"The End of Fashion traces an arc from the origins of couture and its apotheosis in the early part of this century to the advent of pret-a-porter post - World War II and the sweeping changes that have taken place as the century ends. It is an arc from the time when "fashion" was defined by elite French designers whose clothes could be afforded only by global socialites - but whose designs were copied and followed by everyone else - to the point where the rules are set by consumers and the designers must follow them. From Balenciaga to Banana Republic; from class to mass; from elitism to democratization; from art to commodity. Above all, this is the story of the triumph of marketing."--BOOK JACKET.