Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History
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- Create Date：2022-03-06 06:51:40
- 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
Sylvia McIvers
，
Once upon a time， there were actual laws that said WE of the quality can wear this quality stuff， but YOU can't。Now。。。Now there are unwritten laws that WE of the quality can wear good quality clothing， but YOU had better not get ideas above your station or you are asking to be beaten or raped。It is so interesting to take the long view， how each generation has basically the same attitude， but thinks they are being very original。 Once upon a time， there were actual laws that said WE of the quality can wear this quality stuff， but YOU can't。Now。。。Now there are unwritten laws that WE of the quality can wear good quality clothing， but YOU had better not get ideas above your station or you are asking to be beaten or raped。It is so interesting to take the long view， how each generation has basically the same attitude， but thinks they are being very original。 。。。more
Melody
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Interesting books following the history of dress codes and fashions from medieval sumptuary laws up to the present covering copywriter laws and their relationship to the early sumptuary laws。 Interesting If in a bit of a pedantic style。
Kerry
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The historical data was enlightening ; the reasons women's fashion changed drive me to angry throwing of things and I had to stop。 The historical data was enlightening ; the reasons women's fashion changed drive me to angry throwing of things and I had to stop。 。。。more
Ariana
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Pretty interesting dive into the history behind fashion's ebb and flow。 Amazing how much classism， sexism， and racism humanity is determined to bake into our culture。 Pretty interesting dive into the history behind fashion's ebb and flow。 Amazing how much classism， sexism， and racism humanity is determined to bake into our culture。 。。。more
Amy
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This is another one of those books I knew I wanted to read but had to be in the right mood。 I especially enjoyed the first half of this book and its historical focus on sumptuary laws。 But when the author reached the modern era discourse on fashion laws， it seemed to lose something for me。 What started out as near unputdownable， started to feel less scholarly in tone and focused a bit much on the American experience。 Still， this is a fascinating subject and a fair introduction to dress codes。
AnneB
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4-4。5 stars。 This was unexpectedly really interesting！I can't say that I'm very familiar with how clothes developed or were regulated historically， so it was fascinating to hear about all the rules involved。 I didn't realise that certain clothes and fabrics were exclusively reserved for people of certain standings， because in a world where people were mostly illiterate， fashion was one of the few ways people got to impress those they considered beneath them。 I also didn't realise Joan of Arc tec 4-4。5 stars。 This was unexpectedly really interesting！I can't say that I'm very familiar with how clothes developed or were regulated historically， so it was fascinating to hear about all the rules involved。 I didn't realise that certain clothes and fabrics were exclusively reserved for people of certain standings， because in a world where people were mostly illiterate， fashion was one of the few ways people got to impress those they considered beneath them。 I also didn't realise Joan of Arc technically got executed for wearing men's clothes。 Or that high heels were originally a manly asset， used by men riding horses。 This book explores the history of fashion in the context of cultural history （this part mostly focuses on Europe）， but also the relationship between fashion and gender and gender and race （primarily Black people in the US - the author being Black， I'm guessing that's where his area of interest lies）。All in all， I really enjoyed it！ 。。。more
Jen Well-Steered
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Pretty sure I was wearing yoga pants， sports tops， and Ugg slippers the entire time I was reading this book。
Shana Yates
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3。5 stars。
Margaret
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Intriguing read！ Who knew that over history both religion and the aristocracy determined the ever changing rules of fashion as self-expression， class， ethnicity and wealth。
Alicea
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The first half of this was super interesting as it detailed the history of clothing through the ages and how clothing has never been as simple as a way to clothe one's body。 Fashion has played a part in all aspects of life from gender politics to race relations to economics。 And I loved the stories of real people who had committed actual fashion crimes through the ages （like the guy who wore the giant pantaloons or the people who wore wigs above their "station"。）I ended up giving this book 3 sta The first half of this was super interesting as it detailed the history of clothing through the ages and how clothing has never been as simple as a way to clothe one's body。 Fashion has played a part in all aspects of life from gender politics to race relations to economics。 And I loved the stories of real people who had committed actual fashion crimes through the ages （like the guy who wore the giant pantaloons or the people who wore wigs above their "station"。）I ended up giving this book 3 stars because I felt the book dragged towards the second half。 I felt like the author came across over-the-top and preachy。 *shrugs* 。。。more
Alexandra
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What a wonderful book about dress codes， from （basically） the dawn of civilization until the present and the astonishing changes in between。 The history of high heels especially fascinated me， as they were originally a status symbol for high-ranking men。 They， of course， evolved into footwear for women for quite obvious reasons， all the way up to the （in）famous red soles and the eventual controversies associated with them， including in the tech world。 Other topics include fabrics， cosmetics， jew What a wonderful book about dress codes， from （basically） the dawn of civilization until the present and the astonishing changes in between。 The history of high heels especially fascinated me， as they were originally a status symbol for high-ranking men。 They， of course， evolved into footwear for women for quite obvious reasons， all the way up to the （in）famous red soles and the eventual controversies associated with them， including in the tech world。 Other topics include fabrics， cosmetics， jewelry， and post suits。 。。。more
Miranda
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I REALLY wanted to like this book， but the author’s woke agenda， along with the overly wordy， stuffy presentation， made what should have been an interesting book a chore to read。 If the author has to tell you what his goals are （“in this book I intend to…”） he’s not doing his job as a writer。 He’s just presenting an ostentatious dissertation。
Josh
