Fashioning the Beatles

by Deirdre Kelly

Thursday, November 7, 5:30 pm

The Museum at FIT, NYC

Author Deirdre Kelly will present her book Fashioning the Beatles, the first title to provide an in-depth analysis of the sartorial impact and legacy of the Fab Four. More than 50 years after their breakup, the band's style continues to inspire designers, including Thom Browne, John Varvatos, Anna Sui, Rei Kawakubo, Tom Ford, Alessandro Michele, and Stella McCartney. A book signing will follow the event. 

Fashioning The Beatles

The Beatles' fashion through the decades

John, Paul, George, and Ringo were more than great musicians: they were the quintessential fashion icons of one of the most exciting and memorable fashion eras of all time. From their starts in black leather through Sgt. Pepper to Nehru collars and psychedelia, the Beatles used clothing to express their individual and group identities and, especially, to grow their following.

They did it without the benefit of stylists or consultants, making their own rules and changing their looks as many as five times a year to keep a few steps ahead of the crowd in the tumultuous, fashion-obsessed sixties. More than fifty years after their break-up, their style continues to animate the collections of some of the world’s leading designers, including Thom Browne, John Varvatos, Anna Sui, Tom Ford, Gucci’s Alessandro Michele and, yes, Stella McCartney. Fashioning the Beatles, the first in-depth look at their sartorial legacy, demonstrates that their inimitable style was not an incidental by-product of their fame but an integral part of their act and a key to their globe-spanning success.

About the Author: Deirdre Kelly

Deirdre Kelly has written on arts and culture since 1985, starting as the award-winning dance critic, pop music columnist and senior fashion reporter at The Globe and Mail newspaper and continuing today as a correspondent for the Dance Gazette in London, England, the luxury lifestyle magazine Fête Chinoise in Toronto, Canada, and the arts e-zine CriticsAtLarge, where she also writes on the Beatles, among other favourite topics. Her previous books are Paris Times Eight and Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection.

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