Aesthetics: A Comparison of the State of the Art Outside and Inside the Field of Textiles and Clothing Part Two: Object

Abstract

This is the second of three papers in which we review aesthetics literature published from 1970 to 1992, found outside and inside the field of textiles and clothing. In this paper we review Object literature, including perception and preference of formal, expressive, and referential aspects of the object and its functions. For this paper, the literature external to the field of textiles and clothing came in large part from books and journal articles of the fields of anthropology, marketing, and psychology. We limited our review of textiles and clothing literature to articles found in Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Dress, Home Economics Research Journal, Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics, and Textiles Research Journal. Much research within textiles and clothing has focused upon the visual and tactile qualities of the object that lead to preference of the fonn. Suggestions for future studies are given. Future studies of visual qualities should conceptualize the problem of pleasingness using concepts tapping underlying stimulus characteristics. Designing research using these variables should promote theoretical explanations of the nature of the aesthetic object, essential for the understanding of object to move forward.