Uniforms

Look around and uniforms are everywhere. They're a way of belonging and of making people belong. Armies, police forces, and militias led the way, but today they're used by a new generation of service industries, from security guards to delivery firms. Subconsciously, uniforms oil the wheels of the world. We accept orders from a uniformed guard, respect the diagnosis of a doctor or nurse, and feel better about entrusting that important package to a uniformed private delivery company operative. Uniforms inspire trust, respect, and sometimes even fear.

This book traces the rise of the uniform in pictures up to the present day, from early military uniforms and on to the Second World War, from which a lot of uniform items made it through into civilian life, coinciding with the birth of the teenage phenomenon in the 1950s. It examines the different ways in which the uniform is used: as a means of control, of morale building, and of self-expression.

Featuring uniforms from all walks of lifemilitary, school, sports teams, and workwearthe book examineshow fashion has been influenced by uniform design and how fashion has, in turn, been reinterpreted by uniform designers.