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The Meanings of Dress
This collection of articles and essays from magazines, newspapers, books, and academic journals is designed to expand the reader's awareness and understanding of the role dress plays in cultures and subcultures across the globe. The text, which represents the very best thinking and writing on the subject today, explores essential topics such as dress and sociology, cultural studies, gender, religion, modesty, and technological changes. The Meanings of Dress , 3rd Edition is newly revised to reflect the current cultural landscape and includes more theory than previous editions, as well as an increased emphasis on the male perspective. The book provides design and merchandising students with insight into how - and why - consumers buy clothing and other products related to dress, and helps them to hone their trend forecasting skills. Instructors, contact your Sales Representative for access to Instructor's Materials.
- GenresFashion
640 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 14, 2019
Chapter 13 – Dress and Technology
p.522 – Innovation is the development of something new, whether a thought or idea, a practice, or a tool or implement. Technological advances in apparel can be found in a variety of places.
Nanotechnology is the science of making electronics as tiny as possible. When nanotechnology companies partner with apparel companies, it results in the development of wearable electronics.
From clothes that “talk” to washers, telling the washer how the garment should be cleaned, to a Global Positioning System woven into a jacket collar to track a wandering child or an Alzheimer’s patient, wearable electronics can do amazing things. There’s clothing that adjusts to your changes in size, clothes that change color to match another garment in your closet, children’s sleepwear that sounds an alarm if a baby stops breathing, gym-suit fabrics that absorb odors and can be worn three or four times without offending other exercisers, and fiber-optic wedding dresses or disco trousers that sparkle.
Clothing for specific needs includes astronauts, firefighters, disabled individuals, and older adults.
p.523 – A new technology that can make textiles germ-free was developed by a researcher at the University of Georgia. This inexpensive technology can be applied to medical linens and clothing, face masks, athletic socks, and diapers.
New technologies target Generation Z consumers, which include having clothing that changes color from day to night, trousers that multitask by bearing keyboards and iPod or GPS systems built directly into their designs at the fiber level. Instead of having pockets sized for electronic devices in your clothing, your wardrobe will actually be your BlackBerry.
There is much more flexibility with digital printing and designers and thrilled to have more choices. In some ways the difference between screen printing and digital printing can be compared to a box of eight crayons versus a box of 120 crayons.
p.524 – The Galaxy Dress [by Cute Circuit] was the commissioned centerpiece of the “Fast Forward” Inventing the Future” exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago in 2009.
p.528 – Assignment: Do an online search to find out what is currently available in technology and dress. Use the following terms or a combination of terms to search for current information. You should prepare a report on your findings to share with the class. This can also be done in groups.
• Technology and clothing
• Nanotechnology and clothing
• Wearable electronics
• Smart fabrics
• Fiber-optics and dress
• CuteCircuit
• DuPont smart garments
• ICD+ smart garments
• Levi-Strauss
• Luminex
• M-Dress
• Philips NV
• Textonics
Chapter 14 – Ethics in Fashion
p.561 – Ethics is the study of right and wrong. The origins of ethics date back to Greek philosophers Socrates (496-399 BC) and his student Aristotle (384-322 BC). Both argued that self-knowledge through questioning what was right and wrong was necessary to achieve enlightenment and fulfillment.
p.562 – In 2009, U.S. customs officers seized $260 million dollars in goods; counterfeit footwear was the leading commodity.
The creation of knockoffs is illegal in Europe, where fashion designs are protected for 25 years, but the practice is currently legal in the U.S. However, legislation is currently being considered in the U.S. to protect fashion designs from imitation for three years.
Many consumers do not see purchasing counterfeit products as unethical, perhaps due to the fact that the effects are not immediately visible: counterfeit items are usually produced in sweatshops, deny the owner of the authentic good profit, and have been linked to terrorism.
The counterfeit industry has also been linked to terrorist organizations and organized crime. Such organizations often use slave labor or sweatshops to manufacture the merchandise.
p.522 – Innovation is the development of something new, whether a thought or idea, a practice, or a tool or implement. Technological advances in apparel can be found in a variety of places.
Nanotechnology is the science of making electronics as tiny as possible. When nanotechnology companies partner with apparel companies, it results in the development of wearable electronics.
From clothes that “talk” to washers, telling the washer how the garment should be cleaned, to a Global Positioning System woven into a jacket collar to track a wandering child or an Alzheimer’s patient, wearable electronics can do amazing things. There’s clothing that adjusts to your changes in size, clothes that change color to match another garment in your closet, children’s sleepwear that sounds an alarm if a baby stops breathing, gym-suit fabrics that absorb odors and can be worn three or four times without offending other exercisers, and fiber-optic wedding dresses or disco trousers that sparkle.
Clothing for specific needs includes astronauts, firefighters, disabled individuals, and older adults.
p.523 – A new technology that can make textiles germ-free was developed by a researcher at the University of Georgia. This inexpensive technology can be applied to medical linens and clothing, face masks, athletic socks, and diapers.
New technologies target Generation Z consumers, which include having clothing that changes color from day to night, trousers that multitask by bearing keyboards and iPod or GPS systems built directly into their designs at the fiber level. Instead of having pockets sized for electronic devices in your clothing, your wardrobe will actually be your BlackBerry.
There is much more flexibility with digital printing and designers and thrilled to have more choices. In some ways the difference between screen printing and digital printing can be compared to a box of eight crayons versus a box of 120 crayons.
p.524 – The Galaxy Dress [by Cute Circuit] was the commissioned centerpiece of the “Fast Forward” Inventing the Future” exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago in 2009.
p.528 – Assignment: Do an online search to find out what is currently available in technology and dress. Use the following terms or a combination of terms to search for current information. You should prepare a report on your findings to share with the class. This can also be done in groups.
• Technology and clothing
• Nanotechnology and clothing
• Wearable electronics
• Smart fabrics
• Fiber-optics and dress
• CuteCircuit
• DuPont smart garments
• ICD+ smart garments
• Levi-Strauss
• Luminex
• M-Dress
• Philips NV
• Textonics
Chapter 14 – Ethics in Fashion
p.561 – Ethics is the study of right and wrong. The origins of ethics date back to Greek philosophers Socrates (496-399 BC) and his student Aristotle (384-322 BC). Both argued that self-knowledge through questioning what was right and wrong was necessary to achieve enlightenment and fulfillment.
p.562 – In 2009, U.S. customs officers seized $260 million dollars in goods; counterfeit footwear was the leading commodity.
The creation of knockoffs is illegal in Europe, where fashion designs are protected for 25 years, but the practice is currently legal in the U.S. However, legislation is currently being considered in the U.S. to protect fashion designs from imitation for three years.
Many consumers do not see purchasing counterfeit products as unethical, perhaps due to the fact that the effects are not immediately visible: counterfeit items are usually produced in sweatshops, deny the owner of the authentic good profit, and have been linked to terrorism.
The counterfeit industry has also been linked to terrorist organizations and organized crime. Such organizations often use slave labor or sweatshops to manufacture the merchandise.
May 9, 2017
It's an academic text but it will change the way you think about dress, even if you don't think it matters to you at all.
September 17, 2025
v informative easy to read
December 2, 2020
could be updated, but overall very informative
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews