ABSTRACT
The tacitly ideological imposition of distinctive antifashion dress styles can, of course, pose numerous problems of identification for some members of the minority group or subculture. A distinguishable yet closely related antifashion posture to that just discussed is health and fitness naturalism. Moving beyond the stance adopted by racial, ethnic, and certain other minority entities, the antifashion of a counterculture aims at more than just designating via dress a distinctive identity for some self-defined subcultural group. The relative freedom from fashion’s dictates granted men in contrast to the coercion they exert on women is further evidence of how aptly fashion serves the ends of male domination. Championing the virtues of simplicity, functionality, and durability, Chanel at one time produced clothes whose appeal derived mainly from their antifashion posture, as have such American designers as Claire McCardell, the late Rudi Gernreich, and, more recently, Liz Claiborne.
