ZOLA ET LA MODE FEMININE : UNICITE VERSUS SERIE
ZOLA AND WOMEN FASHION: UNIQUENESS VERSUS SERIES

Summary/Abstract: During the Second Empire, women’s fashion encounters an unprecedented rise in importance. Two types of apparently rival fashion industries gain importance, which emphasises the layering which took place within the social classes. On the one hand, we have what we nowadays call haute couture which was meant for the elite of the society, while on the other we have ready-to-wear clothes sold by department stores which were meant to be worn by the lower and middle bourgeoisie. These two types of fashion industry are portrayed in some of Zola’s novels, respectively La Curée and Nana which embody the sumptuous and opulent nature of women’s fashion, while in Au Bonheur des Dames we are witness to the democratization of fashion which leads to it being in reach of the greater public. This research is meant to paint a picture of the two types of fashion industries presented throughout the naturalist novels.

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