The Meanings of Dress

The Meanings of Dress, 5th Edition, is an academic textbook authored by Kimberly A. Miller-Spillman, Andrew Reilly, and José Blanco F. and published by Fairchild Books USA. This volume explores social, behavioral, and cultural aspects of fashion and dress grounded in contemporary research literature and current industry practices.

This fifth edition incorporates theoretical perspectives addressing intersectional identities within global fashion and dress environments. The text integrates deliberate efforts to decentralize and decolonize normative Eurocentric frameworks in fashion studies. In addition, the authors place new analytical emphasis on dress and fashion working as communication, extending this framework into modern social media contexts.

By connecting theoretical concepts with contemporary empirical research, the volume offers structured academic support for evaluating human appearance management across diverse populations. This analytical approach provides structured resources for studying fashion and dress as dynamic social expressions within evolving global cultural environments.