Dress casual : how college students redefined American style / Deirdre Clemente.

ISBN:

9781469615479

9781469614083

Title:

Dress casual : how college students redefined American style / Deirdre Clemente.

Author:

Clemente, Deirdre, author.

Personal Author:

Clemente, Deirdre, author.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 196 pages) : illustrations.

Series:

Gender and American culture

Contents:

In the public eye -- On the campus -- In the dorm -- On a date -- In the gym

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Subject Term:

Dress codes in the workplace -- United States.

College students -- United States -- Attitudes.

College environment.

College students -- Clothing -- United States -- History.

Fashion -- United States -- History.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2014

Publication Information:

Chapel Hill :

The University of North Carolina Press,

[2014]

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
331.25 23	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

As Deirdre Clemente shows in this lively history of fashion on American college campuses, whether it's jeans and sneakers or khakis with a polo shirt, chances are college kids made it cool. The modern casual American wardrobe, Clemente argues, was born in the classrooms, dormitories, fraternity and sorority houses, and gyms of universities and colleges across the country. As young people gained increasing social and cultural clout during the early twentieth century, their tastes transformed mainstream fashion from collared and corseted to comfortable. From east coast to west and from the Ivy League to historically black colleges and universities, changing styles reflected new ways of defining the value of personal appearance, and, by extension, new possibilities for creating one's identity.

The pace of change in fashion options, however, was hardly equal. Race, class, and gender shaped the adoption of casual style, and young women faced particular backlash both from older generations and from their male peers. Nevertheless, as coeds fought dress codes and stereotypes, they joined men in pushing new styles beyond the campus, into dance halls, theaters, homes, and workplaces. Thanks to these shifts, today's casual style provides a middle ground for people of all backgrounds, redefining the meaning of appearance in American culture.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In her impressive first book, University of Nevada-Las Vegas historian Clemente examines the ways in which 20th-century college students have used their clothes to challenge the constructs of American society. The author posits that pushing the boundaries of social mores through casual dress is a phenomenon that must be credited to university students rather than "Hollywood, Madison Avenue, and even Parisian couturiers." States Clemente, "the shift from collared to comfortable came amid. the kind of sweeping social change" that included "two waves of American feminism, one Depression, two world wars, six decades of civil rights, and the movement of millions of families into the suburbs." Clemente neatly breaks down the casual dress movement, with chapters focusing on a specific area of college life. Using quotes from students across the decades, dress codes from colleges nationwide, published articles on what was considered de rigueur for the time, as well as photos and illustrations, Clemente drives home her point that the simple decision of choosing what to wear can be anything but simple. 25 illus. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Choice Review

Casual clothes are the hallmark of American style and represent the major contribution the US has made to the realm of fashion. Easy-to-wear jeans, sweaters, T-shirts, and tennis shoes have spread to the point that they are acceptable gear almost worldwide. According to historian Clemente (Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas), they were the innovations of US college students in the 20th century who insisted on the primacy of comfort, not formality. Clemente uses students' writing, university records, and trade and fashion journals to trace student efforts to dress casually, often for practical reasons, including lack of funds, chilly dormitory rooms and lecture halls, and the need to walk long distances around campus. Every new generation of students pushed the sartorial envelope, fighting for the right first to wear sweaters, then jeans, and then Bermuda shorts until school administrators quit attempting to regulate student dress at all. Clemente demonstrates the larger impact of these styles as students graduated but maintained their commitment to sensible sportswear. The book's thesis is convincing and enlivened by well-chosen illustrations and delightful quotes from students themselves. --Rachel Anne Standish, San Joaquin Delta College

Library Journal Review

Clothing styles have changed over time and have been explored by many historians. Clemente (history, Univ. of Nevada-Las Vegas) explores casual clothing trends in the early to mid-20th century and finds that the modern American style exemplified by sweaters, shorts, and blue jeans arose largely owing to the influence of American college students. By examining newspaper and magazine articles, as well as students' personal letters and diaries, -Clemente argues that the young adults' desire for versatility and comfort in their clothing heavily influenced the clothing industry and the rest of society, which led to a permanent change in standards of dress. This title also chronicles students' struggle against restrictive dress codes set by university administrations and parents' desire to preserve the clothing status quo. Additionally, the book probes carefully the variance in these clothing restrictions by gender and campus culture. VERDICT This engaging and highly readable cultural history is highly recommended for readers interested in the development of clothing or in early 20th-century college life.-Rebekah Kati, Walden Univ. Lib., Morrisville, NC (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Choice Review

Library Journal Review