Areas of Expertise: Fashion and Textiles History and Theory, Contemporary Craft, Wardrobe Studies, Everyday Creativity, Dress and Behaviour, Knitting, Material Culture, Cutural Studies, Feminism, Interior Design
Research
My research focuses on everyday fashion, dress and textile practices in the post-war period. Everyday practice is discussed in a variety of ways, from the making and meanings of textiles (The Culture of Knitting, Berg, [2009]), through to their consumption, display and use (Floral Frocks, Antique Collector’s Club, [2007] and Images in Time, Wunderkammer [2011]) to representations and perceptions of everyday dress practices as demonstrated in my work in the field of Wardrobe Studies.
I am particularly interested in the ways in which users/wearers and society[ies] respond to and re-appropriate clothing and this is explored in research surrounding the use and representation of women’s clothing in sexual assault court cases, and also menswear, and its relation to 'deviant' behaviour, from the sub-cultural 1980s Casuals to ‘hoodies’ and tracksuit wearing youth (Fashion and Crime, Bloomsbury [2018]). Investigations also encompasses analyses of garments hitherto marginalised from Dress History, such as the cardigan, and, the white singlet or ‘wife beater’ vest. My work, in these cases, aims to reveal and redress marginalised and/or stigmatised clothing activities and behaviours as evidence of the wider socio-cultural and political marginalisation of peoples. This emphasis on highlighting prejudice, acts as a catalyst for discussions of social justice as a lived and embodied experience.
My current research considers the 1970s domestic interior in the UK and US, and discusses the blurring of boundaries between home and state through notions of 'freedon', consumption practices, interior design and the adoption of a neo-liberal project.
I am also engaged in a funded joint projects with colleagues from KMD, University of Bergen and KiHO, University of Oslo, 'Beyond Heritage: Material Making Meaning', which aims to redress notions of craft, specifically weaving, and valorise its future socio-cultural and industry potential.
Education
I am the Director of Doctoral Programmes Director at Winchester School of Art, and am committed to supporting and developing research excellence and a vibrant study and social environment for our PGRs, and in creating a space that fosters wellbeing and personal and professional development.
I co-ordinate the Professional and Academic Skills module for all MA studio students and regularly teach sessions across all studio disciplines at UG and PGT level. I work with BA Fashion on the Wardrobe Studies project (level 1) and am keen to develop this as part of the University of Southampton's Sustainability Agenda.
Other
Clothing Cultures (AHI; SCOPUS), Founder and Editor
Textile: The Journal of Cloth and Culture, Editorial Board Member
Dress and Bodies Association (DBA) Advisory Board Member
