The NYT article reminds me of Dorinne Kondo's About Face, which uses Asian (particularly Japanese) entries into the world of fashion and theater as a way of exploring how portrayals of race in those realms serve as way of exploring race in a larger context. Kondo, as well, is puzzled by academia's indifference, even contempt, of fashion as a subject of study. But one of the biggest problems with Kondo's work (as well as the NYT article) is there is a big disconnect between what happens on the fashion runways and what mere mortals can wear, a fact that seems not to register with either author. I've long contended that what happens on the fashion runways around the world is not really intended to be worn by real people, but is more akin to an exercise of "what can we make that will fit on the human body?" That is much more abstract idea. Yes, professors wear suits, but it's a classical style that I'm sure most involved in haute couture would find abhorrent as old-fashioned. In the real world, fashion changes much more slowly; colors, accessories and cuts are best measured in term of decades. It's not as inconsequential as some in academia might like to think of it, but fashion is not as important as its enthusiasts seem to think, either.
Fashion