Review of: Heike Jenß: Sixties Dress Only. Frankfurt am Main u.a.: Campus Verlag 2007

Abstract

Heike Jenß links the history of the British mods and the genesis of their style in “Swinging London” of the 1960s to the ethnography of its current appropriation in the German sixties scene. The focus lies on a contemporary history of fashion, which not only questions the term retro, but also engages in a fascinating exploration of the methods and theories of research on youth, consumerism, and pop culture. The exploration of Gender Studies remains (unfortunately) extremely marginal. Nevertheless the dense descriptions show in an impressive manner that cultural capital and historical knowledge become “elementary particles” for gender performances in the scene and mechanisms of inclusion, distinction, and exclusion in pop culture.