Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History
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- Create Date：2021-10-24 05:21:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Richard Thompson Ford
- ISBN：1501180088
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Summary
A “sharp and entertaining” （The Wall Street Journal） exploration of fashion through the ages that asks what our clothing reveals about ourselves and our society。
Dress codes are as old as clothing itself。 For centuries， clothing has been a wearable status symbol; fashion， a weapon in struggles for social change; and dress codes， a way to maintain political control。 Merchants dressing like princes and butchers’ wives wearing gem-encrusted crowns were public enemies in medieval societies structured by social hierarchy and defined by spectacle。 In Tudor England， silk， velvet， and fur were reserved for the nobility， and ballooning pants called “trunk hose” could be considered a menace to good order。 The Renaissance-era Florentine patriarch Cosimo de Medici captured the power of fashion and dress codes when he remarked， “One can make a gentleman from two yards of red cloth。” Dress codes evolved along with the social and political ideals of the day， but they always reflected struggles for power and status。 In the 1700s， South Carolina’s “Negro Act” made it illegal for Black people to dress “above their condition。” In the 1920s， the bobbed hair and form-fitting dresses worn by free-spirited flappers were banned in workplaces throughout the United States， and in the 1940s， the baggy zoot suits favored by Black and Latino men caused riots in cities from coast to coast。
Even in today’s more informal world， dress codes still determine what we wear， when we wear it—and what our clothing means。 People lose their jobs for wearing braided hair， long fingernails， large earrings， beards， and tattoos or refusing to wear a suit and tie or make-up and high heels。 In some cities， wearing sagging pants is a crime。 And even when there are no written rules， implicit dress codes still influence opportunities and social mobility。 Silicon Valley CEOs wear t-shirts and flip-flops， setting the tone for an entire industry: women wearing fashionable dresses or high heels face ridicule in the tech world， and some venture capitalists refuse to invest in any company run by someone wearing a suit。
In Dress Codes， law professor and cultural critic Richard Thompson Ford presents a “deeply informative and entertaining” （The New York Times Book Review） history of the laws of fashion from the middle ages to the present day， a walk down history’s red carpet to uncover and examine the canons， mores， and customs of clothing—rules that we often take for granted。 After reading Dress Codes， you’ll never think of fashion as superficial again—and getting dressed will never be the same。
Dress codes are as old as clothing itself。 For centuries， clothing has been a wearable status symbol; fashion， a weapon in struggles for social change; and dress codes， a way to maintain political control。 Merchants dressing like princes and butchers’ wives wearing gem-encrusted crowns were public enemies in medieval societies structured by social hierarchy and defined by spectacle。 In Tudor England， silk， velvet， and fur were reserved for the nobility， and ballooning pants called “trunk hose” could be considered a menace to good order。 The Renaissance-era Florentine patriarch Cosimo de Medici captured the power of fashion and dress codes when he remarked， “One can make a gentleman from two yards of red cloth。” Dress codes evolved along with the social and political ideals of the day， but they always reflected struggles for power and status。 In the 1700s， South Carolina’s “Negro Act” made it illegal for Black people to dress “above their condition。” In the 1920s， the bobbed hair and form-fitting dresses worn by free-spirited flappers were banned in workplaces throughout the United States， and in the 1940s， the baggy zoot suits favored by Black and Latino men caused riots in cities from coast to coast。
Even in today’s more informal world， dress codes still determine what we wear， when we wear it—and what our clothing means。 People lose their jobs for wearing braided hair， long fingernails， large earrings， beards， and tattoos or refusing to wear a suit and tie or make-up and high heels。 In some cities， wearing sagging pants is a crime。 And even when there are no written rules， implicit dress codes still influence opportunities and social mobility。 Silicon Valley CEOs wear t-shirts and flip-flops， setting the tone for an entire industry: women wearing fashionable dresses or high heels face ridicule in the tech world， and some venture capitalists refuse to invest in any company run by someone wearing a suit。
In Dress Codes， law professor and cultural critic Richard Thompson Ford presents a “deeply informative and entertaining” （The New York Times Book Review） history of the laws of fashion from the middle ages to the present day， a walk down history’s red carpet to uncover and examine the canons， mores， and customs of clothing—rules that we often take for granted。 After reading Dress Codes， you’ll never think of fashion as superficial again—and getting dressed will never be the same。
