Dressed: The Secret Life of Clothes

by Dr Shahidha Bari

'A sensual and intellectual pleasure from start to finish' - Deborah Levy, author of The Cost of LivingWe are all dressed. But how often do we pause to think about the place of our clothes in our lives? What unconscious thoughts do we express when we dress every day? Can memories, meaning and ideas be wrapped up in a winter coat?These are the questions that interest Shahidha Bari, as she explores the secret language of our clothes. Ranging freely through literature, art, film and philosophy, Dressed tracks the hidden power of clothes in our culture and our daily lives. From the depredations of violence and ageing to our longing for freedom, love and privacy, from the objectification of women to the crisis of masculinity, each garment exposes a fresh dilemma. Item by item, the story of ourselves unravels. Evocative, enlightening and dazzlingly original, Dressed is not just about clothes as objects of fashion or as a means of self-expression. This is a book about the deepest philosophical questions of who we are, how we see ourselves and how we dress to face the world.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, History, Philosophy, Feminism, Art, Cultural

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2019

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clothing and the meaning it holds for us could have been such a fascinating, joyful topic - and indeed the introduction raised my hopes further - but unfortunately Bari seems to have confused not wanting clothes to be seen as frivolous with having to write about them as over-intellectually as possible. There’s a heavy lean on psychoanalysis (all the folds in women’s dresses are actually vaginas, obviously), not something I’m a fan of at the best of times, which can lead to some downright bizarre lines: ‘dresses ... posses their own diabolical magic, exposing the secret life of the wearer even when they seek to hide it‘. On top of which, the text recounts endless examples from film & literature (with very few images of the clothes in question), but there’s ultimately no real argument to bring it all together, so it felt more like the work of an earnest undergrad student. Rather frustrating.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Shahidha Bari is a good writer. I had been looking for a book that looked more at the philosophy of dress, rather than styling or the history of fashion, and this fits the bill well. We are clothed animals, the only clothed animal; dressing is part of what it is to be human. Yet, as Bari points out, we do not dress simply to protect ourselves from the elements or for modesty; we rely on the transformative powers of clothes to make ourselves seem more than we are and, of course, we can change our skins every day. Some of Bari's philosophical analogies are a bit of a stretch, especially with regard to shoes and pockets or bags, but I still enjoyed reading through her perspectives on these.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

skin soft fabric,
weaved magic.
though daily habit,
free to explore the dramatic,
but none frantic,
caressing, soul ecstatic.

[AcademicEditor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this exploration of material culture through clothing. I can see how it's not for everyone, perhaps, but I found myself Googling images of the films, artworks, and books the author mentions as I read. It was a kind of intellectual Pinterest board. It also inspired me to reexamine my relationship to my wardrobe and purge a few things that don't connect with me.

I can see this book working for an anthropology class, or as a gift for a fashion /costume design enthusiast.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

[Stephanie Blank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone ate a dictionary when writing this

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful and reflective analysis of various aspects of dress and adornment. I'll recommend this to my costume production MFA students as an interesting book on par with the cerebral analysis of fashion by Valerie Steele and Allison Lurie.

[LillyBooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love clothing and I love reading blogs and books centered on the idea of finding one's personal style, so I thought this book would be right up my alley. But it turned out it's not really what I expected (or, I think, really as its advertised). First of all, it's very well-written for what it is, which is a very deep philosophical examination on the history of certain articles of clothing, such as blazers and pockets. This is hard-core philosophy with dense sentences and paragraphs that make a reader go "huh." I think that's all good, but it's just not what I thought I was getting. I thought I was getting a modern philosophical take on various styles of wardrobe, such as what does it say about a person who wears athleisure every day versus someone who dresses in black leather.

[Hari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book written with a true love of its subject, Dressed encompasses the text and context of the clothes we wear. Whilst the subject is approached academically and explored via literature, philosophy, psychology and art, the tone is that of an intimate storytelling session where teller and listener are swept up in the magic and meaning inherent in how we clothe ourselves. Yes it may ramble at times but I really enjoyed the journey. Not the kind of book that can be swallowed whole in one sitting as it is so rich in detail and connections that my mind needed time to absorb each section before moving on. Highly recommend.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to start skimming to survive. This is just an exhausting list of references and examples that I don’t understand. I knew the track and field athlete references in the shoes chapter, but 99% of people would not, and for pretty much every other thing discussed, I fell into that 99% of aloof readers. There had to have been a better strategy to discuss this.

