Fashion is political
by Elisabetta Merlo, associate professor at Department of Social and political sciences
The history of 19th century fashion and the history of 19th century retailing are inextricably linked. They are marked by epochal changes, respectively the birth of haute couture and the advent of the department store, which both took place in Paris at the time the restoration of the royal house moved the French capital once again to the center of the stage for political and cultural events, while urbanization transformed it into a market for luxury goods, especially textiles, clothing, and accessories. Charles Frederick Worth, the British father of haute couture, was a shop assistant in a Parisian department store (grand magasin) before opening his own atelier.