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Masterful。 Wonderful writing。 Social History at its best。 You will be hard-pressed to look at clothes the same way again。 Sumptuary laws， The Great Masculine Renunciation。 The breadth is staggering from Joan of Arc， Zoot Suit Riots， Flappers… And through it all the author narrative needle 🪡 and thread 🧵 connects them all。
Rachel
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This is a “woke” account of the history of fashion。 Unfortunately， the writer has a liberal political agenda and could not write objectively。
Linda
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Fairly dense text， highly informative with many historical tidbits， good insight into the intersection of history and fashion
Mike Smith
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For most of my professional life， I have been subject to dress codes。 I wore a variety of military uniforms for over a decade， and since then， I've been required to wear a jacket and tie and， later， "business casual"。 I once worked for a company that， in the early '90s， held a seminar for employees on how to dress in the office。 In this book， civil rights lawyer and cultural critic Richard Thompson Ford sets out to explore the history of dress codes and the "laws of fashion"， what they mean， and For most of my professional life， I have been subject to dress codes。 I wore a variety of military uniforms for over a decade， and since then， I've been required to wear a jacket and tie and， later， "business casual"。 I once worked for a company that， in the early '90s， held a seminar for employees on how to dress in the office。 In this book， civil rights lawyer and cultural critic Richard Thompson Ford sets out to explore the history of dress codes and the "laws of fashion"， what they mean， and what they say about those who impose them， follow them， or break them。Ford argues that "fashion" began in the 14th century when Europeans began to move away from the draped garments （such as togas， robes， and cloaks， which are still worn ceremonially by clergy， academics， and lawyers） they had been wearing for over a millennium and began to adopt more tailored clothing， with sleeves and legs and fitted more precisely to each wearer's figure。 He asserts that clothing is a form of communication， and that what it communicates is "status， sex， power， and personality。" Ford explores each of these themes through five major parts。Part one addresses clothing as a status symbol。 He looks at how certain styles or types of garment indicated the wearer's position， occupation， or role in society。 In what becomes a recurring theme in the book， as clothing technology advances and as new materials are developed， however， it becomes easier and more affordable for people to adorn themselves with the high-status clothing once reserved for the elite。 In doing so， people inevitably assign new meanings to the language of fashion。As a result of sumptuous fabrics， or close facsimiles， becoming more widely available， the elite， in part two of the book， shift "from opulence to elegance" in a phase Ford calls the "Great Masculine Renunciation"。 Men's clothing was once as ornate as women's， with adornments and frills。 After the Great Masculine Renunciation of about 1760 to 1790， however， men's clothing became much more sober and refined。 Women's clothing remained showier for centuries longer。 Men demonstrated their power and wealth through clothing that required exacting skill to create and to wear properly。 Only those who were "in the know" could put together and wear these ensembles correctly。Part three is mainly about the differences in clothing between white and Black Americans， from the days of slavery to the late 20th century。 He describes the many laws that prohibited Blacks from "dressing above one's condition" and how Black activists used clothing to demonstrate respectability and demand respect during the early Civil Rights era or later to challenge white supremacy and to assert their African heritage and pride。 Ford's lawyerly side is most evident here as the narrative becomes very specific to the American civil rights movement。In part four， Ford examines the politics of fashion， particularly gender roles as represented by clothing and the act of cross-dressing。 He spends time on the many contradictory rules and dress codes that affect women， and he looks at why women have had to dress like men to be taken seriously。 He also takes a look at the Western reaction to increasing displays of other forms of dress， particularly Muslim dress。Finally， Ford tackles modern fashion and the exclusivity of high-fashion labels and trademarks in part five。 This includes a survey of the topic of "cultural appropriation"， the wearing of clothing traditionally associated with a culture or race other than your own。 Only here in the final chapters does Ford look at some fashion trends outside of Europe and America， and then mainly in the context of how other countries repurpose Western styles for their own cultures。 Ford suggests that in today's world， we use fashion to express ourselves in ways we couldn't before， when dress codes were more restrictive。Ford's writing is fairly formal and is occasionally repetitive in form and content。 For instance， he uses the phrases "for instance" and "for example" a lot。 He hammers home his themes more than he needs to to get his points across。 Still， it's clear that he's researched his topic extensively and thought deeply on it。I'm not someone who pays much attention to clothes， whether on me or on anyone else。 I do cling to my military training and ensure that my clothes are clean and pressed and worn neatly， but I also wear them for many years， until they're coming apart and have to be replaced。 This book has made me realize that， no matter what I think， my clothes say something about me to other people。 And those other people may pick their clothes for reasons other than their being next in line in the closet。 Ford may overstate the significance of our clothing choices and the many ways we follow or subvert the dress codes we're subject to， but it's an interesting topic and this book opened my eyes to a form of communication that I'd largely been ignoring。 。。。more
Carol
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This was fascinating。 Incredibly densely written， but still fascinating。 I particularly was interested in the parts about how fashion shapes and is shaped by both racial and gender inequality。
Jeanne
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Interesting to me since I've always loved the differences in fashion from long ago until now - so much change just in my own lifetime。 Lots of description & may not be for everyone but I liked it。 Interesting to me since I've always loved the differences in fashion from long ago until now - so much change just in my own lifetime。 Lots of description & may not be for everyone but I liked it。 。。。more
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
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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
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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。
Mara
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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
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