Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in India

by Emma Tarlo

What do I wear today? The way we answer this question says much about how we manage and express our identities. This detailed study examines sartorial style in India from the late nineteenth century to the present, showing how trends in clothing are related to caste, level of education, urbanization, and a larger cultural debate about the nature of Indian identity.

Clothes have been used to assert power, challenge authority, and instigate social change throughout Indian society. During the struggle for independence, members of the Indian elite incorporated elements of Western style into their clothes, while Gandhi's adoption of the loincloth symbolized the rejection of European power and the contrast between Indian poverty and British wealth. Similar tensions are played out today, with urban Indians adopting "ethnic" dress as villagers seek modern fashions.

Illustrated with photographs, satirical drawings, and magazine advertisements, this book shows how individuals and groups play with history and culture as they decide what to wear.

Genres: Fashion, India, History, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Academic

382 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1996

Reviews

[Sinduja Krishna Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma had done a good job covering how Indian clothing had evolved and changed from pre independence to globalisation. It’d be lovely to see her take at the current Indian fashion scene. Though it might be biased to her scope of the research and her perceptions, she explores different styles of clothing with beautiful stories and through the lens of caste which is a very important form of differentiation in India. Overall the book is a lovely read. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a glimpse of the evolution of clothing in India.

[Johanna Cormier · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I think it was a biased approach but still told an interesting story of dress in India. Probably not of interest unless you are very into costume(dress) and/or anthropology.