The concise dictionary of dress (book)

Publisher's description of the book:

'The game is this: Phillips provides definitions of a series of fashion terms while Clark creates installations that do the same (represented in the book by Norbert Schoerner's photographic record). Naturally it's a stunningly elegant production' – Mark Rappolt, Art Review

'The visual element is only half the experience. The other half exists in the form of a book, published by Violette Editions: a handsome artefact in its own right' – Jane Shillling, The Daily Telegraph

This book examines the nature of dictionaries, archives and dress curation, and adds a stunning visual essay recording two overnight tours through an Artangel-commissioned exhibition at Blythe House.

Phillips' definitions for words commonly associated with fashion and appearance were paired with eleven stations created by Clark on a walk through this vast building, home of the Victoria and Albert Museum's archive. Here in print, extending beyond the works at Blythe House, Phillips adds more words, more definitions and an overarching essay asking broader questions about what dictionaries are, how we use them and why they matter. Judith Clark also presents a written analysis of the Dictionary in her response to questions posed anonymously by authorities in cultural theory, fashion history, arts curation and architecture, as well as a catalogue of references used in creating the installations.

Judith Clark is Reader in the field of Fashion and Museology at London College of Fashion. She has curated major exhibitions at the V&A in London, ModeMuseum in Antwerp, Palazzo Pitti in Florence and Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

Adam Phillips, formerly Principal Child Psychotherapist at Charing Cross Hospital in London, is a psychoanalyst and author of 15 acclaimed books, most recently On Balance. He is the Editor of the New Penguin Freud translations, and a regular reviewer for the London Review of Books.

Norbert Schoerner is a photographer and filmmaker whose fashion campaigns have included Comme des Garçons and Prada; his editorial work has been seen in The Face, New York Times Magazine, Vogue and many other publications. Schoerner's work has been widely exhibited, including shows at White Cube, Chapman Fine Arts and the 10th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale (2006).