All over the world, people get dressed, mostly for the same reasons. Why, then, do we look so different from each other? The answers lie in the constellations of factors that contribute to the human condition, from climate to conformity, gender expression to race and ethnicity.Beginning with the body as the organizing principle around which to study dress, this 50th anniversary edition of The Visible Self makes sense of humans as biological, social, and aesthetic creatures ...

Global Trade and Cultural Authentication, edited by Joanne Eicher, showcases the complexity and enduring aesthetic and ingenuity of Kalabari artisans. The Kalabari people, most of whom make their homes in the eastern Niger Delta region of western Africa, are renowned for the artistry in working with globally imported textiles and dress for centuries.The 22 essays in this edited volume feature the work of leading Nigerian and American scholars and offer an in-depth, nuanced...