Historian of Dress and Material Culture in the U.S.

I research, write and teach about dress and material culture in U.S. history. To get dressed is to communicate, and those conversations are fascinating historical scripts. Our fashion past tell us vital things about race, sex, gender, and capitalism. My work interprets the narratives Americans create through changing styles.

Right now, I’m working on a book about the roots of our notions about dressing for success and looking like a criminal. Well Suited: A History of Style and Prejudice in a Land of Opportunity looks at style ideals between 1890 and 1940, when businesses were consolidated, races were segregated, and both sexes enfranchised (sort of). Along the way I ask questions like, why did the upper class stop having crazy dress-up parties? Why did white supremacists portray Black politicians as dandies? Why do our public memories of what prostitutes wore for much of history look pretty much like the (inaccurate) portrayal* here?

Check out my book recommendations on Shepherd.com, a great website for finding new reads!

*That’s me at about nine years old, courtesy of the Old Tyme photo studio in a small Florida mall. The theme: Wild West. The assumption: women in the Wild West were prostitutes. And that it’s fine to have that as a costume option for a kid.