Fashion Identity

"Subtly altered how I see the world." —Michelle Goldberg, New York Times “[Status and Culture] consistently posits theories I'd never previously considered that instantly feel obvious.” —Chuck Klosterman, author of The Nineties “Why are you the way that you are? Status and Culture...

Explore the cultural history and hidden sociology of footwear, from basic survival gear to modern status symbols. Perfect for your daily walk or morning commute, this witty and thought-provoking exploration reveals how terrain, climate, and labor originally dictated what early humans strapped to...

Discover the empowering feminist history of style, where every garment is a weapon in the fight for bodily autonomy. Perfect for your daily commute or a reflective afternoon, this thought-provoking journey reframes apparel from mere decoration into a profound tool of systemic control and social...

Your everyday wardrobe hides a fierce history of global power, social class struggles, and human survival. Transform your daily commute into a thought-provoking journey through time as you explore the hidden language of garments. Whether you are getting dressed for work or simply unwinding, this...

Slaves to Fashion is a cultural history of the black dandy, from his emergence in Enlightenment England to his contemporary incarnations in the cosmopolitan art world. Interpreting performances and representations of black dandyism in particular cultural settings and literary and visual texts, Monica L. Miller emphasizes the importance of sartorial style to black identity formation in the Atlantic diaspora.

Decode the hidden psychology of your daily wardrobe choices and master the unspoken social dynamics of getting dressed. Whether you are commuting to a corporate office or organizing your closet on a quiet, reflective Sunday, every garment you own projects loud messages about your identity, power...

There is not just one story of silk. In silk is science, history and mythology. In silk is the future. Aarathi Prasad’s Silk is a gorgeous new history weaving together the story of a unique material that has fascinated the world for millennia. Through the scientists who have studied silk, and...

A man and a woman with the same name are looking for a fresh start only to discover they have landed the same job in this charming new romance by bestselling author Beth O’Leary. Charlie couldn’t be happier to take the job of farm-shop manager on the remote, wild Isle of Ormer. She’s...

Let the world's most celebrated drag queens transform and empower you with their sick'ning style, wit and wisdom. However you want to werk it - out-there eleganza, easy-breezy realness, and everything in between - Serving Face is like the gentle hand of your Drag Mother guiding you towards a...

“[An] enthralling portrait of a woman daring to defy convention in the face of rigid social confines…filled with thought-provoking turns that explore timely subjects in a gripping light...its themes linger long after the final page is read.”—USA Today With echoes of Rules of Civility and...

Jesse Bering - author, psychologist, academic - has what you might call an enquiring mind. He takes the kind of questions about sex and sexuality which many of us have idly wondered about and he applies his knowledge of experimental psychology and rigorous scientific analysis to them until he...

Bloomsbury presents Glasses by Adam Geczy, read by Todd Boyce. Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Glasses are among the oldest and most commonplace prosthetics we have invented. But what does it mean to wear glasses? There...