Reviews
Mrs。 Elaine
，
What an absolutely fantastic book！ I’ve always enjoyed fashion history but this is the first I’ve read that focuses 100% on the social and legal aspects of fashion。 I’m one of those people who throws on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt most days and an occasional blouse with nicer jeans when I want to dress up。 I own one dress （plain black） and two skirts （plain black and sapphire blue） and a ton of jeans and tshirts。 There are so many nuances to fashion that I literally will never look at clothes What an absolutely fantastic book！ I’ve always enjoyed fashion history but this is the first I’ve read that focuses 100% on the social and legal aspects of fashion。 I’m one of those people who throws on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt most days and an occasional blouse with nicer jeans when I want to dress up。 I own one dress （plain black） and two skirts （plain black and sapphire blue） and a ton of jeans and tshirts。 There are so many nuances to fashion that I literally will never look at clothes the same way again。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Rachel
，
Ford， as a professor， writes with an academic tone that you may not want to deal with outside of a classroom -- but I hope you are able to get past that， because the information and social ruminations in this book are absolutely fascinating。
Katie
，
The ultimate thesis of this book is there's no way to opt out of the fashion game - even announcing that you don't care about clothes （looking at you Mark Zuckerberg） is making a statement with your appearance。 Throughout the book， Ford takes us through the evolving history of how people used dress to make statements about themselves and others。 It's very thought-provoking， and I learned a lot about the history of men's fashion in particular。 If you've ever wondered why men's fashion is so borin The ultimate thesis of this book is there's no way to opt out of the fashion game - even announcing that you don't care about clothes （looking at you Mark Zuckerberg） is making a statement with your appearance。 Throughout the book， Ford takes us through the evolving history of how people used dress to make statements about themselves and others。 It's very thought-provoking， and I learned a lot about the history of men's fashion in particular。 If you've ever wondered why men's fashion is so boring compared to women's， this book will answer it for you。 In fact， I thought this book shines the brightest when talking about men's fashion and the intersection between fashion and the US Black civil rights movements， in no small part because of the personal touch Ford brings to those two topics。 Other sections feel much more cursory and I think some editing would have made this book tighter。 For example， there's a section about nuns at the beginning that's pretty just okay。 Overall， I'd love a more in depth discussion of changes in women's fashion in the 20th century， but that's my personal interest。 I think this book was trying to cover too much to be able to get in depth on all topics。 Overall though， I would recommend it。 Interesting， easy to read， and includes helpful pictures。 。。。more
Toria
，
Shortly after it being available on my book app I've seen reviews of it and I was so excited to read it so I dropped everything to start reading it and im absolutely not regretting it。 This starts way back in history and goes through to modern times telling of the times shaped clothing and how clothing changing society。how it's both been used to fit in and make a point with standing out。 Very well written and engaging。 Highly recommend it if you like history and fashion Shortly after it being available on my book app I've seen reviews of it and I was so excited to read it so I dropped everything to start reading it and im absolutely not regretting it。 This starts way back in history and goes through to modern times telling of the times shaped clothing and how clothing changing society。how it's both been used to fit in and make a point with standing out。 Very well written and engaging。 Highly recommend it if you like history and fashion 。。。more
Gina
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You can tell just from the captions on the pictures that the author allows his leftist political bias to infect a book on fashion history， of all things。
Jeanne
，
Complicated & detailed。 Interesting to me because of my particular love of the history of clothing。 Worth reading but only if you feel the same way because there is a LOT of detail。
Mara
，
