Beautifully illustrated and featuring an extensive catalogue of uniform and accessories, Dressed to Kill sheds light on the significance of naval dress in forging a national identity and the dynamic relationship between contemporary style and uniform that continues to this day. A unique exploration of naval identity, period fashion and masculinity.

This fully updated and expanded second edition publication provides a detailed analysis of naval uniform and its historical, social and economic contexts.

Dressed to Kill offers a new perspective on naval uniform within its broader historical and social context. In this revised and updated edition, Amy Miller presents an overview of the developments in uniform, from its official introduction for commissioned officers in 1748, through to the provision of regulated dress for the lower ranks in 1857.

Drawing on the rich collection of the National Maritime Museum, Miller explores the intent of the Admiralty in regulating dress to distinguish officers, while also considering the performative aspect of uniform and military masculinity. Archival documents and prints are used to examine attitudes to clothing during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and add colour to considerations of rank, status and the influence of fashion and trends – often the subject of fierce criticism.

• English
• 256 pages

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