Dress and Identity in America

Daniel Delis Hill is an independent fashion historian. He is the author of Peacock Revolution (Bloomsbury, 2018). He has contributed to the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion and the American National Biography (Oxford University), and has taught fashion history at the University of the Incarnate Word, Texas, USA.

• Preface1. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit: Growing UpSociocultural legacies from his childhoodAmerican manhood during World War IICivilian dress and identity during the Second World WarConclusion2. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit: The Postwar YearsMasculine identity in transitionThe GI Bill of RightsPostwar marriageMasculine identity in suburbiaFatherhood in the baby boom eraTV dads of the 1950sConclusion3. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit: Crisis in Masculinity The feminization of American manhoodConformity and Cold War masculine identityThe stress of successNoncomformist Beats, beatniks and bikersPlayboys“Lavender Lads”Conclusion 4. Men’s Dress from Ivy League to Continental to ModIvy League styleContinental suitsAccessoriesSportswearThe dichotomy of desexualized dress and erotic masculine stylesThe British Invasion: from the London Line to modConclusion5. Ethnic Men’s Identity and DressThe zoot suitThe social significance and cultural meaning of the zoot suitThe zoot suit riotsSoul style in the 1960s Conclusion6. Women of the Baby Boom Era: Lessons of YouthFeminine role models and expectationsAmerican women during World War IISociocultural changes for women during World War IIConclusion7. Women’s Identities in the Baby Boom YearsMarriage reunions at the end of the warPostwar newlyweds Postwar marriage: not happily ever after Postwar suburban wives Motherhood in the baby boom eraTV wives and mothers of the baby boom eraWorking women of the baby boom eraFeminism in the baby boom eraConclusion8. Women’s Fashions of the Baby Boom EraThe New LookMod and the miniskirtWomen’s accessories of the baby boom yearsDecade of “miracle fabrics”Conclusion9. Baby Boom ChildrenAn era of childrenGender role socializationA new consumer demographicChildren’s dressStandardization of children’s sizes and textile regulationsChildren’s body modificationsConclusionEnd NotesBibliographyIndex

Comprehensive and thoughtful, Daniel Delis Hill extends existing studies of post-war American dress, paying welcome attention to marginalised and mundane identities. Distinctive due to its robust contextualisation and detailed socio-political framing, the book presents a timely history.