Clothing = Identity

[goodideabiaggio]

First off, apologies if this is the wrong forum to post this question on. I am a newbie and couldn't see a natural home for my query...

I am doing a research project on the relationship between male personal identity and clothing. My working thesis is this:

In eras gone by, men had fairly defined sets of 'laws' in clothing to follow. The 3-piece suit. Workwear. These were uniforms with delineated rules on how to wear them, and by wearing them you clearly told the world who you were as a man. They were authentic. Masculine. As clothing has become somewhat democratised, and fashion trends took over from these 'uniforms', many men without an inherent interest in clothing and style have ended up feeling very lost on what to wear. Research shows that normal men have a far smaller desire to stand out than women, so most default to the 'uniform' of today - t-shirt, jeans, trainers. The problem is that these outfits say nothing about who you are and what you stand for. And in a world where traditional masculinity has been turned on its head, leaving men grappling for a definition of what makes a man, the clothes on their backs have also ceased to contain any meaning. And that is inherently unstylish.

Clothes are identity. They have substance. They are the first way we communicate to others who we are. And style isn't following the latest trends...it's finding a way to wear something that screams 'I am who I am'. James Dean, David Beckham, Carmen Berzatto. These guys are cool because they everything they do stands for something, and they are completely authentic.


Does anyone here have any strong opinions on this? Or any good articles, books or videos that say something interesting on this topic?

Really trying to immerse myself in the topic so anything will be helpful!

Thank you!

 

[TheIronDandy]

Dieworkwear.com (rarely updated) / @dieworkwear (frequently updated) on twitter Honestly, there's probably noone who has stronger opinions on this than Derek.

The classic article "The art of wearing clothes" by George Frazier, while written in the 60s, can still be highly relevant.

The books "Black Ivy" and "Miles, Chet, Ralph & Charlie" both tell (in different ways) the story of how african-americans subverted the ivy league style as a part of a counter-culture identity. Again, this is more history, but it's a very clear example of how changing how you dress can change how you are perceived (and perceive yourself).

Finally, Status and Culture also touches upon several of these subjects, including an interesting take on why we seem to all wear the same ****** uniform today.

 

[KOz]

These were uniforms with delineated rules on how to wear them, and by wearing them you clearly told the world who you were as a man. They were authentic. Masculine. As clothing has become somewhat democratised, and fashion trends took over from these 'uniforms', many men without an inherent interest in clothing and style have ended up feeling very lost on what to wear. Research shows that normal men have a far smaller desire to stand out than women, so most default to the 'uniform' of today - t-shirt, jeans, trainers. The problem is that these outfits say nothing about who you are and what you stand for. And in a world where traditional masculinity has been turned on its head, leaving men grappling for a definition of what makes a man, the clothes on their backs have also ceased to contain any meaning. And that is inherently unstylish.

Clothes are identity. They have substance. They are the first way we communicate to others who we are. And style isn't following the latest trends...it's finding a way to

The aforementioned uniforms indicated what social class you belonged to. I'm dubious if they relayed as much about the wearers masculinity in and of themselves. In fact, what was perceived as masculine has always changed throughout history. Take a look at the French Rococo era.

[...] most default to the 'uniform' of today - t-shirt, jeans, trainers. The problem is that these outfits say nothing about who you are and what you stand for. [...] the clothes on their backs have also ceased to contain any meaning. And that is inherently unstylish.

Clothes of today might not say much about social class, but it doesn't mean they don't say anything at all. "t-shirt, jeans, trainers" can be expressed in many, many ways, all of which can say something. Perhaps many decades ago, you would've been saying the same thing about the three piece suit and reminiscing about the good old days of the frock coat.

These guys are cool because they everything they do stands for something, and they are completely authentic.

Being authentic and appearing authentic are two different things. A lot of celebrities have other people that moderate their personal brand, including what clothing to wear.

Research shows that normal men have a far smaller desire to stand out than women [...]

Amusingly, I'd argue phrasing matters here. Average, not normal, men, might want to stand out less. There is nothing abnormal about being interested in what you wear, after all.