A richly illustrated, comprehensive study of fashion under socialism, from state-sponsored prototypes to unofficial imitations of Paris fashion.

"Djurdja Bartlett's magisterial survey of fashion in the USSR and East European countries in the socialist period not only unearths a treasure trove of little known material, including some beautiful illustrations and interviews with designers who managed to operate within stringent state restrictions, but also reveals the reasons for the contradictory attitudes towards Western fashion found in these countries and their underlying ideologies. A unique book about a little researched but very important subject." Elizabeth Wilson, author of Adorned in Dreams "FashionEast is a brilliant exploration of fashion in the former socialist republics of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Yugoslavia. The breadth and depth of Bartlett's research is truly impressive, as is the theoretical sophistication of her analysis. This is an absolutely fascinating book that will appeal not only to scholars across the disciplines, but also to students and readers interested in the relationship between fashion and politics." Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator, The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) "Responding to her primary question, 'Can fashion start from zero?', Djurdja Bartlett guides us through the vagaries of Soviet and East European haute couture, moving gracefully from the democratic and universal canons of Constructivist design to the rhetoric of Socialist Realism and beyond." John E. Bowlt, University of Southern California, author of Moscow & St. Petersburg 1900-1920