Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History
- ISBN-10
- 1501180088
- ISBN-13
- 9781501180088
- Series
- Dress Codes
- Category
- Crafts & Hobbies
- Pages
- 464
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2022-01-18
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Author
- Richard Thompson Ford
Description
A “sharp and entertaining” (The Wall Street Journal) exploration of fashion through the ages that asks what our clothing reveals about ourselves and our society. Dress codes are as old as clothing itself. For centuries, clothing has been a wearable status symbol; fashion, a weapon in struggles for social change; and dress codes, a way to maintain political control. Merchants dressing like princes and butchers’ wives wearing gem-encrusted crowns were public enemies in medieval societies structured by social hierarchy and defined by spectacle. In Tudor England, silk, velvet, and fur were reserved for the nobility, and ballooning pants called “trunk hose” could be considered a menace to good order. The Renaissance-era Florentine patriarch Cosimo de Medici captured the power of fashion and dress codes when he remarked, “One can make a gentleman from two yards of red cloth.” Dress codes evolved along with the social and political ideals of the day, but they always reflected struggles for power and status. In the 1700s, South Carolina’s “Negro Act” made it illegal for Black people to dress “above their condition.” In the 1920s, the bobbed hair and form-fitting dresses worn by free-spirited flappers were banned in workplaces throughout the United States, and in the 1940s, the baggy zoot suits favored by Black and Latino men caused riots in cities from coast to coast. Even in today’s more informal world, dress codes still determine what we wear, when we wear it—and what our clothing means. People lose their jobs for wearing braided hair, long fingernails, large earrings, beards, and tattoos or refusing to wear a suit and tie or make-up and high heels. In some cities, wearing sagging pants is a crime. And even when there are no written rules, implicit dress codes still influence opportunities and social mobility. Silicon Valley CEOs wear t-shirts and flip-flops, setting the tone for an entire industry: women wearing fashionable dresses or high heels face ridicule in the tech world, and some venture capitalists refuse to invest in any company run by someone wearing a suit. In Dress Codes, law professor and cultural critic Richard Thompson Ford presents a “deeply informative and entertaining” (The New York Times Book Review) history of the laws of fashion from the middle ages to the present day, a walk down history’s red carpet to uncover and examine the canons, mores, and customs of clothing—rules that we often take for granted. After reading Dress Codes, you’ll never think of fashion as superficial again—and getting dressed will never be the same.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2003-05-02
- 354 pages
- Paperback
- Macmillan
Similar books
-
Genealogy Made Easy
By Karen V. SipeGibson , J. S. W. , compiler . A Simplified Guide to Probate Jurisdictions : Where to Look for Wills . Banbury , Oxfordshire : Gulliver Publishing Company , 1983 . Bishops ' Transcripts and Marriage Licences : A Guide to their Location ...
-
You Can Write Greeting Cards
By Karen Ann MooreTells how to get started in the greeting card industry, develop ideas, create sample cards, and submit material, and includes advice from successful card writers, illustrators, and publishers
-
The Quilters Hall of Fame
By The Quilters Hall of Fame, Marian AnnThe book profiles more than forty of the quilting world's most influential people--from early twentieth-century quilt designer Ruby McKim to quilt curator Jonathan Holstein to contemporary art quilter Nancy Crow.
-
Bead Jewelry 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily through Step-by-Step Instruction
By Karen Mitchell, Ann MitchellLearn to make bead jewelry in just a few hours and enjoy the rewards for a lifetime with Bead Jewelry 101!
-
Bead Jewelry 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-by-Step Instruction
By Karen Mitchell, Ann MitchellWritten specifically for beginners, the books in the 101 series are complete illustrated guides to the basics of a craft that use projects presented with full-color, step-by-step instructions and photos to teach essential techniques.
-
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Woodworking
By Reed KarenLumber - on - the - Side Stores Some places that sell lumber are basically just hardware stores that sell a little lumber on the side . They generally sell a small selection of homebuilding supplies , such as 2x4s and cheap plywood ...
-
Custom Wooden Music Boxes for the Scroll Saw
By Rick Longabaugh, Karen LongabaughIn Custom Wooden Music Boxes for the Scroll Saw, renowned scroll saw artists, Rick and Karen Longabaugh have gathered their finest and most popular music box patterns into a collections that will delight and challenge scrollers for all ...
-
Holiday Ornaments for the Scroll Saw
By Rick Longabaugh, Karen LongabaughFrom the studio of innovative designers Rick and Karen Longabaugh comes Holiday Ornaments for the Scroll Saw, a collection of more than 300 exciting designs from The Berry Basket's popular collection of scroll saw patterns.
-
Fun at Home with Dian Thomas
By Dian ThomasDian travels extensively throughout the country and has entertained audiences from " The Tonight Show " starring Johnny Carson to " Donahue " starring Phil Donahue . Look for Dian to visit your area . Dian has also appeared as a regular ...
-
Summer at the Lake Quilts: 11 New Projects from Maw Bell Designs, Quilts, Bags & More
By Susan Maw, Sally BellSally Bell and Susan Maw, the beloved pattern makers of Maw-Bell Designs, bring you eleven projects to take you outside for a feast with your loved ones.