History of Fashion II

Catalog description

Survey of dress from 1800 to contemporary fashion. THEA 465 History of Fashion II (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements.The course is the second part of the history of fashion that is an elective for graduate theatre students, is required for the B.F.A. Costume Design emphasis, and is an elective for the undergraduate theatre minor. The goal of the course is to identify and examine movements and trends in clothing and fashion from 1800 to the present. Each period is studied by using primary sources, slide presentations, and actual garments to illustrate the relationship between clothing and broad social, historical and artistic developments. Emphasis will be placed on plays that serve as particularly good examples of a period or style of fashion covered in the course. Grading will be based on periodic quizzes covering topics from class lectures, slide presentations, and textbook readings. There will be one oral presentation, a written comprehensive final exam, and assigned graphic presentations or 'redrawings' of clothing pieces. To complete these 'redrawings' the student will find a primary source or a photographic reproduction of a primary source and 'redraw' the garment. For example, a student may find a painting, a sculpture, or photo of a garment (usually on a figure) that represents the period being discussed in class. The student would then 'redraw' or copy that image, not trace, for the purposes of identifying the clothing pieces that are shown in the original. The 'redrawings' are graded not on the student's ability to draw but rather on the content, detail, and thoroughness of the pencil sketch.