4。5 stars - This is a great example of social history that uses a seemingly ordinary topic （in this case， clothing） to unpack cultural history。 Cultural objects are key to understanding how and why people act throughout history， and this is a wonderful example of this genre， showing how fashion has been reflected in various laws over the last ~2000 years， and why legal systems responded to these cultural forces in the way they did。 Ford particularly ruminates on the relationship of gender and fa 4。5 stars - This is a great example of social history that uses a seemingly ordinary topic （in this case， clothing） to unpack cultural history。 Cultural objects are key to understanding how and why people act throughout history， and this is a wonderful example of this genre， showing how fashion has been reflected in various laws over the last ~2000 years， and why legal systems responded to these cultural forces in the way they did。 Ford particularly ruminates on the relationship of gender and fashion， but he also addresses how fashion relates to class， race， and individualism。 Overall， very thought provoking and well written 。。。more
Rebecca Zoler
，
4。5
Elaine Ruth Boe
，
I love learning about this history of fashion。 And laws around fashion （ie， dress codes） have always fascinated me。 I agree with Ford's premise that studying dress codes through the ages can teach us something about the social anxieties and attitudes around fashion。 At times this book got a little dense （Ford is a professor， after all）， but I followed along pretty well。 A few things that I want to remember from the book:--For centuries， fashion was about telling people who had power and what soc I love learning about this history of fashion。 And laws around fashion （ie， dress codes） have always fascinated me。 I agree with Ford's premise that studying dress codes through the ages can teach us something about the social anxieties and attitudes around fashion。 At times this book got a little dense （Ford is a professor， after all）， but I followed along pretty well。 A few things that I want to remember from the book:--For centuries， fashion was about telling people who had power and what social class you belonged to。 When clothes became more tailored （instead of draped like togas）， that physical fit encouraged thinking about clothing as individual expression。 In today's world， we think of clothing as expressions of our personality， not merely a signifier of our class and wealth。 --Clothing is a "demonstration" of a social position or point of view or privilege position， not an "argument。"--There's no way to opt out of fashion and what our clothes say about us。 To claim you don't care is a position in itself。 --When men started to adapt to modern suits and away from ostentatious courtly wear， they used the outrageous outfits of their wives to demonstrate their wealth。 Women's clothes became their displays of power and prestige， while the men could conveniently say they were focused on other， more refined interests。 。。。more
Davida
，
Best read I've had in a long time。 His well-written socio-political take on fashion is fascinating， informing and as far as I'm concerned a must-read。 His insight into so many aspects of fashion throughout history is masterfully explored， delineated and delightfully readable。 Thank you， Mr。 Ford for affording me the pleasure of you metaphorical pen。 Best read I've had in a long time。 His well-written socio-political take on fashion is fascinating， informing and as far as I'm concerned a must-read。 His insight into so many aspects of fashion throughout history is masterfully explored， delineated and delightfully readable。 Thank you， Mr。 Ford for affording me the pleasure of you metaphorical pen。 。。。more
Carol Fischer
，
Great read。 One topic author exponded on hasn't been given much attention in other topical books - the diversion of mens'and womens' clothing styles。 I benefited， and plan on re-reading this section。 I do recommend this book！ Great read。 One topic author exponded on hasn't been given much attention in other topical books - the diversion of mens'and womens' clothing styles。 I benefited， and plan on re-reading this section。 I do recommend this book！ 。。。more
Alexandra
，
This is a fascinating， well-written， and well-thought-out book on the history of fashion in （mostly western） culture and politics。 It covers the long history of sumptuary laws， uniforms， and， of course， dress codes， while also emphasizing how personal fashion can be to the individual。Topics include well-dressed social revolutions， appearance-minded subcultures， religious garb， clothing as a tool of prejudice and segregation， and the legality of modern workplace dress codes。Definitely a good read This is a fascinating， well-written， and well-thought-out book on the history of fashion in （mostly western） culture and politics。 It covers the long history of sumptuary laws， uniforms， and， of course， dress codes， while also emphasizing how personal fashion can be to the individual。Topics include well-dressed social revolutions， appearance-minded subcultures， religious garb， clothing as a tool of prejudice and segregation， and the legality of modern workplace dress codes。Definitely a good read if you'd like to learn more about how fashion and law/politics intersect。 。。。more
Kevin Y
，
