What is it about?
The book examines how stylish middle-class women in interwar Bucharest engaged with public 'Little Paris' spaces. Their influence on the city's culture and fashion was crucial to modernising Bucharest, making their story a crucial part of its history.
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Why is it important?
As it grew from the capital of the Kingdom of Romania to that of Greater Romania, Bucharest solidified its nickname, “Little Paris”, because of its vibrant culture and stylish flair. Fashionable Bucharesters blended traditional and local styles with Western influences, especially from the US and France, resulting in a chic, modern look that features stylish dresses and popular accessories. This book examines Romania’s modernization through historical research and personal narratives. It follows middle-class women as they walk, attend elegant events, visit cafés and clubs, shop, and work. The book explores often-overlooked written and visual literature, encouraging new research. Combining elements of Romanian culture, history, and fashion studies reveals a hidden world. This study enhances our understanding of interwar fashion cultures and contributes to advancing Romanian fashion studies.
Perspectives
This book, published a couple of weeks before the Christmas of the rollercoaster year of 2024, is the culmination of my PhD thesis, which was transformed into a monograph. My research focuses on women’s fashion in interwar Romania, which has marked a pivotal moment in my life. It has placed me in an exciting new field of study and allowed me to cultivate a genuine passion for the subject matter and the research methods involved. Over the past decade, I have dedicated myself to this work, reflecting on my journey to finding my voice as a researcher in fashion studies. I am thrilled to finally share the fruits of my labour, which began more than ten years ago!
Dr. Sonia Doris Andras
Gheorghe Sincai Institute for Social Studies and the Humanities
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Women of 'Little Paris', January 2024, Bloomsbury Academic,
DOI: 10.5040/9781350294486.
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