The Language of Clothes - Alison Lurie - 1981

In this fascinating exploration of fashion as communication, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alison Lurie decodes the silent language we speak through our clothing choices. With wit and scholarly insight, Lurie examines how everything from hemlines to hat styles, color choices to fabric textures, reveals our social status, political beliefs, sexual desires, and psychological states. Drawing from history, literature, anthropology, and her keen observational skills, she illuminates how clothing has evolved as a complex system of signs with its own grammar and vocabulary. From the rebellious messages in youth fashion to the calculated signals in political dress, from gender norms to professional uniforms, Lurie demonstrates how we unconsciously "read" each other through this visual language every day. Entertaining and enlightening, this seminal work transforms our understanding of fashion from mere adornment to a sophisticated form of non-verbal communication that speaks volumes about both individuals and society. - The Language of Clothes - Alison Lurie: Published 1981, Random House Inc. New York Hardcover. Approx. 7.5x9.5in. 274pp. In good condition.