Unique topic and informative I love this books focus on an intersection of laws and fashion in the sense of how it contributes to perceived culture。 The topic is unique and also sorely lacking coverage。 I debated between a 3 and 4 star because the book drags on near the end when the point is mads redundant excessively。 Some details could be made more brief。 I could skip some pages and the point won't be lost。 Unique topic and informative I love this books focus on an intersection of laws and fashion in the sense of how it contributes to perceived culture。 The topic is unique and also sorely lacking coverage。 I debated between a 3 and 4 star because the book drags on near the end when the point is mads redundant excessively。 Some details could be made more brief。 I could skip some pages and the point won't be lost。 。。。more
Susan Liston
，
This book is probably deserving of more than three stars， it's readable and is about exactly what it says; but as I was reading it I realized I pretty much knew all this stuff。 I've read a lot about the history of fashion and once it gets into the 60s I remember it all， so I didn't get a whole lot out of it。 But for someone less familiar， I would definitely recommend it。 This book is probably deserving of more than three stars， it's readable and is about exactly what it says; but as I was reading it I realized I pretty much knew all this stuff。 I've read a lot about the history of fashion and once it gets into the 60s I remember it all， so I didn't get a whole lot out of it。 But for someone less familiar， I would definitely recommend it。 。。。more
Kristina
，
Enjoyed the history the book provides but it was overly wordy and repetitive。
A Street
，
The author’s perspective is liberal， and I don’t agree with all of his conclusions。 However， he did a good job on researching the history of laws and court cases related to fashion and dress。 The most insightful theme was the Great Masculine Renunciation of the 1800s where men eschewed outward decorative adornments in favor of more plain-looking garments and more of a uniform look in style。 “Fashion” now is considered more for the female realm as a result。
Phair
，
Quite enjoyed this。 The writing style was readable while still conveying lots of info。 However， at times I felt I was reading a student essay because the format of his chapters felt a little simplistic with frequent quotes from sources （as so-and-so says: blah blah blah） and always ending with the required summation。 This style was not overly off-putting but remained a tad annoying。 There were many times I expected him to include something on a topic， but no。 Not there。 Disappointing。 The topic Quite enjoyed this。 The writing style was readable while still conveying lots of info。 However， at times I felt I was reading a student essay because the format of his chapters felt a little simplistic with frequent quotes from sources （as so-and-so says: blah blah blah） and always ending with the required summation。 This style was not overly off-putting but remained a tad annoying。 There were many times I expected him to include something on a topic， but no。 Not there。 Disappointing。 The topics were nicely divided in a loose chronological order from sumptuary laws in Middle Ages and Renaissance thru contemporary peer pressure， so a good variety of approaches to fashion “law” and history。 There should have been a LOT more illustrations。 All we got was two brief color plate sections and a bunch of small B&W pics in the text。 So many times I wanted a picture to better explain a point he was making。 Well worth reading for all its flaws。 。。。more
Lucy
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this view of history seen through clothing and fashion。 Fashion as such really started when clothing began to be more fitted， less just draped around the person。A lot of laws were passed to say who could wear what， or who must wear what。 This latter included at various times prostitutes and Jews， who needed to be identified， according to authorities。Of course， lesser people mustn't wear what the nobility wore: silk， velvet， fur and particular colors。And yet the existence of I thoroughly enjoyed this view of history seen through clothing and fashion。 Fashion as such really started when clothing began to be more fitted， less just draped around the person。A lot of laws were passed to say who could wear what， or who must wear what。 This latter included at various times prostitutes and Jews， who needed to be identified， according to authorities。Of course， lesser people mustn't wear what the nobility wore: silk， velvet， fur and particular colors。And yet the existence of the laws must mean that some people weren't following the rules。When gentlemen decided to not be peacocks and just go with the standard dark suit， they could still be identified by the excellent tailoring。We still have laws about what people are allowed to wear。 The loose low hanging pants especially raise the ire of some。 Concealing Muslim attire for women is a problem in some places that don't want to allow it。If you like history， if you like to know about clothes， read this book。 It'll take you a while。 It's pretty dense in its 374 pages。 There are scads of notes， mostly of sources of the information。 A 6-page bibliography， index and list of sources for the pictures complete the end matter。 。。。more
