Hello all, I was hoping you could help suggest books or other reading materials on the cultural history of fashion in the United States. Particularly with a focus on the 20th century, when market forces, manufacturing changes, and cultural transformations shifted people away from formalwear to more contemporary outfits. I would hope there at least a few economic, cultural, and fashion historians who have written on the topic and I would like to learn more about this! Bonus appreciation if anyone has a geographic study they could recommend, for example I'd imagine this multifaceted topic has plenty of differences between the West Coast and Northeast. Thank you so much!
I don't have a ton of recs here because this isn't the angle I typically come at historical fashion from, but I have a few!
Deirdre Clemente, Dress Casual: How College Students Redefined American Style - This is the book that I always cite when I talk about how clothing became more casual in the mid-twentieth century. Clemente makes a very compelling argument about the development of a deliberately "sloppy" style among affluent white college students that then disseminated into the wider culture as college opened up to more people and as students grew into adults. There are other factors as well, but it's a good basis.
Jo B. Paoletti, Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America - This is another I've referenced for answers. The book's focus is on the gendering of children's clothing, particularly in terms of color schemes, but also in other aspects. Quite a good read but it will make you explode with rage every time you see someone say that "pink used to be the boy color".
Kathy Piess, Hope in a Jar: The Making of America's Beauty Culture - Hope in a Jar is really a history of the American cosmetics industry. Not sure if you're into it, but it's definitely related to fashion!