The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and ConsciousnessWhether it's sleek leather pants, a shiny new Apple computer, or a designer toaster, we make important decisions as consumers every day based on our sensory experience. Sensory appeals are everywhere, and they are intensifying, radically changing how Americans live and work. The twenty-first century has become the age of aesthetics, and whether we realize it or not, this influence has taken over the marketplace, and much more. In this penetrating, keenly observed book, Virginia Postrel makes the argument that appearance counts, that aesthetic value is real. Drawing from fields as diverse as fashion, real estate, politics, design, and economics, Postrel deftly chronicles our culture's aesthetic imperative and argues persuasively that it is a vital component of a healthy, forward-looking society. Intelligent, incisive, and thought-provoking, The Substance of Style is a groundbreaking portrait of the democratization of taste and a brilliant examination of the way we live now. |
From inside the book
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... Karim Rashid , designer " In this wonderfully sharp mix of expert analysis and everyday obser- vation , Postrel takes a close look at our growing preoccupation with aesthetics , concluding that it's finally OK to care about looks ...
... Karim Rashid reinvents the trash can. Oxo reinvents the potato peeler. People will pay an extra five bucks for a little kitchen tool that looks and feels good. Show them something cool or pretty, and they'll replace wastebaskets they've ...
Contents
The Rise of LOOK AND FEEL | 34 |
SURFACE AND SUBSTANCE | 66 |
MEANINGFUL Looks | 93 |
The Boundaries of DESIGN | 122 |
SMART AND PRETTY | 164 |
Notes | 193 |
Acknowledgments | 229 |
Other editions - View all
The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce ... Virginia Postrel No preview available - 2009 |
The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce ... Virginia Postrel No preview available - 2003 |
The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce ... Virginia Postrel No preview available - 2004 |