(From haute couture to hot pants, from glamour to grunge, ...)
From haute couture to hot pants, from glamour to grunge, the second half of the 20th century witnessed some startling revolutions in fashion. This survey not only describes the great designers and their creations but also places clothing trends within their social and cultural contexts."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300087381/?tag=2022091-20
Fifty Years of Fashion New Look to Now - 2000 publication.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZP8IBU/?tag=2022091-20
Fashion and Eroticism: Ideals of Feminine Beauty from the Victorian Era Through the Jazz Age
(The traditional image of the Victorian woman presents her...)
The traditional image of the Victorian woman presents her as strait-laced and prudish, her clothing an outward sign of her sexual repression and exploitation. This situation supposedly persisted until the Women's Rights Movement and World War I forced the world to acknowledge that women were liberated individuals with legs. Yet Valerie steele demonstrates that eroticism formed the basis for the Victorian ideal of feminine beauty and fashion--indeed, that the concepts of beauty and fashion are essentially erotic. She shows that, far from being passive "sex objects," Victorian women, like their modern counterparts, themselves chose to emulate an erotic ideal as an aspect of their own self-fulfillment. Even the notorious corset was neither fetishistic nor an unhealthy instrument of torture, she argues, although its comlex and ambivalent sexual symbolism aroused controversy. Fashion and Eroticism shows how the New Look of "sexy" modern naturally from within the pre-war world of fashion and not as part of an intifashion movement. Steele's conclusions are based on prodigious documentary evidence, including visual and material research, in costume collections in the United States, Great Britain, Europe, and even Japan. Fashiona and Eroticism is not only a radical revision of the Conventional understanding of Victorian fashion; it is a major contribution to the histyory of women and sexuality. About the Author: Valerie steele received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1983, and was the 1984 First Ladies' Fellow at the Division of Costume, National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Institution.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195035305/?tag=2022091-20
Fashion, Italian Style
(Italian fashion, which encompasses designers and companie...)
Italian fashion, which encompasses designers and companies from Armani to Zegna, has become a dominant force in the fashion world. This work discusses the rise of Italian fashion since 1945, the development of the Italian "look" from the late 1970s to the present, and the many great designers who have contributed to Italy's fashion triumphs. Valerie Steele describes how Florence, Rome, and later Milan all became important fashion centres and how other Italian cities play specific roles within the country's fashion system. She explains the tradition of "classic" men's tailoring, the importance of accessories, the special connection between textile production and fashion, and the reasons why different regions of Italy specialise in different fabrics or goods. She also analyses the integration of the various sectors of the fashion industry, a uniquely Italian model quite different from those found in France, Britain or the United States. Illustrated with photographs of fashion ensembles, runway shots, advertising images and more, this is a celebration of Italian fashion in its many guises.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300100140/?tag=2022091-20
The Corset: A Cultural History
(An essential element of fashionable dress from the Renais...)
An essential element of fashionable dress from the Renaissance into the twentieth century, the corset has been viewed not only as an object of eroticism but also as an instrument of torture and subjugation. This lavishly illustrated book explores the cultural history of the corset. Named one of the Best of the Year 2001 by the Toronto Globe & Mail. Selected for inclusion in the Books to Remember list by the New York Public Library. Winner of the 2002 Milia Davenport Publication Award sponsored by the Costume Society of America.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300099533/?tag=2022091-20
(Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now ) Author: Valerie Steele Oct-2000
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0140EUOES/?tag=2022091-20
The Corset: A Cultural History by Valerie Steele (2003) Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01071QVXG/?tag=2022091-20
Paris Fashion: A Cultural History
( Paris has been the international capital of style for t...)
Paris has been the international capital of style for three hundred years. Although challenged by other fashion cities such as Milan, London and New York, Paris remains special. This fascinating book shows that the strength of the French fashion industry rests on the depth and sophistication of its fashion culture. Revised and updated, Paris Fashion is reprinted here in paperback for the first time. More than just a history of famous designers and changing styles, the book is about fashion as a cultural ideal and a social phenomenon. By focusing on a 'case study' of Paris, Steele provides brilliant insights into the significance of fashion in modern urban society. The author, an internationally recognized authority on the history of fashion, is the author of many books, including Fashion and Eroticism, Women of Fashion: 20th-Century Designers, Fetish: Fashion, Sex & Power, and Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1859739733/?tag=2022091-20
Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now by Valerie Steele (2000) Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01071GA0U/?tag=2022091-20
Valerie Fahnestock Steele
Edit Profileeducator museum director writer
Education
Bachelor in History summa cum laude, Dartmouth College, 1978. Master of Arts, Yale University, 1980. Doctor of Philosophy in Modern European Cultural and Intellectual History, Yale University, 1983.
Career
Teacher fashion history Fashion Institute of Technology School Graduate Studies, 1985—1997. Chief curator Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, 1997—2003, acting director, 2000—2003, director, since 2003. Board directors Costume Society of America, International Association for Costume.
Chair, Fashion Walk of Fame selection committee Fashion Center Business Improvement District.
Achievements
Works
book
-
The Corset: A Cultural History
(An essential element of fashionable dress from the Renais...)
-
Fifty Years of Fashion New Look to Now Exhibition Brochure
(The gallery brochure for an exhibition of postwar fashion...)
-
Fashion and Eroticism: Ideals of Feminine Beauty from the Victorian Era Through the Jazz Age
(The traditional image of the Victorian woman presents her...)
-
Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now
(From haute couture to hot pants, from glamour to grunge, ...)
-
Fashion, Italian Style
(Italian fashion, which encompasses designers and companie...)
-
Shoes: A Lexicon of Style
( "There is a bit of Imelda Marcos in many women," begins...)
-
The Corset: A Cultural History unknown Edition by Valerie Steele 2003
(The Corset: A Cultural History Steele, Valerie ( Author )...)
-
Paris Fashion: A Cultural History
( Paris has been the international capital of style for t...)
- Fashion and Eroticism
- Fifty Years of Fashion New Look to Now - 2000 publication.
- (Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now ) Author: Valerie Steele Oct-2000
- The Corset: A Cultural History by Valerie Steele (2003) Paperback
- Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now by Valerie Steele (2000) Paperback
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The Corset: A Cultural History
Membership
Member Phi Beta Kappa.
Connections
Married John Stephen Major, August 25, 1979. 1 child, Stephen Nicholas.
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Born
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Nationality
American
Education
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1978
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1980
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1983
Career
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1985 - 1997
Awards
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Recipient Iris Foundation award for outstanding contributions to decorative arts, Bard Graduate Center, 2002, Artistry of Fashion award, American Apparel and Footwear Association, 2003.Recipient Iris Foundation award for outstanding contributions to decorative arts, Bard Graduate Center, 2002, Artistry of Fashion award, American Apparel and Footwear Association, 2003.