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The Language of Clothes
The classic book about the clothes we wear and what they say about us.
Even before we speak to someone in a meeting, at a party, or on the street, our clothes often express important information (or misinformation) about our occupation, origin, personality, opinions, and tastes. And we pay close attention to how others dress as well; though we may not be able to put what we observe into words, we unconsciously register the information, so that when we meet and converse we have already spoken to one another in a universal tongue.
Alison Lurie, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, is our savvy guide and interpreter on this tour through the history of fashion. She provides fascinating insights into how changing sex roles, political upheavals, and class structure have influenced costume. Whether she is describing the enormous amount of clothing worn by early Victorian women or illuminating the significance of the long robes worn by aging men throughout history to connote eminence, her analysis is playful, clever, and always on target.
Even before we speak to someone in a meeting, at a party, or on the street, our clothes often express important information (or misinformation) about our occupation, origin, personality, opinions, and tastes. And we pay close attention to how others dress as well; though we may not be able to put what we observe into words, we unconsciously register the information, so that when we meet and converse we have already spoken to one another in a universal tongue.
Alison Lurie, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, is our savvy guide and interpreter on this tour through the history of fashion. She provides fascinating insights into how changing sex roles, political upheavals, and class structure have influenced costume. Whether she is describing the enormous amount of clothing worn by early Victorian women or illuminating the significance of the long robes worn by aging men throughout history to connote eminence, her analysis is playful, clever, and always on target.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
23 people are currently reading
1075 people want to read
About the author
Alison Lurie
63 books206 followersAlison Stewart Lurie was an American novelist and academic. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her 1984 novel Foreign Affairs. Although better known as a novelist, she wrote many non-fiction books and articles, particularly on children's literature and the semiotics of dress.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 13, 2019
I came across this 1981 book in a bibliography listing in another book about fashion. I was familiar with the writer's fiction, and thought it would be interesting to get her take, so I requested it through an inter-library loan.
I'm sorry to report that the material feels quite dated, and that the book was not written very objectively. Lurie is very judgmental and her style is preachy: in a chapter labeled "Male and Female" she wrote that "toreador" and "Capri" pants (her quotes) came "in odd, glaring colors and ended a tight, awkward six inches above the ankle as if they had shrunk in the wash." She also wrote that "Although women in male clothes usually look like gentlemen, men who wear women's clothes, unless they are genuine transsexuals, seem to imitate the most vulgar and unattractive form of female dress, as if in a spirit of deliberate and hostile parody."
It seems as though we've come a long way since 1981...
I'm sorry to report that the material feels quite dated, and that the book was not written very objectively. Lurie is very judgmental and her style is preachy: in a chapter labeled "Male and Female" she wrote that "toreador" and "Capri" pants (her quotes) came "in odd, glaring colors and ended a tight, awkward six inches above the ankle as if they had shrunk in the wash." She also wrote that "Although women in male clothes usually look like gentlemen, men who wear women's clothes, unless they are genuine transsexuals, seem to imitate the most vulgar and unattractive form of female dress, as if in a spirit of deliberate and hostile parody."
It seems as though we've come a long way since 1981...
October 7, 2021
A delightful if somewhat snarky and feminist view of clothing. However if what you’re looking for was, like me, a sense of how clothing, hats, beards, etc changed in the 19th and 20th centuries, well, you’re in luck.
Lurie has a fun voice that one doesn’t expect in nonfiction.
As research, there are far worse ways to find your facts and many that aren’t as enjoyable!
When I see I’ve marked a dozen pages with sticky notes and start to copy them out, it’s a sign I’ve found a useful book.
Yes done sections were a tad repetitive, but Lurie credits her sources and has a decent bibliography. Best of all are the little literary asides where a famous book contains some mention of clothing and the way it characterizes the protagonists.
Lurie has a fun voice that one doesn’t expect in nonfiction.
As research, there are far worse ways to find your facts and many that aren’t as enjoyable!
When I see I’ve marked a dozen pages with sticky notes and start to copy them out, it’s a sign I’ve found a useful book.
Yes done sections were a tad repetitive, but Lurie credits her sources and has a decent bibliography. Best of all are the little literary asides where a famous book contains some mention of clothing and the way it characterizes the protagonists.
