Uniforms Exposed

Jennifer Craik is Professor in the School of Creative Communication at the University of Canberra, Australia.

In an extraordinarily wide-ranging survey of the historical and contemporary construction - and constriction - of uniform, from surgeon's gowns to sportswear, from high school dress codes to Hollywood fantasies, from khaki to Kylie, Jennifer Craik parades a fascinating array. Her rigorous personal inspection presents a revealing peek under the tunic, and why it is worn. In the process she exposes the hitherto-overlooked power of institutional costume. Philip Hoare, author of 'Wilde's Last Stand' and 'England's Lost Eden'. Craik's book makes a valuable contribution to our understandings of a most ubiquitous form of dress. Her analysis takes us on a journey through the history of uniforms but the appeal of this book is that it takes the debate about uniforms beyond the obvious (military and schools) and into contemporary fashion. From disciplinary technique to sexual practice, uniforms are shown to have multiple meanings and varied connections to the body. An entertaining and well-written volume. Joanne Entwistle, London College of Fashion This fascinating study describes a wide range of uniforms (military, religious, occupational, sports) and intriguingly shows how uniforms serve two sides of control, overt and covert. Choice Magazine

• Part I: Uniforms and Culture Uniforms, Body Techniques and Culture Why Do Uniforms Intrigue Us? Technique of the Uniformed Body The Emergence of Uniforms of Modernity Part II: Uniforms and Authority From Military Uniforms To Codified Civility From Identification to Indulgence to Utilitarianism Glamour, Discipline, Modernity Functionality, Sexuality, Colonisation Military Uniforms and Civil Life School Uniforms and Docile Bodies Uniforms and Pedagogy Modern Masculinity and the Rise of School Uniforms One of the Boys? Uniform Codes and Feminine Persona Modifying School Uniforms Amid Youth Culture The School Uniform Debate Today Uniform Techniques Despite Fashion Changes Women in Uniform Modern Identities for Plucky Heroines Policing Femininity Fighting Women Brides of Christ or Sister Act: Dressing Women Clergy Sexualising Uniforms Part III: Uniforms for Work and Leisure Uniforms at Work Classic Elements of Work Uniforms 'Flight Refreshments': Dressing Airlines The Work of Occupational Uniforms Interpreting Occupational Uniforms Corporate, Quasi and Informal Uniforms Ambiguity and Occupational Identity Sports Uniforms to Sportswear Sporting Bodies and Disciplined Selves Defining Sports Uniforms and Sportswear Shaping Sports Uniforms: Some Historical Currents The Gendering of Sports Uniforms The Transformation of Sportswear Under Consumer Culture Fashioning Sports Clothing as Lifestyle Couture Sports Clothing as Fashion The Lycra Revolution Body Technologies From Stylish Sports Clothing to Sporty Style Part IV: Uniform Culture Uniforms in Fashion and Popular Culture Uniforms and Popular Culture Uniforms in Hollywood Musicals The Uniform in Fashion Photography Uniform Influences on Design Postmodern Sensibilities Subcultures and Uniforms From West to East-And Back Again The Popularity of Uniforms and Sexual Frisson Transgressive Uniforms in Contemporary Culture The Power of Uniforms Ecclesiastical Dress: From Carnival to Carnal Transgression and Culture The Transgressive Uptake of Uniforms Discipine and transgression Radicalism and transgression Sexuality and transgression