• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.81-90
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• 2012

The contents of this study are as follows. First, an academic understanding has been achieved by exploring the theoretical concept "allegory", and a new theoretical approached methodology has been sought. Second, an analysis-index of fashion illustration cases has been suggested based on the allegory theory of Craig Owens. Third, in order to draw the characteristics of fashion illustration as viewed from the allegorical viewpoint and find out its feasibility, the case studies has been referred and the internal significance, external significance that combines different characteristics has been extracted. In regards to this study method, literature studies and case studies has been done in parallel with each other. This study was done in the following sequence: the establishment of the study system, the drawing of the allegory-associated concepts and the discovering the characteristics of aesthetic expressions. The results of this study on the expression characteristics of fashion illustration as viewed from the allegorical viewpoint of Craig Owens are as follows. First, the borrowing of image, which is a characteristic of allegory, contains the meaning of uncertainty in the fashion illustration as it expresses the image-synthesis and forms a completely different meaning as the fixed meaning is dissolved and it is utilized as a photo-montage technique. Second, the inference of pictogram is the mixture of linguistic medium and visual medium. Fashion illustration utilizes the characters and transmits the fashion information visually and immanently. It has the characteristic of making the information into pictograms and the internal significances of mutual-text with communication function. Third, the uniqueness of location in the fashion illustration has the special nature of utilized mediums as it is used for advertising or publicizing. The fashion illustration from the viewpoint of allegory has the impermanency of existing only for a limited time and reflects the coincidence that gives the meaning of utilized location according to the season trend. Fourth, the cross-breeding is expressed as the mixture of various materials in the fashion illustration. The expressions made by the mixture of media, such as the use of computer graphic programs mixed together with various materials showed the trend of diversity and genre dissolution.