By Textiles on Film

Although the connections between fashion and cinema have often been examined, no study has yet thoroughly explored the relationship between fabric and film. Setting out to fill the gap in current scholarship, this book looks at the representation and use of textiles in cinema across a range of disciplines, from popular culture and gender studies to fashion, craft and film studies. With a series of case studies that range from Hitchcock classics and Hollywood blockbusters like The Matrix to lesser known arthouse films, the book provides a much-needed survey of the representation and vital impact of textiles in cinema, thereby broadening our understanding of media history and theory. Paying close attention to the social nuances of fabrics from polyester to velvet, and to the material qualities of the textiles themselves, Becky Peterson unearths new possibilities for reading cinema. Taking us from Marilyn Monroe’s iconic billowing skirt to Kathryn Hepburn’s draped satin gowns, textiles are found throughout the mise-en-scène of films – in sets, as props, as well as in clothing – and are used by filmmakers to create mood, communicate meaning, and convey drama and suspense. Drawing on scholarship across media studies and material culture studies,this project will make inspiring reading for scholars and students of film and fashion and textiles.