In his book ‘The Fashion System’ Roland Barthes asks ‘what happens when an object…is converted into language?’ Or rather, ‘when an object encounters language?’ He answers by exploring how image and writing unite in fashion magazines to present dress as a particular type of rhetorical object. This presentation explores and extends Barthes’ insights in connection to two texts about fashion: one, a book associated with the popular, long-running, North American, makeover-TV show, What Not to Wear; and, the other: an episode from the TV show itself. I consider how dress is mediated in these contexts by being translated into still and moving images and both written and spoken words. How is the relationship between image and word in the WNTW book compounded on the TV show by the interactive presence of a ‘real’, embodied person (i.e. the makeover candidate).

Dr. Arlene Oak, Department of Human Ecology, University of Alberta, researches how spoken language in natural settings shapes the creation and reception of architecture, design, and fine art. Her focus on the relationships between objects, language, and perceptions of personal and social identity is informed by her background in studio-based design practice, design history, and social psychology.

Program Image: From the New York Public Library, Eduardo Garcia Benito (c. 1920-1930)