"While fashions of the rich and famous have been endlessly chronicled, little attention has been paid to the meaning of clothes for everyone else. Yet between 1890 and the outbreak of World War II, as ready-to-wear came into its own, the clothes of ordinary Americans claimed the nation's attention and dominated public discussion. Newly allied with civic virtue, fashion played an increasingly important role in shaping the national character." "Jenna Weissman Joselit uncovers a time in American history when getting dressed was more about fitting in than standing out. Drawing on a wealth of sources, from advertisements, trade journals, and health manuals to sermons, science, and songs, she shows how the length of a woman's skirt, the shape of a man's hat, and the height of a pair of heels enabled Americans of every faith, color, and class to feel part of a unified modern nation."--Jacket.