Classifying Fashion, Fashioning Class: Making Sense of Women's Practices, Perceptions and Tastes

Classifying Fashion explores how the fashion-class association has developed and demonstrates how this relationship operates today, particularly for women, as their performances of respectability, femininity, and motherhood are embodied by fashion and shaped by class. It offers insights into how fashion mobilises class differences in understandings of dressing up, performance, and public space and considers how class identity shapes womens attitudes concerning fashion trends and classic styles.

Format: Hardback
Length: 214 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Drawing together theoretical ideas from across the social sciences, Classifying Fashion, Fashioning Class delves into the intricate development of the fashion-class association and its contemporary manifestations. Through the experiences of middle- and working-class British women, the book offers a comprehensive exploration of how this relationship operates in the modern world. While scholars argue that contemporary class distinctions are shaped by cultural practices and tastes, there has been limited research into the ways in which individuals' fashion choices actively mobilize class and are employed in class evaluations. However, the everyday dress of an individual serves as a poignant marker of taste, making it a crucial means of class distinction. This is particularly true for women, as their performances of respectability, femininity, and motherhood are intricately embodied through fashion and shaped by class.

In unraveling this fashion-class relationship, the book delves into the ways in which British women utilize fashion to communicate about class. It provides valuable insights into the mechanisms through which fashion mobilizes class differences, shaping perceptions of dressing up, performance, and public spaces. It examines how class identity shapes women's attitudes toward fashion trends and classic styles, highlighting the pivotal role mothers play in cultivating these class distinctions. Classifying Fashion, Fashioning Class appeals to students studying sociology, fashion studies, cultural studies, human geography, and consumer behavior, offering a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted relationship between fashion, class, and society.

Weight: 458g
Dimension: 158 x 235 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780415784122