Delivery takes approximately 7-12 business days.

This title is in stock with our Australian supplier and will be ordered in for you asap. We will send you a confirmation email with a Tracking Code to follow the progress of your parcel when it ships.

The Devil's Cloth Author: Michel Pastoureau

ISBN: 9780231123662 Format: Hardcover Number Of Pages: 160 Published: 16 June 2001 Country of Publication: US Dimensions (cm): 17.8 x 14.0 x 1.7 Description:

Michel Pastoureau's lively study of stripes offers a unique and engaging perspective on the evolution of fashion, taste, and visual codes in Western culture.

"The Devil's Cloth" begins with a medieval scandal. When the first Carmelites arrived in France from the Holy Land, the religious order required its members to wear striped habits, prompting turmoil and denunciations in the West that lasted fifty years until the order was forced to accept a quiet, solid color. The medieval eye found any surface in which a background could not be distinguished from a foreground disturbing. Thus, striped clothing was relegated to those on the margins or outside the social order -- jugglers and prostitutes, for example -- and in medieval paintings the devil himself is often depicted wearing stripes. The West has long continued to dress its slaves and servants, its crewmen and convicts in stripes.

But in the last two centuries, stripes have also taken on new, positive meanings, connoting freedom, youth, playfulness, and pleasure. Witness the revolutionary stripes on the French and United States flags. In a wide-ranging discussion that touches on zebras, ...

Returns Policy: 30-day money back guarantee for return if the item is not as described, is damaged or is faulty. We do not offer a refund if you change your mind.

Customs Charges & Duties: Orders over the value of $270 will be liable for customs charges, taxes including GST and brokerage costs which are the recipient's sole responsibility.