Andrea Patrick
，
This was really， really interesting。 Written by a lawyer; he uses the history of actual laws to explain how customs of western dress have changed through time。 Since we all get exposed to some of the history of costume， we are familiar with how people dressed differently in different time periods。 This book fills you in on a little bit of the "why" behind it all。 Extra points for focusing on two areas that I think might have been ignored or skated over by someone else: gendered dress， and histor This was really， really interesting。 Written by a lawyer; he uses the history of actual laws to explain how customs of western dress have changed through time。 Since we all get exposed to some of the history of costume， we are familiar with how people dressed differently in different time periods。 This book fills you in on a little bit of the "why" behind it all。 Extra points for focusing on two areas that I think might have been ignored or skated over by someone else: gendered dress， and history of Black/African-American dress in the U。S。 Gender dress norms have changed a lot in the last few decades， and this book is very current。 And I have a hard time assuming a white author would have spent so many words on Black dress， but I'm grateful for it （Yes， I know， making that assumption says a lot about me; I'm cynical）。 I love learning more about cultures I live alongside but that I'm not part of。 I have been thinking more about the subject since I read this book， which is always a good sign。 。。。more
Sasha
，
This book was an engrossing read and has sparked a number of interesting debates in my immediate circle。 This book is about society rather style。 This is one of the few places that discusses the intersection of race and gender relations with clothing。 It discusses the causes behind phenomena that have long seemed mysterious to me - like， for instance， why is women's fashion so different in variety， conspicuousness and cost than men's fashion？ Did you know that dressmaking and fashion was exclusi This book was an engrossing read and has sparked a number of interesting debates in my immediate circle。 This book is about society rather style。 This is one of the few places that discusses the intersection of race and gender relations with clothing。 It discusses the causes behind phenomena that have long seemed mysterious to me - like， for instance， why is women's fashion so different in variety， conspicuousness and cost than men's fashion？ Did you know that dressmaking and fashion was exclusively a male profession in the past？ So， how did it become associated with women - and vacuity？ This book tells the historic context for those transitions。There is a thought-provoking section about the fashion context of the civil rights movement。 The author offers his opinion in an even-keeled manner。 As a woman in a male-dominated academic discipline， I was grateful for this book's perspective on women's fashion and its clash with the culture of dressing-down in academia and tech。 It's been a couple of weeks since I finished this book， and it still feels like I'm reading it because it's on my mind。 。。。more
Cynthia
，
I loved this book！ I was traveling with family while finishing it and I think I was kind of annoying the way I kept breaking into whatever to read tidbits from this book which was absolutely fascinating。 I learned a great deal that I just plain didn't know， and about formerly unmade （by me） connections between and among things I did know but didn't realize were related to fashion and dress codes etc。 I want to give a tidbit now but can't think of one。 The come away was that clothing is potential I loved this book！ I was traveling with family while finishing it and I think I was kind of annoying the way I kept breaking into whatever to read tidbits from this book which was absolutely fascinating。 I learned a great deal that I just plain didn't know， and about formerly unmade （by me） connections between and among things I did know but didn't realize were related to fashion and dress codes etc。 I want to give a tidbit now but can't think of one。 The come away was that clothing is potentially fabulous， we should all respect the fashions of the past while continually creating and recreating our own personal sense of fashion， as well as appreciating others' sense of the same。 。。。more
Wendy
，
Reads like a world history text！ Who knew those red shoe soles had their origin with French male royalty。。。。
Abby Groshek
，