[Readings n' Musings · Rating 3 out of 5]

"If there is a gulf between how we feel and how we look, then it can be broadened or bridged by the clothes we wear."

"To be seen always is to be refused the right to reserve our privacy, no matter what we wear. We watch ourselves being watched and feel how helpless we are in the face of the evaluative glance of others. To walk in the world as a woman is to be made available for assessment."

"There is a power to be claimed in dresses. Our clothes can illustrate our interior life and they can also present the privacy of such a thing. They are the surface that masks all that is withheld beneath. And then, the question to ask is not what do you say in the clothes that you wear, but what is it that you refuse to lay bare?"

"The question of how we carry is predicated by our right to possess things at all. In claiming proprietorial rights to stuff that is exclusively ours, we mark out the parameters of our particular personhood, distinct from others."

"What we know from our own bags, briefcases and pockets is that in them there can be room for a delightful eclecticism, the madcap conjunction of disparate things, an utterly idiosyncratic assembly."

"What do women keep to themselves? The bag is a window into a woman’s soul, and it is a metaphor too that suggests what it means to have a private life, to possess the capacity to keep hold of, carry within or give away things that are more intangible than mere stuff."

"The truth is that in clothes we know so many things. We know how one garment can tilt the day, how dresses contain us and how folds hide our depths. We know the grave heaviness of overcoats and the effervescent lightness of jackets, how laughing youth can seize hold of coat-tails and never let go. We reach for the shoes in which we resist gravity and leap into space, that permit us to walk freely or flee unpursued, that right us when we threaten to tumble down and steadily carry us home."

[Barnard Krouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Dodie in concert last night so I'm reading her high and I'm so excited to write about this book! I absolutely loved this book and thought it was so interesting. Getting into it I expected literally just philosophical analyses of clothing and culture but it also incorporates so much history and psychoanalysis of specific scenes from movies, pieces of art, and even classic literature. And the combination of all these things made for SUCH an interesting read and it really shifts your perspectives on how to understand the inner mechanisms of how people dress and its relationships not just to the self and identity but also larger systematic forces like capitalism, gender expression, and oppression. If you don't care about clothes at all then you're probably going to hate this book but guess what, I care about clothes a ton and I'm a philosophy major so this was right up my alley! This isn't a perfect book or anything, I wish there was more talk of aestheticism and why we value the look of things regardless of clothing at the beginning to kind of ease us in. I also wish there was a little bit less Freud but that's not that big of a deal. There is a lot of referencing other pieces of media within this book and if you know literally zero of them, it's probably going to make reading this a bit more difficult but if you (like me) have read a good amount of classic literature and have watched a good amount of popular movies then you'll actually feel so good when Bari mentions something and you think, "Hey, I totally read Prufrock!" I don't think that this is the easiest read for people just getting into philosophy, fashion, or both, but I think the conversations being had about clothing on such an ornate level of detail are really astounding. Basically, this book encapsulates all my reasons for not dropping out of college and I love it for that.

[Caprice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was really interesting. Collating Psychology, Philosophy and Art, in order to understand the reason we wear the clothes we do. I think the author states some profound things about how society sees clothes as vain but it seems to always appear within wider societal debates. I also liked the level of introspection regarding why we wear the clothes we wear. It has made me start looking at my clothes as more artistic pieces rather than just functional pieces. I loved this idea. The only issue is that sometimes I believe that people just wear clothes for function etc., and sometimes you don't just need to be so introspective. I'm torn really with how helpful this introspection is but I did love the idea of seeing clothes as artistic expressions of one's self and I also like how it's made me think about my own clothes and why I choose to wear what I wear. Very good!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasn't what I was expecting, it's more a discursive paean on clothing and fashion, mixed with nostalgia and some literary criticism, with some philosophy, but certainly not something like the Fashion System or a Foucauldian critique. It's surprising poetic.

It was more a mood, like curling up with a blanket, and going along with the journey. Relaxing, strangely.

I'm not criticizing what it had to say on the subject, it was good.

[Goran Jankuloski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jebo mi pas mater kad ne slusam Goodrida i 3,6 na 35 recenzija. Obradovao sam se sto napisa zena knjigu da pokradem za podkast, kad ono kao beskonacni Guardian clanak u koji pokusava da nafila sto vise pop kulturnih primera na silu Boga koji se bori sa Marxom, Feminizmom i Frojdom u svakom jebenom poglavlju.

