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Communication in Fashion

I studied communications as an undergraduate. As a result of these studies I have been particularly fascinated by how and what we communicate through our clothing. The most naive and thus amusing response I have ever gotten from a person on the subject would be that they are not communicating anything. But even the absence of any surface intent communicates a disinterest, possibly even so much as a disconnect from the full social scene that they may think they are occupying. In a landscape of sunglasses proclaiming self absorption, fresh pressed collars announcing meticulous focus, and high spiked shoes flagrantly ignoring physical logic in favor of that extra inch over the competition, a baggy t-shirt can tell the story of a morning missed and a rushed dressing after the alarm clock failed to wake you up.

Thus, fashion is a dialogue that takes place between people before or even without and direct interaction. We quickly make relatively unfounded judgments of people we see on the street, almost all of which are based on the clothes they selected that morning. (You can understand, possibly, why I plan out my day and the desired effects I want to have as I select my outfit and get dressed.)

Communication Through Convention and Defining a Vocabulary For Fashion

These examples presume a conversation based on social convention. The t-shirt is conventionally a casual garment. It is acceptable in most schools, parks, and commercial stores. Yet, it would be perceived as inappropriate in a formal dining environment.

But what of fashion that attempts to establish a direct dialogue between the designer and viewer. Rather than being words assembled by the wearer, where the discussion is defined by convention, fashion instead needs its own vocabulary to communicate an individual message from the clothing, defining what it is. This is the territory of higher fashion, where the detailing on the collar becomes an emotional outpouring, where smooth sleek lines make a smooth sleek man, and where the splashes of color in the lining speak of a woman who plays the corporate game while concealing a free spirit.

Man wearing a Nigerian agbada. Image from African Styles

And so, what does the dress communicate in terms of convention and vocabulary? In most communities, its first message is femininity, regardless if it is a man or woman wearing it. I have been at a few gatherings where the amusing thing was to put a man in a dress. But is the dress itself really that unmasculine?* It could be argued that the skirt and dress obstruct the legs in cases of running and riding and, therefore, a style best suited to those in a more domestic situation. Yet, traditionally masculine costumes such as the Roman toga, the Scottish kilt, the Indian dhoti, and the Nigerian Agbada all resemble the dress/skirt form. I contend that the connotations of the dress are not part of the vocabulary of form they take but, rather, defined by cultural convention.

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”

1 Timothy 2:9-10KJV

And so, what cultural connotations have been associated with the dress and what do they say of the women who where them? Cultures and religions that require women to wear dresses, such as traditional Catholics, orthodox Jews, and fundamentalist Muslims require women to dress in dresses, skirts, and similar fashions to express modesty and other characteristics associated with proper female practitioners. Words such as shamefacedness, sobriety, meek, and quiet have been used in describing the proper donning of dresses by women. If these are reasons why a woman should wear a dress, it is easy to extrapolate that these are characteristics expected of women. Thus, the dress reflects the expectations of women’s reserved and demure behavior. They make sense when considering that these groups also tend to be highly patriarchal. In these communities, the dress is a part of the costume of the disempowered.

In wearing a dress, do we subconsciously accept the roles associated with the garment?

Redefining the dress and Leadership-Gender Dynamics

The beauty myth has always been part of our culture, but as feminist commentators like Naomi Wolf and Susan J. Douglas have noted, the craze for ever-smaller female bodies coincided with women taking up a more space in the workplace. Sarah Seltzer

But now, address the dress in terms of vocabulary. Can we redefine the dress and subvert the message and thereby redefine what it is to be female even if on only an individual level?

