Cutting a Dash

Dress has long been accepted as a medium of both expression and communication, a silent language through which, consciously or unconsciously, we ‘speak’ our race, age, class, sex, occupation, …the components of identity are endless. The communication of identity through dress, like its expression, is of particular significance for lesbians. ¹ Clothing, with its ability to speak without the commitment of words, can be a vital resource. It can allow instant recognition in an alien environment and can be a way of fighting back and announcing one’s existence to every passer-by. For years, ‘the love that dare not speak its name’ found expression through dress, and it was a fascination with the styles of self-presentation evolved by past lesbians that provided the initial stimulus for this article.