Consumers to Combatants? British Uniforms and Identities, 1914–18

Abstract

By the outbreak of the First World War, glamorous military uniforms and accoutrements already had a long history «f luring men into the armed forces. They also played a central role in the process of transforming raw recruits into servicemen, instilling a sense of separation from civilians, and fostering esprit de corps. The purpose of this article is to investigate further the supposed differences between uniforms and civilian garments. Focusing on the experiences of British servicemen who volunteered or were conscripted into the armed forces during the First World War, it questions whether men's sartorial practices and

Gazing on invisible men: Introducing the gallery gaze to establish that (in)visibility is in the eye of the beholder at Westminster Menswear Archive

“…The notion of uniform has been crucial to how men in the UK dress for at least the past 100 years (although uniforms have been around for far longer in military and non-military settings), with cultural notions of masculinity (and indeed hegemonic masculinitysee Connell, 2005), appropriateness and rebellion all performed and construed through a relationship with uniform. Items as disparate as lounge suits and bomber jackets through to the stage costumes of glam rock stars and new romantic musicians have all taken cues from military garments (see Breward, 2016; see also Craik, 2003;Ugolini, 2010). There is an element here of belonging, whether this is to a particular group, regiment, country or ideal.…”

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“…while concealing others (class, and other forms of social status); it serves as a symbol of legitimacy and marks the wearer as harbouring special skills and prerogatives; and it suppresses, or at least sublimates (Bhugra & Silva, 1996;Craik, 2003), individual idiosyncrasy. These processes serve as mechanisms of social placement which provides a framework for mutually negotiated forms of social interaction (Paperman, 2003), including self-formation (Matthews David, 2003;Streicher, 2012;Ugolini, 2010), transgression (Craik, 2005), and resistance (De Camargo, 2016).…”

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