Sophie Woodward explores communicative capacities of fashion and specific materialities of clothing. Her focus is on wardrobes of women in London and how putting together of outfits form a personal style. This style or aesthetic results from what an individual perceives to go along, based on factors such as color, pattern, and texture. The author argues that clothing should not only be seen as an extension of the self but also as a part of a material culture that reflects identity, position in the society, and sexuality (Woodward 2005, p.21). Woodward (2005, p.23) fronts another argument that instead of assuming clothing reflects a predetermined self, it is essential to establish the type of anthropological conceptualization of self that arises from practice with clothing.
Furthermore, Woodward (2005, p.24) demonstrates that clothing can be a blend of the self. What this means is that individuals can assemble outfits that not only reflect who they are but also how society is imagined to perceive the individual. Clothing, therefore, mediates the relationship between the individual putting together an outfit and the community. The concern for how the outside world perceives individuals can cause notable panic especially when the assembled outfit does not seem to reflect how the outside world is imagined to perceive the individual. Woodward (2005, p.31) concludes that most individuals understand and feel it is simple for an individual to have free expression of self. However, this is not always true because several constraints hinder the free expression of self through clothing.
References
Woodward, S., 2005. Looking good, feeling right: aesthetics of the self. In Kuechler, S and Miller, D. Eds.,
Clothing as Material Culture. Oxford: Berg, pp. 21-40.
