Memories of Dress

Memories of clothing feature prominently in auto/biographies, yet traditionally they have not been subjected to the same level of academic scrutiny as other sources. Memories of Dress redresses this imbalance by bringing auto/biographical memories to the centre of a new methodology for understanding fashion history, material culture, and other disciplines. Presenting a comprehensive overview of theoretical and practice-based approaches, the book invites readers to explore the relations between clothing and memory through diverse examples ranging from oral histories of Madchester men and Hungarian socialist sewing, to a quilt-making autoethnography into the complexities of American racial heritage and imagined memories within museum collections. Chapters by leading and emerging experts consider the ways in which dress is remembered and the ways that memories and nostalgia in turn influence everyday dress practices, unpicking the meanings and motivations—both collective and public, personal and private—behind the clothes we wear in different times, places and life stages; and the impact of class, gender, ethnicity, and disability on material identities. Uniquely weaving personal recollection with theory, this multidisciplinary book offers new ways of understanding clothing, material culture, and memory.

Dress in the form of everyday clothing ... tends to survive mainly in the individual or collective memory of those who wore it. Few such items become the object of museum study but several have come to the forefront of memory in this collection of diverse essays. The "auto/biographical" memories recorded here of everyday dress contribute thought-provoking accounts of the eras in which they were worn., This exciting and interdisciplinary collection of new essays pursues and develops a neglected theme: the presence, role, and importance of individual and cultural memory in the tings we wear ... The essays are individual, substantial, and represent a serious and valuable contribution to the critical theorization and practice of remembrance in and through fashion, clothing, and textiles., A diverse and insightful set of perspectives, this anthology reinforces the relevance of auto/biographical memories as a method to explore the motivations and meanings of everyday garments. Profound and poignant insights unfold as the past reverberates in the present through material engagement with clothes.

Alison Slater is Senior Lecturer in Design History at Manchester School of Art, Dept. of Art & Performance, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. She has contributed to the journal Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty and her PhD research features in the BBC Radio 4 documentary Rags to Riches. Susan Atkin is Deputy Division Head for Fashion Design at Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. She was previously the designer-owner of womenswear label Electricity. Elizabeth Kealy-Morris is Senior Lecturer in Fashion Communication and Fashion Cultures at Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Her research into body dressing work has featured in The Guardian.