Uniforms: Why We Are What We Wear

According to the renowned social critic and historian Paul Fussell, we are what we wear, and it doesn’t look good. Uniforms parses the hidden meanings of our apparel — from brass buttons to blue jeans, badges to feather flourishes — revealing what our clothing says about class, sex, and our desire to belong. With keen insight and considerable curmudgeonly flair, Fussell unfolds the history and cultural significance of all manner of attire, fondly analyzing the roles that uniforms play in a number of communities — the military, the church, health care, food service, sports — even everyday civilian life. Uniforms is vintage Fussell: “revelatory, ribald, and irresistible” (Shirley Hazzard).