Art & Architecture Collection > Costume and Fashion History: A Guide to Resources

Fashion and Gender Studies

The new academic preoccupation with gender, ethnicity, and social interaction is of fairly recent date. Multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies offer evaluations of dress in new contexts. While social history has always been the underlying methodology of costume surveys, gender-based investigation permits broader considerations of the impact of dress on behavior and the marketplace. The examples below are critical texts consulted for the Library’s exhibition on “A Rakish History of Men’s Wear.” A large number of these publications may be found in the JF class (General Research Division).

 

Breward, Christopher. The Hidden consumer: masculinities, fashion and city life 1860-1914. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1999. (JFE 00-3195)
An important academic study of how consumerism affected the development of male dress.

Byrde, Penelope. The Male image: men’s fashion in Britain 1300-1970. London: B.T. Batsford, 1979. (3-MMK 88-5451)
Insightful national costume study that offers concise access to key clothing transitions.

Crane, Diana. Fashion and its social agendas: class, gender, and identity in clothing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. (3-MME 00-12554)
Academic essays that place clothing and social aspects in context. Covers popular culture trends and the role of marketing to create group identity in dress.

Dandies: fashion and finesse in art and culture. Edited by Susan Fillin-Yeh. New York: New York University Press, 2001. (3-MME 01-6383)
An anthology of essays related to the rise of the dandy and social perceptions about his (and her) role.
 
Harvey, John. Men in black. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. (JFE 94-10137)
A social history of the various historical uses of black clothing, leading up to the adoption of black as a standard color for modern era men’s wear.

Hollander, Anne. Sex and suits. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994. (JFE 94-14291)
Treats the diverse elements behind the evolution of the masculine suit: including form and sexuality, relevant aspects of modernity, and the role of the fashion industry.

Men and women: dressing the part. Edited by Claudia Kidwell and Valerie Steele. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989. (3-MMP 89-19256)

Delineates issues specific to the two sexes and their social context.