160 The Language of Fashion
acolytes). The reader will hopefully appreciate then that any rendering
into English of Barthes’s formulation may sometimes sound awkward.
Such an outcome, though traded against precision in the translation,
will be entirely my own, and I do not wish to associate with this excess
any of the following who helped with this book: nigel armstrong, marie-
Claire Barnet, Françoise Coquet, Claude Coste, Sarah Donachie,
Jennie Dorny and Les Editions du Seuil in Paris, Stuart Elden, Charles
Forsdick, anne Freadman, russell Goulbourne, Laurence Grove, Barry
heselwood, Diana holmes, roxane Jubert, Peter Keller, naaman
Kessous, rachel Killick, Diana Knight, hannah Littlejones, David
musgrave, Julian Pefanis, Barbara Plaschy and the Landesbibliothek
in Bern, Bruno remaury, David roe, nigel Saint, michael Sheringham,
staff in Special Collections in the Brotherton Library at the university of
Leeds, Graham Stafford, David Steel, Caroline mossy Stride, Patrick
Suter, yves velan.
mick Carter has been an unending source of support, guidance and
discussion and performed PvC-tight readings of earlier versions of my
translations and of the afterword. victoria Dawson played a pivotal role
at crucial moments in the preparation of this book. Finally, I would like
to dedicate this book to my parents; and also to a Celtic ring which
decided, one windy afternoon on Bradda head, to return to its origins.
Andy Stafford