Dressing the body and fashion
Over the centuries, the human race has had a growing interest in clothing and its cultural representation. Clothes are an essential aspect of man’s day to day life and shape a person psychologically and physically. The suit has always been a part of many wardrobes. It is known to make impressions in boardrooms, places of worship, courtrooms, and even bars. The importance of the suit leads to the question of its history, symbolism, and construction. Authors such as Christopher Breward and Joan Entwistle, among others, have strived to define the suit the role of fashion in the present day.
In The Suit: Form, Function & Style, Breward seeks to show how the emergence of the suit towards the end of the 17th century was a symbol of political rivalries then and the rise of contemporary democratic society. He goes on to delineate the technological development of the textile industry over the years and how the suit is the ideal representation of modern fashion across the world. Breward views the garment as a refined item and an epitome of beauty, one which symbolizes conformity and scientific achievement. On the aspect of women adopting the suit as a mode of dressing, which was initiated by designer Yves Saint Laurent, Breward notes that it engages the issue of gender (2016). He is also keen to mention that the suit is on its decline in the present century thanks to casual wear.
Joanne Entwistle and Elizabeth Wilson in Body Dressing expose the complexities of costumes and fashions in the quest to make a person presentable on different occasions. There are various ways in which western and non-western clothing works to give the body a cultural symbol. The authors discuss the varying angles one can see the relationship between clothing, fashion, and the body. The actual role of the tailor in coming up with a customized suit has been overlooked as other aspects have overshadowed it (Entwistle & Wilson, 2001). The book explores modernity, cultural history, photography, and even gender. De facto, a wide number of issues surrounding clothing, a body are explained, such as taboos, fashion photography, among others.
In The Next Wave of a Suit Era-A Forecasting Model of the Men’s Suit, a thesis by Johan Alfredsson and Lina Augustsson, the suit is examined and its development over the centuries explained. Numerous delineations of fashions are made. However, it is essential to note that in all definitions, there are specific recurring themes that depict fashion as a style that is accepted by the more significant percentage of a group (Alfredsson & Augustsson, 2017). Further, fashion can be defined as a symbol of present times and also shows the current ideas in a society. According to the authors, a tailor brings out classical features of a suit through shoulder construction, the canvas structure, and the length.
I feel that all three publications have delved deep into the world of dressing the body and fashion. It is interesting how the suit is examined aesthetically, philosophically, and even politically in consideration of both the wearer and the tailor. In that light, the depth and breadth of the reading materials make them important for persons with interest in the history of clothing, the body, and fashion.