Woman strutting her stuff in high bloomer fashion. Image from Mommom’s Garden

There have been past attempts to redefine the woman’s role in society as expressed in fashion. The bloomer movement is of particular interest considering the contemporary and historic challenge of the “double-bind.” The bloomers were introduced to Victorian fashion as a comfortable and practical alternative to current female fashion. But they quickly attracted censure by such publications as the The World of Fashion, which found the bloomers to be “manly and commanding”—characteristics that are, apparently, unbecoming of the “fairer sex.” An advocate of the bloomer, Dr. Mary Walker, tellingly responded to this popular criticism by maintaining that “they may indeed object to her attire, but claims that they cannot fail to admire her courage in the face of ‘a great social anomaly.’” The reassessment was championed by such groups as The Rational Dress Society and The Langham Place Circle who “viewed dress-reform as both healthy and conducive to emancipation,” a particularly interesting connection in terms of fashion effecting greater trends. The most telling observation, however, I came across was found in Women’s Penny Paper (1889,) explaining,

To imitate is to admit superiority and by dressing like a man, and trying to speak like a man, and generally aping manly ways, the manly young lady shows in the most sincere of possible ways that she thinks herself inferior to the being she apes.

So, is a pant suit acknowledging an inadequacy to leadership? The conflict remains: working women negotiate a division between femininity and leadership, the failure of which is best reflected during Hillary Clinton’s Presidential race. Clinton has been known for adopting unisex pantsuits, a camouflage in a highly masculine field. While other candidate’s platforms and personalities were being covered, Clinton shocked reporters and audiences when she revealed a bit of cleavage under a low cut black blouse and rose colored blazer. Clinton’s cleavage coverage (by the media, that is) was grossly over the top and spoke to a climate more concerned about the femininity of the candidate rather than the policy and qualifications of the candidate. (Don’t even get me started about Palin.)

What is a woman supposed to wear on the Senate floor or the boardroom? Does she fall into the contradiction related by the Women’s Penny Paper or overcompensate, falling into the cleavage conundrum? Consider that, until 1993 and the help of Carol Moseley-Braun, women weren’t allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor.

It strikes me that fashion has not yet found a solution to express feminine leadership and the solution is not in feminizing a traditionally masculine garment but in granting a traditionally feminine garment a more authoritative look. And, thus, I return to the dress.

The Heartbreak Dress is a self-serving and manipulative piece, but the concept of an arresting feminine garment bears the seeds of a more important characteristic in female fashion: respect. The classic question for any leader is “would you rather be respected or feared?” And yet, as in so many cases, this is ironically patriarchal because the question that women really have to deal with, when it comes to a strategy for control, is “would you rather be lusted after or resented?” Even today, girls learn to get their way by simpering and pouting. While it may be considered silly and inappropriate in the workplace, the other option is to adopt that masculine structure of authority. And yet, all too often, when a man finds a woman in such a position above him, he resents it. She is criticized as being butch, overbearing, and *gasp* probably a lesbian—all adjectives focusing on the lack of one essential characteristic: femininity.

We constantly return to the double-bind, but it implies a monochromatic solution. It is times like this that the solution is not found in updates but in innovation. The goal of the Heartbreak Dress is to command recognition and response without the abuse of sensuality. In pursuing this, it feels like it is a path that lies parallel to the path of respectable female fashion. Each aspect of the dress: the neckline, hemline, sleeves (or lack thereof), drapery, and fitting divorces femininity from eroticism in favor of the rational but fashionable.

That is what we need: clothing that is rational but fashionable. In the oncoming weeks/months (we’ll see how long I can keep this going) I will be exploring different aspects of woman’s fashion as it applies to leadership and self expression. Keep posted.

* Incidentally, my auto spell check finds “unmasculine” to be a spelling error but not “unfeminine.” It is interesting that the is a greater record for documenting lack of femininity that masculinity.

Thank You

Thank you to the help and input of Paul Von Blum, and Sana Soni.

Bibliography

“Bloomers and Reformers.” The Spectacular Female Body: Dress, Fashion and Modernity in Victorian Women’s Magazines.

El-Matrah, Joumanah. “One man’s patriarchy is another man’s inconvenience: Muslim women have a proud tradition of activism. Why, then, are they so often misrepresented.” Arena Magazine. Feb 2005.

Givhan, Robin. “Hillary Clinton’s Tentative Dip Into New Neckline Territory.” The Washington Post. 20 July 2007.

Seltzer, Sarah”Should the Burqa Be Banned? Many Women Think No, But Others Disagree.” Reproductive Justice and Gender. 22 July 2009.

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