Chris Dercon & Karen Van Godtsenhoven: 'Dirty Looks' [Book launch]

Join us at Librairie sans titre for the Paris launch of Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion by Karen Van Godtsenhoven and Jon Astbury. 

Dirty Looks offers a timely lens through which to examine the role of fashion in a world shaped by ecological crisis, cultural reckoning, and shifting aesthetic values. It invites readers to reconsider the narratives that define what we wear – and why. 

Karen Van Godtsenhoven will be in conversation with Chris Dercon, director of the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain. 

Tuesday 25 November 
18:00 

Librairie sans titre 
143 Ave Parmentier
75010 Paris
France

About Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion

Dirty Looks offers a timely lens through which to examine fashion’s role in a world shaped by ecological crisis, cultural reckoning, and shifting aesthetic values. It invites readers to reconsider the narratives that define what we wear – and why. This richly illustrated anthology features new essays by influential voices in contemporary fashion, including Caroline Evans, Akiko Fukai, Lou Stoppard, and Sara Arnold. Their writing spans decolonial critique, feminist resistance, fashion’s environmental cost, and the tension between bodily intimacy and public display. Alongside these texts, an extensive photographic portfolio by Ellen Sampson captures iconic garments that embody the project’s themes in sharp, forensic detail. Featured designers include Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan, Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake, Alexander McQueen, Maison Margiela, and many more.

Can't make it? Order a copy of Dirty Looks here.