Sustainable Manners: Practical Advice on Dress for Women in American Etiquette Books from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Centuries

Department: Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice.
Advisors: Byrd, Sarah. Committee members: Font, Lourdes; Carlson, Brooke.
This paper is dedicated to the exploration of clothing etiquette as an alternative narrative to fashion—particularly fast fashion with its quick change of trends and poor quality commonly linked with harmful consequences to the environment and people. New theoretical and practical developments on the topic of sustainability emphasize the importance of consumer behavior. The survey of twenty-four American etiquette manuals from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will demonstrate that some values and practical recommendations regarding clothes are similar to the ones commonly brought up in the contemporary sustainable or slow fashion discourse. Moderation in clothing choices and purchases, the priority of personal style, comfort and health, quality and functionality of material, emphasis on making and repurposing, as well as the proper caring of garments—such a practical approach to clothes developed by the etiquette authors of the past was dictated by the principles of propriety, rationality, and economy. Today, these ideas are also associated with conscious consumption and sustainability. This connection could potentially allow the authors of contemporary etiquette manuals to organically embrace and expand the traditional practical advice on clothes in an eco-friendly and ethical manner to cultivate consumer attitudes. Their input could assist a long-term industry shift from the poorly-made, trendy, and throw-away fashions towards beautiful, comfortable, cherished, and have-forever clothes.