Oscar Wilde on Dress (ebook): Including –The Philosophy of Dress– by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde · John Cooper

Aug 2013 · CSM Press

About this ebook

Including The Philosophy Of Dress by Oscar Wilde. The recent print version was the first this work had been for the first time it had been published in 128 Years, and in book form for the first time ever. Now this is the first ebook.The work now forms the centerpiece of this unique collection of Wilde's writings on dress. As a compendium this book also includes several rarely published period articles and letters by Wilde on dress and fashion, along with a related exchange of correspondence that forms an instructional discourse. In addition there are generously annotated and illustrated chapters that analyze the importance of dress in the historical context of the writing career of Oscar Wilde, and a comprehensive review of the influences, trends, characters and source material that informed the development of his dress philosophy.The whole constitutes a thorough examination of a previously overlooked aspect in the Wilde canon, which should prove to be of interest not only to Wildean scholars, but also to anyone who enjoys his style of writing. Oscar Wilde continues to be favorably reappraised as a one of the most culturally avant garde tastemakers of the late nineteenth century. In an ever fashion-conscious world it is fitting that the themes explored, like the author himself, are still relevant. In this respect the book will also be of historical value to fashion students, historians, and practitioners.

About the author

John Cooper has spent 30 years in the study of Oscar Wilde. He is a long-standing member of the Oscar Wilde Society in London, a founding member of the Oscar Wilde Society of America, and a former manager of the Victorian Society In America. He has lectured on Wilde and is a contributor to academic journals including The Wildean and Oscholars. Online he is the author and editor of the noncommercial archive Oscar Wilde in America and moderator of the Oscar Wilde Internet discussion group at Yahoo. For the last 12 years he has specialized in new and unique research into Oscar Wilde in New York, where he conducts guided walking tours based on the visits of Oscar Wilde. In 2012 John rediscovered the essay The Philosophy Of Dress by Wilde that forms the centerpiece to this book.