As an apparel designer， I've read my fair share of books on fashion。 For the most part they've been far too dry， too shallow or too lacking。 Finally， a book that encapsulates all of the nuances of getting dressed from the beginning of time。 This should be required reading for every student， or for anyone who wears clothes。 Finally， a novel that doesn't treat fashion as flippant as some think or expect the industry to be。 Thank you Richard Thompson Ford for your intense research， for caring and f As an apparel designer， I've read my fair share of books on fashion。 For the most part they've been far too dry， too shallow or too lacking。 Finally， a book that encapsulates all of the nuances of getting dressed from the beginning of time。 This should be required reading for every student， or for anyone who wears clothes。 Finally， a novel that doesn't treat fashion as flippant as some think or expect the industry to be。 Thank you Richard Thompson Ford for your intense research， for caring and for writing it down so beautifully。 I'm already looking forward to re-reading。 。。。more
Cynthia Arrieu-King
，
Really enjoyed understanding the use of the Sumptuary Laws and how this explained so much about the social standing of so many in European culture。 Loved the connection between the early cloth "quelts" in Scotland that became "kilts" only when an Englishman wanted the Scots to have clothing that would be safe to wear near machinery。 ！！ But this book is quite long。 I read about 25% and agree with those who say it felt like it might have repeated in some places。 Well， connections were made， and I Really enjoyed understanding the use of the Sumptuary Laws and how this explained so much about the social standing of so many in European culture。 Loved the connection between the early cloth "quelts" in Scotland that became "kilts" only when an Englishman wanted the Scots to have clothing that would be safe to wear near machinery。 ！！ But this book is quite long。 I read about 25% and agree with those who say it felt like it might have repeated in some places。 Well， connections were made， and I can skim。 Hope to return to it soon but need to move on to books I need to read for work。。。。Huzzah！ 。。。more
Sean P Lynott
，
Fun read on fashion！This was a very interesting history of fashion and how it has shaped our society。 I learned a lot about how fashion is used to control people and restrict what they can do。 I also learned that fashion is freedom and how people truly express themselves。 Definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in history and self-expression
Justine
，
Since it was written by a law professor， I thought there would be more about IP law and trademarks as they relate to the fashion industry （if I recall the only mentions were in relation to Louboutin shoes and the fashion house logos）。 There was definitely a legal bend to some of the arguments， and you get quotes from some big cases that addressed issues in fashion （workplace discrimination， public morality issues）， but it was all in the service of a more general cultural history。 So I was disapp Since it was written by a law professor， I thought there would be more about IP law and trademarks as they relate to the fashion industry （if I recall the only mentions were in relation to Louboutin shoes and the fashion house logos）。 There was definitely a legal bend to some of the arguments， and you get quotes from some big cases that addressed issues in fashion （workplace discrimination， public morality issues）， but it was all in the service of a more general cultural history。 So I was disappointed （even though I'm not blaming my mistake on false advertising or anything， I shouldn't have assumed there would be more IP I guess）。 At any rate， I did learn lots of interesting things， and it gave me a primer on some of the socio-cultural reasons that people get so riled up about clothing。 This is helpful as I've always been a touch baffled by that sort of thing。 。。。more
Tracie
，
I enjoyed this book a lot， but it took me forever to read it。 At times I thought it was a bit repetitive - a little less about the Sumptuary laws and the Great Masculine Renunciation would have been nice。 I did enjoy the history of clothing and how class was shown through clothing。 Also thought it was interesting how much luxury brands control the numbers of their items， in order to keep the demand high。 The difference between tailors and seamstresses made me more aware of how so much of clothin I enjoyed this book a lot， but it took me forever to read it。 At times I thought it was a bit repetitive - a little less about the Sumptuary laws and the Great Masculine Renunciation would have been nice。 I did enjoy the history of clothing and how class was shown through clothing。 Also thought it was interesting how much luxury brands control the numbers of their items， in order to keep the demand high。 The difference between tailors and seamstresses made me more aware of how so much of clothing history is related to men， and their control of manufacturing processes。 。。。more
Meg
，
This book didn’t really live up to its promise for me。 The first half was the best part， about history and the meaning of fashions。 The second half was recent history and I felt I didn’t learn much new。 It’s definitely worth picking up and reading the parts that catch your attention。
Megan
，
i wanted to like this book。 i really did。 i love fashion。 i love history。 this book was not it。 it just wasn't interesting。。。。 i wanted to like this book。 i really did。 i love fashion。 i love history。 this book was not it。 it just wasn't interesting。。。。 。。。more
Henry
，