A Perfect Fit: Clothes, Character, and the Promise of America

by Jenna Weissman Joselit

While fashions of the rich and famous have been endlessly chronicled, little attention has been paid to the meaning of clothes for everyone else. Yet between 1890 and 1940, as ready-to-wear came into its own, fashion for ordinary Americans played an increasingly important role in shaping the national character. Drawing on advertisements and health manuals, sermons and songs, acclaimed historian Jenna Weissman Joselit shows how the length of a woman's skirt, the shape of a man's hat, and the height of a pair of heels enabled citizens of every faith, color, and class to feel part of the modern nation.

Engaging, imaginative, and original, A Perfect Fit uncovers a time in our history when getting dressed was more about fitting in than standing out.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Fashion, Sociology

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2001

Reviews

[Rachel]

I liked the argument, but wished there was a bit more meat and more analysis of the supporting visuals.

[Lorraine]

I thoroughly enjoyed this; it's written very accessibly and includes a lot of pictures, mostly from advertisements.

Covering 1890-1930, this book discusses clothes as symbolic of what it means to be American and, thus, spends a great deal of time on African American, Jewish, and other immigrant populations and how they achieved or failed to achieve belonging based on their clothing.

Joselit has a knack for uncovering the silliest, most ridiculous, and over the top comments made by moralizers; parts of this are deeply funny to read.

[Rogue Reader]

How clothes made America by defining the middle class through generic off-the-shelf ready mades and modern advertising. Hats, suits, skirts and heels. Index and notes

[Gail Kennon]

entertaining and informative especially for someone like me who knows very little about fashion.

[Dora Carson]

An interesting and easy-to-read treatise on clothes as a reflection of American moral fiber during the period from the late 1880s through the 1920s. The book was not very academically sound but it did include examples and some citations. Also she skips around a bit across a wide period of time in discussing each theme. Her points about fashion in general, jewelry, furs, hats, and men’s wear were all clear and obvious, however, and her arguments, although not complex, made sense.

[Apryl Anderson]

Was this a Master's thesis? It read like a research paper. Well-researched, yes, but a compelling read? No. I recognize much of this from my Fashion History class a BGSU--a favorite--and it was good to see a compact guide to this period of such ENORMOUS change in clothing. The industrial revolution spawned ready-to-wear clothing manufacture. The working classes were beginning to have options in dress. Come to think of it, this should've been another episode of BBC's People's Century.

[Caitlin]

Not my cup of tea :( Liked the concept but not the execution.

[Erika Mulvenna]

I agree with some of the other reviews here; loved the premise of the book, wished there was more "meat" including supporting materials.