March 20, 2017
Review 'eaten' by GR. Spoiler: it's shit.
Read
October 24, 2014Right after I finished The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish* I saw someone reading this and thought Alison Lurie might have interesting things to say on the topic. So she might, if she could back away from the stereotypes. I mean, okay, without stereotyping, clothing couldn't be such a dense forest of meaning, but Lurie is reductionist as well as prescriptivist and she ranks cultures on a ladder rather than arraying them around a clock, say.
It's funny: when I read Lurie's Foreign Affairs, it felt dated with business being conducted across the Atlantic Ocean by letter -- in the 1980s, not the 1880s. This nonfiction book came out at about the same time -- during Reagan's first term -- but it is dated in more egregious ways. People come in more colors than blonde red and brunette. I didn't learn anything factual (I skimmed the second half) and I didn't like her judgments.
* How did I happen across this? Was it source material for Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion?
It's funny: when I read Lurie's Foreign Affairs, it felt dated with business being conducted across the Atlantic Ocean by letter -- in the 1980s, not the 1880s. This nonfiction book came out at about the same time -- during Reagan's first term -- but it is dated in more egregious ways. People come in more colors than blonde red and brunette. I didn't learn anything factual (I skimmed the second half) and I didn't like her judgments.
* How did I happen across this? Was it source material for Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion?
May 27, 2013
More than a little dated but an interesting and amusing read.
I'll feel terribly self-conscious when I dress tomorrow...
Grey anything (dull, depressed)
Pencil skirt, heels (anti-feminist, happy to be oppressed)
Open neck loose chiffon shirt, red shoes (wanton hussy)
God help me if I wear all the above. My oh my!
I'll feel terribly self-conscious when I dress tomorrow...
Grey anything (dull, depressed)
Pencil skirt, heels (anti-feminist, happy to be oppressed)
Open neck loose chiffon shirt, red shoes (wanton hussy)
God help me if I wear all the above. My oh my!
August 30, 2014
The best part of this book was in the introduction, which summarizes what the author will write about for the next 250 pages. I found it a bit of a slog, and very dated. The author writes well enough, though the 'facts' as presented, feel much more in line with opinions.
If I hadn't read this for a book club, I don't think I would have picked it up.
If I hadn't read this for a book club, I don't think I would have picked it up.
March 1, 2024
Thank you Miss Decker!
April 27, 2025
In essence, the author argues that a person’s wardrobe - just like his words - can tell a lot about that person.
For instance, consider a person who is well read. Because of this, that person’s vocabulary would be more abundant than a person who is less read. In addition, assuming this person is well read in multitudes of fields, it will also show through his writings: he would be able to reference a variety of things in his writing a lot more easier than his less read counterparts.
The author argues that the same thing exists in clothing: a person who has more “satirical vocabulary” - as the author puts in - has more things to say, visually. The author wrote:
One thing I want to add is, the author (towards the very end of the book) notes that people who really don’t put much effort into their wardrobe, thinking it doesn’t mean much (thus he isn’t saying much) has it all wrong: that in fact, not showing, is showing a lot. The author wrote:
Now, moving to what dress is really telling to other people. There are several interesting things author said about:
One - the author believed that clothing can show the subgroup or subculture of that person.
Two - the author explained that people buy and discard clothings all the time not because of “consumerism”, but rather, the fashion vocabulary changes constantly. This, the author noted, is just the same with languages. Vast majority of English words of a few centuries ago were more than sufficient to describe situations of today. Yet, we consistently come up with new words not because old words were insufficient, but rather we want to show off our generational difference compare to the older generations: words like “cool”, “chill” or more recently, “LMAO”, “LOL” or “mid” notates not just the meaning behind the words, but also the generation behind the words’ users. The author wrote (emphasis mine):
Three - Clothing is an identity. This could be in the form of uniform, denoting that person’s profession as well as standing in a particular community. The author noted:
Four - clothing, to a large extent, is showing off sexual or anti sexual signals. Shaving of hair, for example, symbolizes the removal of sexual desire (like that of monks and nuns). Wearing baggy and uneventful robes too, can be a symbol of removal of sexual desire whereas things like tight outfit or red outfit is a sure sign of intentional (or unconscious) sexual signs.
