This delightfully unconventional view of contemporary fashion as seen in the creative ways that people around the globe adorn their bodies - is the brainchild of graphic designer Tibor Kalman, who had finished the picture selection and design when he died in May 1999. Completed by his wife, noted children's book author Maira Kalman, (un)Fashion will startle, amuse, engross and enchant as it adds posthumously to Tibor Kalman's reputation as one of the graphic design geniuses of the 20th century. The images are organized by theme. A section on headgear ranges from men in bowler hats to hats fashioned out of newspapers and even a watermelon. The 'uniform' chapter groups together such unlikely companions as matadors, the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders and Australian lifeguards. Teeming with surprising sights, from a Russian military dog in full gas-mask regalia and a whole body costume made of flowers, to an Indian Elvis and French chimney sweeps, (un)Fashion scans the globe to show how real people dress: at work, on the street or for ceremonial occasions.
With virtually no text, it pokes gentle fun at the elitism of the fashion world, presenting its provocative observations through dynamic images by some of the world's foremost photojournalists.