The Dressed Society

This exhaustive book demonstrates how dress shapes and is shaped by social processes and phenomena such as beauty time the body the gift exchange class gender and religion. It does this through an analysis of topics like the Islamic clothing controversy in state schools the multitude of identities associated with dress the Dress Reform movement the construction of the body in fashion magazines and the role of the internet in fashion. What emerges is a trenchant sharply observed account of the place of dress in contemporary society.