Clothes make the man

The way we dress is a means of self-expression. It also conveys group affiliation, such as professions or social status, as well as specific messages. For example, expensive and special fabrics as well as perfectly crafted cuts are a signal of high social status.

Clothing can indicate conformity with social norms – such as the three-piece suit of the banker Arnoldt or the mourning pile of the widow Benzinos. But they can also break with them, such as Kanoldt’s “Girl in a Pink Dress” in the 1920s, which is off-the-shoulder.

Uniforms demonstrate unity and strength. In the case of the police, they ensure respect and authority. But when does clothing become propaganda? For example, when they were deliberately designed to symbolize ideological unity, as was the case under National Socialism.