What Is Modesty In Dress?

I generally prefer containment when I dress. That usually means I am more covered up. At one point I started to wonder if this meant I had some kind of internalized modesty framework. Some Victorian mindset I hadn’t fully examined. An elderly woman in my office building once asked me if I was a Jehovah’s Witness […]

How To Actually Stop Trying So Hard

“So… are you saying people should just stop trying so hard?” Not exactly. Clothing still requires attention. You can’t throw on random objects and expect everything to magically work.  That works for kids. But your effort moves to a different place. A lot of style advice focuses on semiotic effort. You’re supposed to construct an identity, reference […]

What Clothing Actually Does to Your Body

I talk about “conditions” a lot, but it might help to name the specific physical variables in clothing and the body sensations they can create. These are not aesthetic categories. Also these are general somatic experiences. Someone might have a different experience. Fabric Weight How heavy or light the material is. Structure How much the […]

Can You Wear Racist Clothing?

Since I wrote that post on historical correctness I started an argument with myself. If the historical significance of clothing isn’t that important, could you theoretically just wear something like a KKK robe or a Nazi uniform? Maybe you just like the style. I’ve written before that context matters in dress, but I also like to stress-test ideas. […]