Overview
Expand your understanding of the development and history of gay men’s dress with Shaun Cole’s groundbreaking work – from the subcultural world of the early 20th century to the clubs and bars of the 80s and 90s. Drawing upon first-hand interviews conducted with men across the UK and US, Cole analyzes the trends in dress adopted by gay men as well as the challenge gay style has posed to mainstream men’s fashion. Other sources such as contemporary magazines shed further light on the culture and discourse influencing gay men’s dress and, in the newly extended reading list, the author situates his own work among the landscape of recent writing on queer and gay men’s style. A new preface and afterword also reflect on the value of the research methodology employed by the text, as well as the changes in studies related to the central focus of Cole’s work. Whether you’re approaching it from a fashion studies, LGBTQ+ studies or sociology perspective, this re-issued text is a vital introduction for anyone interested in gay men’s fashion over the last 100 years.
Full Product Details
Author: Shaun Cole (Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, UK)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Edition: Revised edition
Dimensions:
Width: 15.40cm
, Height: 2.00cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.598kg
ISBN: 9781350462052
ISBN 10: 1350462055
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 11 June 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Not yet available
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Reviews
[A] fascinating study . . . From the New Edwardians and muscle boys to Radical Drag… Don We Now Our Gay Apparel has it all. -- Gay Times This is a very readable book about gay men's dress in the 20th century, from coded signifiers of sexuality to macho cowboy clones. -- The Scotsman Hegemonic masculinity is a whole subject in itself, entertainingly and learnedly discussed in Shaun Cole’s perfectly titled DON WE NOW OUR GAY APPAREL, which shows in fascinating detail how ‘clothing has been a primary method of identification for and of gay men'. -- London Review of Books
Author Information
Shaun Cole is Associate Professor in Fashion at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, UK. His research interests focus on dressed appearance, sexuality, masculinities and representations in visual and popular culture. He is also the author of Gay Men's Style (2023), has contributed to books and journals including The Men’s Fashion Reader (2008), and is the co-editor of Fashion Media (Bloomsbury, 2013).
