Buttoned Up: Clothing, Conformity, and White-Collar Masculinity

272 Pages·2015·4.879 MB·English

by  Erynn Masi de Casanova

BUTTONED UP

Buttoned Up
Clothing, Conformity, and
White-Collar Masculinity
Erynn Masi de Casanova
ILR PRESS
AN IMPRINT OF
CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS
ITHACA AND LONDON
Cover design by Carol Hayes.
Copyright © 2015 by Erynn Masi de Casanova
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts
thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from
the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512
East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2015 by Cornell University Press
First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2015
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Casanova, Erynn Masi de, 1977– author.
Buttoned up : clothing, conformity, and white-collar masculinity / Erynn Masi
de Casanova.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8014-5418-9 (cloth : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-1-5017-0049-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Clothing and dress—Social aspects—United States. 2. Sex role—United
States—History—20th century. 3. Men—United States—Social life and customs.
4. White collar workers—United States. 5. Men's clothing—United States. I. Title.
GT615.C37 2015
391.00973—dc23 2015010594
Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers
and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such
materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are
recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further
information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.
Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Paperback printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my parents, with love and appreciation

Contents
Introduction 1
1. Playing by the Rules: Dress Codes in Corporate Workplaces 7
Trading Places 31
2. Just Like Dad? Family Relations and Class Origins in
Dressing for White-Collar Work 35
Watches and Shoes 62
3. Putting On the Uniform: Choice, Obligation, and
Collective Identity 65
Tailor Tales 87
4. The Metrosexual Is Dead, Long Live the Metrosexual! 91
Zuck’s Hoodie 117
5. What about Women? Gender and Dress at Work and Home 120
A Man Should Never Wear ___. 147
6. The F Word: Men’s Engagement with Fashion 148
Comfort 172
7. Being/Becoming the Boss: Office Hierarchies and Dress 175
Conclusion 200
Acknowledgments 205
Appendix: Research Methods and Demographic
Profile of Interviewees 207
Notes 221
References 239
Index 249
Photo gallery

BUTTONED UP