Five - clothing also shows off a person’s standing within a community, such as a workplace. The author noted there are two major reasons for it, even though many workplaces no longer have a dress code. For one, expensive clothing is expensive, and young employees wouldn’t care to buy them (the author thinks the younger employees would rather spend the money on experience). For another, there’s an invisible hierarchy dress code that exists within an organization. The author wrote:
Six - the author noted that in today’s world, people who are more affluent simply wear more. The author wrote:
For instance, consider a person who is well read. Because of this, that person’s vocabulary would be more abundant than a person who is less read. In addition, assuming this person is well read in multitudes of fields, it will also show through his writings: he would be able to reference a variety of things in his writing a lot more easier than his less read counterparts.
The author argues that the same thing exists in clothing: a person who has more “satirical vocabulary” - as the author puts in - has more things to say, visually. The author wrote:
The satirical vocabulary of some people is very limited. A sharecropper, for instance, may be limited to five or ten “words,” or garments, from which it is possible to create only a few “sentences,” or costumes, expressing only the most basic concepts.
One thing I want to add is, the author (towards the very end of the book) notes that people who really don’t put much effort into their wardrobe, thinking it doesn’t mean much (thus he isn’t saying much) has it all wrong: that in fact, not showing, is showing a lot. The author wrote:
… thinking seriously about what we wear is like thinking seriously about what we say: it can only be done occasionally or we should find ourselves tongue-tied, unable to get dressed at all.
More generally, the idea that even when we say nothing our clothes are talking noisily to everyone who sees us, telling them who we are, where we come from, what we like to do in bed and a dozen other intimate things, maybe unsettling. To wear what “everyone else” is wearing is no solution to the problem, any more than it would be to say what everyone is saying… We can lie in the language of dress, or try to tell the truth; but unless we are naked and bald it is impossible to be silent.
Now, moving to what dress is really telling to other people. There are several interesting things author said about:
One - the author believed that clothing can show the subgroup or subculture of that person.
Two - the author explained that people buy and discard clothings all the time not because of “consumerism”, but rather, the fashion vocabulary changes constantly. This, the author noted, is just the same with languages. Vast majority of English words of a few centuries ago were more than sufficient to describe situations of today. Yet, we consistently come up with new words not because old words were insufficient, but rather we want to show off our generational difference compare to the older generations: words like “cool”, “chill” or more recently, “LMAO”, “LOL” or “mid” notates not just the meaning behind the words, but also the generation behind the words’ users. The author wrote (emphasis mine):
Within the limits imposed by economics, clothes are acquired, used and discarded just as words are, because they meet our needs and express our ideas and emotions. All the exhortations of experts on language cannot save outmoded terms of speech or persuade people to use new ones “correctly.” In the same way, those garments that reflect what we are or want to be at the moment will be purchased and worn, and those that do not will not…
Three - Clothing is an identity. This could be in the form of uniform, denoting that person’s profession as well as standing in a particular community. The author noted:
To put on someone else’s clothes is symbolically to take on their personality… The sharing of clothes is always a strong indication of shared tastes, options and even personality. Next time you are at a large party, meeting or public event, look around the room and ask yourself if there is anyone present whose clothes you would be willing to wear yourself on that occasion. If so, he or she is apt to be a soul mate.
Four - clothing, to a large extent, is showing off sexual or anti sexual signals. Shaving of hair, for example, symbolizes the removal of sexual desire (like that of monks and nuns). Wearing baggy and uneventful robes too, can be a symbol of removal of sexual desire whereas things like tight outfit or red outfit is a sure sign of intentional (or unconscious) sexual signs.
Five - clothing also shows off a person’s standing within a community, such as a workplace. The author noted there are two major reasons for it, even though many workplaces no longer have a dress code. For one, expensive clothing is expensive, and young employees wouldn’t care to buy them (the author thinks the younger employees would rather spend the money on experience). For another, there’s an invisible hierarchy dress code that exists within an organization. The author wrote:
For many people, agreeable working conditions and well-disposed birds are worth more than a possible promotion in the bush. The clerk who dresses like his boss is apt to be regarded by other clerks as a cold fish or an ass-kicker; the secretary in her severe skirted suit is seen as snotty and pretentious: Who does she think she is, in that getup? Moreover, somebody who is distrusted and disliked by his or her equals is very unlikely ever to become their superior. It is also rare for a boss who wants to have employees who dress exactly as he or she does - especially since they are usually younger and may already have the edge in appearance.
