In the context of gun proliferation and persistent gun violence in the United States, a controversial security strategy has gained public attention: bulletproof fashion. This book examines concerns about security focusing on armored clothing and accessories for civilians. Available for children and adults, such ballistic products include colorful backpacks, elegant suits, sports jackets, feminine dresses, trendy vests, and medical lab coats. These products are paradigmatic of a "fashion of fear"—the practice of outfitting the body with apparel aimed at maximizing personal security. This fashion encourages the emergence of both a fortress body and an armored society. Sutton also explores the wider social factors influencing the bulletproof fashion phenomenon, including the inequalities associated with neoliberalism and the militarization of civilian life. The book sheds light on the role of emotions in relation to discourses and perceptions of security, and encourages feminist and sociological studies to pay attention to the linkages between security, bodies, and dress. It is ideal for students and scholars interested in security and gun violence, culture and politics, neoliberalism and consumption, and bodies and emotions.

A WIRED 2020 Book of the Year Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. "Nothing's bulletproof," the salesman said. "The thing's only bullet resistant." The New York Times journalist Kenneth R. Rosen had just purchased his first bulletproof vest and was headed off on assignment. He was travelling into Mosul, Iraq, when he realized that the idea of a bulletproof vest is more effective than the vest itself. From its very inception, poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide, or Kevlar, was meant for tires. Its humble roots and mundane applications are often lost, as it is now synonymous with body armor, war zones, and domestic terrorism. What Rosen learned through intimate use of his vest was that it acts as a metaphor for all the precautions we take toward digital, physical, and social security. Bulletproof Vest is at once an introspective journey into the properties and precisions of a bulletproof vest on a molecular level and on the world stage. It's also an ode to living precariously, an open letter that defends the notion that life is worth the risk. A portion of the author's proceeds will be donated to RISC, a nonprofit that provides emergency medical training to freelance conflict journalists. For more information, go to www.risctraining.org. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

"After a fourteen-year estrangement, Maria Venegas returns to Mexico from the United States to visit her father, who is living in the old hacienda where both he and she were born. While spending the following summers and holidays together, herding cattle and fixing barbed-wire fences, he begins sharing stories with her, tales of a dramatic life filled with both intense love and brutal violence--from the final conversations he had with his own father, to his extradition from the United States for murder, to his mother's pride after he shot a man for the first time at the age of twelve"--Amazon.com.

Globalization is often thought of as an abstract process that happens "out there" in the world. But people are ultimately the driving force of global change, and people have bodies that are absent from current conversations about globalization. The original scholarly research and first-person accounts of embodiment in this volume explore the role of bodies in the flows of people, money, commodities, and ideas across borders. From Zumba fitness classes to martial arts to fashion blogs and the meanings of tattooing, the contributors examine migrating body practices and ideals that stretch across national boundaries.

This book explores the evolving relationship between fashion and transnational capitalism. It examines the inequalities and injustices that this relationship embodies and engenders within the interconnected domains of production, consumption, labour, and environmental ethics. It also considers national and transnational ways of evading, resisting, and dismantling those inequalities and injustices. An accessible and compelling read, Fashion’s Transnational Inequalities will appeal to students and scholars of fashion, sociology, politics, cultural studies, and all those interested in deconstructing the inequalities that exist in the fashion industry globally.

Fashion, Upcycling, and Memory questions practices and explores its profound connection to memory and sustainability. Through a practice-based researcher lens, the research examines the intricate interplay between upcycling and memory, unveiling assemblages of concepts, objects, and values that inspire action. This book takes readers on a journey through the multidimensional relationship between individuals and clothing. It delves into the disposal of garments and the transformative aspirations embedded within the fashion industry. Employing the unique research methodology known as "A/r/t/ography," which merges artistic practice, rigorous research, and educational development, this book unearths the dynamic interplay between upcycling and memory. The author unravels the intricate web of connections within upcycling through diverse practices, methods, and insightful interviews. By critically questioning established norms and scrutinizing the actions of fashion designers, the book makes significant contributions to existing literature. Additionally, it offers practical recommendations for sustainable fashion education, making it an indispensable resource for individuals involved in the textile and fashion field. Enhanced with visual aids such as images and illustrations, this book ensures an engaging reading experience that immerses readers in the research-based discourse.

The Waistcoat Workbook: Historical, Modern, and Genre Drafting of Waistcoats for Men and Women 1837–Present Day provides comprehensive coverage of the design, construction, and role of waistcoats from the reign of Queen Victoria to the present day in the United Kingdom. The book contains step-by-step instructions on how to draft the garments onto pattern paper from start to finish with drafting tools, including diagrams and detailed instructions on what measurements are required and how to record the information. The book also features: A brief history of waistcoats in European, and particularly British history, highlighting key points in the evolution of the garment A discussion of fabrics that would be suitable to use for the garments and what kind of interlinings and linings are best suited, depending on the main fabric chosen for the front of the garment Information on how to deal with one and two-way fabrics and challenging materials, as well as fabric analysis and pressing techniques Step-by-step instructions to construct genre waistcoats, including cosplay and Steampunk clothing Industry terminology and suppliers and stockists The Waistcoat Workbook is an excellent resource for professional film and theatre costume makers and tailors, students of costume and fashion design, and makers in cosplay, Steampunk, and re-enactment fields.