NONFICTION - May 22, 1994

BRAHAUS by Samuele Mazza. (Chronicle: $16.95.) Wait! Put out the bonfire in the back yard! Cancel tomorrow night’s ritual neighborhood bra-burning and potluck supper! Do not, repeat, do not burn another bra! Designer Samuele Mazza has written a “manifesto for the liberation of the brassiere.” Inspired by the likes of Chanel, Cocteau, Juan Gris, Picabia, Derain, Schiaparelli, Warhol and some other surrealists, Mazza set out, in several projects, to “decontextualize” clothing (much more fun than deconstructing text), particularly accessories such as shoes, T-shirts and brassieres. Organized in chapters titled “Edible and Domestic,” “Mechanical and Dynamic,” “Primitive and Natural,” and my favorite, “Urban and Perverse,” “Brahaus” decontextualizes this historically maligned piece of underwear to the point where you may not recognize your own breasts. Look at it as an antidote to the Victoria’s Secret catalogue.