Six - the author noted that in today’s world, people who are more affluent simply wear more. The author wrote:
… In any contemporary gatherings, no matter what its occasion, the well-to-do can be observed to have on more clothes. The men are more likely to wear vests; the women are more apt to wear panty hose, superfluous scarves and useless little wraps. Even in hot weather the difference is plain. At an outdoor restaurant on a summer day the customers who have more money and have had it longer will be ones in jackets and/or long-sleeved shirts and dresses. If it gets frightfully hot they may roll up their sleeves, but in such a way that there is no doubt about their actual length.
May 8, 2011
It was interesting in spots, but it's (obviously, since it was written in 1981) outdated.
A lot of her assertions were dubious at best, like her theory that the widely-set stripes on baseball uniforms symbolize the long periods of inaction in the game. Um, what?
Also, a lot of it just seemed to be personal opinions, e.g. wearing a Tyrolean hat makes you look like a "ninny". (Which, okay, is kind of true in most cases.)
A lot of her assertions were dubious at best, like her theory that the widely-set stripes on baseball uniforms symbolize the long periods of inaction in the game. Um, what?
Also, a lot of it just seemed to be personal opinions, e.g. wearing a Tyrolean hat makes you look like a "ninny". (Which, okay, is kind of true in most cases.)
May 16, 2017
I've long thought of clothing as a form of social signalling, and this book goes through a detailed history of how that has worked over the years. Clothing can tell the world a lot about how we wish to be seen and how we feel about ourselves.
March 20, 2017
A bit dated, but I have yet to find a better (in information and readability) introductory book for my college level Intro to Costume Design class
March 18, 2024
A brisk and slightly dated story of the clothing and its possible meaning to other people. I found it to be a little arbitrary in describing certain things, however, I could not deny the author the knowledge of what she was describing.
August 10, 2024
I really wanted to like this. I agree with the idea that what we wear says something about who we are, and who we want to be in the world that we are navigating. I was quite looking forward to reading a sort of "decoding" of some fashion cues throughout history. But something about the tone here just didn't sit right with me, so I can't say I really loved it.
October 23, 2017
Excellent book on a little researched and mostly unconscious subject. Alison gave good insight into our current sartorial choices, where they came from and what they mean. Well worth reading.
February 25, 2020
Psychology and fashion mixed. Loved the insights and written well
January 3, 2023
Aunque a veces, sobre todo en comentarios personales, ya anticuado e incluso incorrecto, un básico imprescindible en lecturas sobre moda y tendencia.
May 27, 2025
Lectura Universitaria
Interesante porque explica cómo la sociedad y cambios económicos/sociales cambian la percepción de la moda.
Interesante porque explica cómo la sociedad y cambios económicos/sociales cambian la percepción de la moda.
August 11, 2024
Algún detalle interesante pero está un poco anticuado, algún detalle machista, racista y homofobo en algunos puntos, que me chirrían bastante, no ha envejecido muy bien.
December 19, 2007
Lurie provides an examination of the psyche behind fashion trends, and how current events influence fashion, while those "in control" (designers and the fashion business) have less influence than they'd like. She uses the analogy of language in examining how we use clothing to communicate, both in history and modern day. Unfortunately, as the book was published in 1981, "modern-day" does not encompass some of the more interesting fads of the 1980's, and perhaps dwells a bit too much on the 1960's. I was hoping for something similar to this in Health, Art and Reason: Dress Reformers of the 19th century; but that was quite a bit more dry, focusing more on history & less on sociology.
While I would have liked to have seen more proof/research behind some of the conclusions she draws, most of them make sense, once pondered a bit. For example, Longer = Older. We see this in girls' vs. women's skirts; and in boys wearing short pants, then graduating to trousers. She points out an exception: christening gowns, which are usually 2-3 times longer than they need to be, symbolizing the desire that the child live to grow into the gown.
