Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion

When fashion gets messy, things get interesting. Forget pristine runways and polished perfection — Dirty Looks dives headfirst into the mud. This bold new book (and Barbican Gallery exhibition) explores how grime, wear, and waste have shaped fashion’s most rebellious, radical, and beautiful moments. From stained couture to bog-preserved garments, and from upcycled artwear to runway ruin, Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion uncovers how designers like Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Comme des Garçons, and Hussein Chalayan have turned decay into desire — and dirt into daring innovation.

With newly commissioned essays by fashion’s sharpest thinkers — Caroline Evans, Akiko Fukai, Lou Stoppard, and Sandra Niessen — the book digs deep into the politics and poetry of filth. Expect discussions of decolonial design, feminist resistance, and fashion’s environmental aftermath, all set against the tension between what we hide and what we show. An extensive photographic portfolio by Ellen Sampson captures garments in all their raw, sensorial beauty — rips, stains, patina, and all. Whether you’re a designer, a fashion theorist, or just someone who loves a little rebellion with their reading, Dirty Looks is a celebration of imperfection — and a reminder that true style doesn’t stay spotless.

Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion — Because sometimes, beauty is better when it’s a little bit filthy.

Details 

• Paperback with Deckled Edges
• Dimension: 17cm × 23.5 cm 
• 280 pages