Pokupio sam desetak dobrih primera. Placam to jednom dodatom zvezdicom.

[Kaitlyn Lundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a love letter to clothes and the sumptuous feeling and cultural context of them. There are some things universal in this book, while others are more specific. The prose is like poetry while simultaneously being extremely relaxing and thought provoking.

[emilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this goes into so much more than just the philosophy of clothes. often bordering on film and literature analysis. i love the wide array of media it references in accordance with the objects of each chapter.

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting if you truly are into fashion, sometimes a bit difficult to read and could have used some pictures because I was constantly on my phone looking up images of what she was talking about. But all in all a really good read.

[Mary Schaefbauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two chapters were really strong--lots of quotations and allegories I have taken to heart. After that, a lot of the conclusions feel like a stretch, the focus moves away from clothing and towards somewhat related topics, and it gets repetitive.

[Kile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clothes make us human.

[Colin Myles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and thoughtful read about clothes and our relationship with them and how that affects us.

[Madé · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read for anyone interested in the intricacies of fashion, and the meaning behind what we wear; how we choose to present ourselves to the world.

[Gail Kennon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but more abstract than I’d have prefired.

[Veez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great idea, poorly executed and written

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a lot of interesting tidbits. Unfortunately, they were lost due to the lack of direction. What a shame--I had walked past this book a few times before buying it and now regret that I did.

[Bertie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was media analysis with an occasional reference to clothing

[Randi (Rampant Reading Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes through NetGalley, which proved to be a fascinating and delightful book!

Dressed: A Philosophy of Clothes is an examination of the history of clothing through the context of history and psychology. A fantastically interesting work, Dressed uses photography and textual descriptions to give a reader a deep understanding of the significance of different items of clothing. The meaning behind why we dress the way we do goes much deeper than anyone would initially expect, something that is revealed by this nonfiction book!

As a costume designer in training, I was immediately captured by the concept of Dressed! Shahidha Bari has crafted an engaging, well-written book designed to make one think more deeply about what they wear everyday. I believe this book would be easier to read in a physical format, as I found the digital version to be confusing in format at some points, but it still communicated the Information easily

You can get your copy of Dressed on March 17th from Basic Books!

My Recommendation-
If you love nonfiction, especially books that make you examine yourself using history, Dressed will be a great fit for you! As someone who rarely reads nonfiction for enjoyment, Dressed was both engaging and refreshing!

[Mahalia Gosla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a history of fashion. It was fascinating to read the historical moments in fashion. When I requested this book I was very curious about it wondering if I could use this a reference guide in my writing. The answer is definitely! I also picked up sewing so I am interested in the various fabrics and styles!

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book overall, but I wasn’t always convinced by Bari’s arguments and felt that she tried to carry her thesis just a bit too far at times. She ranges far and wide in her exploration of clothes, their power, how what we wear defines us and in a series of essays reflects on the philosophy of the way we dress. I’ve never read anything quite like it and mainly found it compelling, especially in her embrace of literature, art, film and philosophy to demonstrate her ideas. Although so wide-ranging, and with frequent changes of topic, it mostly felt coherent, although some of the sudden changes of subject could be disorienting. It’s definitely overwritten at times, but Bari’s passion about her ideas shines through and mostly she carried me along with her. An unusual and original exploration of the way we dress.

[Sakhile · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mildly interesting book about clothes and how history and culture intertwine to make the relevance of clothes. I'm a big fan of fashion and clothes so I was immediately drawn to this book.

Bari's book pulls from bygone eras, pop culture and literature to give us a better understanding of what clothes do for us, how they influence us or how we influence them.

I find the chapters to be a little too long which made it difficult to get through. I wish they had been broken up in little parts to make for easier consumption.

Overall it was an interesting look on the history and future of clothes.

[Lelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

So tired of reading about women dressing for men or other women. So many old psychoanalytical cliches spouted, as though all women are concerned with what men or even other women think of their appearance. I certainly don't judge women, or often even notice, what weight their bodies are, what clothes they wear etc. Consequently I don't care what men or women think of mine. My passion is colour, texture and history of textiles (internationally), and the history of fashion, male and female. I will notice a beautiful fabric or colour but not the person wearing it. Yet another book that labels and confines women. Not what I hoped for at all.