Includes bibliographical references and index.

The view from out here; getting changed -- A history of seduction -- Style addicts; the first fashion brand; Poiret raises the stakes; Chanel, Dior and beyond; the death of fashion; the rebirth of fashion; surviving the crash -- Fashioning an identity -- Controlling the plot; Tod's and Diesel -- When haute couture meets high street -- Strategic alliances; chic battles cheap; stockholm syndrome; viva Zara -- The designer as brand -- The new rock and roll; how to be a designer brand; -- The store is the star -- Retail cathedrals; creativity drives consumption; luxury theme parks and urban bazaars -- Anatomy of a trend -- Not quite -- but almost; the style bureau; the new oracles; the cool hunter -- The image-makers -- Portrait of an art director; the alternative image-maker -- They shoot dresses, don't they? -- Brand translators; the limits of experimentation -- This year's model -- Packaging beauty; perfection and imperfection -- Celebrity sells -- Press to impress -- The collections -- The power behind the shows; communication via catwalk; haute couture laid low; front-row fever -- Accessorize all areas -- Emotional baggage; a brand in a bottle -- Retro brands retooled -- Climbing out of a trench; the art of plundering the past -- Targeted male -- 'Very GQ'; fine and dandy; a tailor-made opportunity; groom for improvement -- Urban athletes -- Getting on track; expect a gadget; stars and streets -- Virtually dressed -- The success story; interactive catalogues -- Brave new market -- A promotional tightrope; from China with cloth -- The faking game -- Behind the seams -- The local solution; -- Fashion goes back to the future -- From thrift to vintage; the politics of nostalgia -- Conclusion.