Some other observations I found worth noting:
- resort/vacation clothing often resembles that of children: colorful, simple design and easy-care fabric - indicating an abdication of adult responsibility.
- The Preppie look included layering (Conspicuous Consumption) and unnecessary fastenings (repression); while the Punk look also had an abundance of fastenings, they were either left open or used to pull together torn clothing = aggression & sexual openness.
- Liberals tend towards soft, less shaped, fuzzy clothing, while conservatives tend towards tailored, smooth textures.
- Models and nudes may be chosen & posed as if they are wearing current fashions, emphasizing whatever body parts are currently "in vogue".
The chapters are well organized - looking at Youth and Age, Fashion and Time, Fashion and Place, and Fashion and Status, among other topics. Some information gets repeated between the chapters, but it's usually worth repeating. She includes a fair number of illustrations, including a small color plate section, as well as source notes and a bibliography.
Possible further reading:
Dress & Society Geoffrey Squire (1974, Viking)
Seeing Through Clothes - Anne Hollander (1978, Viking)
The Other Victorians - Stephen Marcus (not in bib)
Recommended to those interested in how clothing has been and is used as a tool for communication.
While I would have liked to have seen more proof/research behind some of the conclusions she draws, most of them make sense, once pondered a bit. For example, Longer = Older. We see this in girls' vs. women's skirts; and in boys wearing short pants, then graduating to trousers. She points out an exception: christening gowns, which are usually 2-3 times longer than they need to be, symbolizing the desire that the child live to grow into the gown.
Some other observations I found worth noting:
- resort/vacation clothing often resembles that of children: colorful, simple design and easy-care fabric - indicating an abdication of adult responsibility.
- The Preppie look included layering (Conspicuous Consumption) and unnecessary fastenings (repression); while the Punk look also had an abundance of fastenings, they were either left open or used to pull together torn clothing = aggression & sexual openness.
- Liberals tend towards soft, less shaped, fuzzy clothing, while conservatives tend towards tailored, smooth textures.
- Models and nudes may be chosen & posed as if they are wearing current fashions, emphasizing whatever body parts are currently "in vogue".
The chapters are well organized - looking at Youth and Age, Fashion and Time, Fashion and Place, and Fashion and Status, among other topics. Some information gets repeated between the chapters, but it's usually worth repeating. She includes a fair number of illustrations, including a small color plate section, as well as source notes and a bibliography.
Possible further reading:
Dress & Society Geoffrey Squire (1974, Viking)
Seeing Through Clothes - Anne Hollander (1978, Viking)
The Other Victorians - Stephen Marcus (not in bib)
Recommended to those interested in how clothing has been and is used as a tool for communication.
October 23, 2009
A decent book--very well written, to be expected since Lurie is a novelist--but best for those who are new to either the history of clothing or the anthropological and social signifiers of what we put on every day. Like many non-academic texts it has "source notes" instead of properly footnoted references. No index.
April 1, 2013
I though it was a pretty good account of why we wear what we wear and what it says about us. Definitely opened my eyes to a few things...especially why we are so label conscious these days with huge polo men and mutant crocodiles adorning our chests. A bit dated thought that was my only criticism. Would love to hear what she has to say about exposed underwear and drooping beltless trousers.
May 8, 2008
We pay close attention to how other people dress and it is part of what we use to form a first impression of someone. This was an intriguing book...although I think other people pay way more attention to clothing than I do.
March 11, 2014
"The sartorial vocabulary of some people is very limited. A sharecropper, for instance, may be limited to five or ten “words” or garments, for which it is possible to create only a few “sentences” or costumes, expressing only the most basic concepts." (p.5)
August 5, 2007
soooo catchy!
December 21, 2008
Interesting but pretty obvious actually - very broad overview.
July 13, 2010
analytical look at the history of clothing.
August 7, 2015
Lo disfruté por lo histórico y el análisis a diversos símbolos, pero al entrar propiamente a la materia de mi trabajo de investigación no me resultó tan útil.
September 19, 2014
i would like to read this book because it can help me to find datas.
June 19, 2016
A bit out of date, but for the historical and anthropological perspective, quite entertaining!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews