The sartorial self: William James's philosophy of dress

William James placed great importance on clothing, and this emphasis on apparel is reflected in his writings on psychology, in his letters, and in his own style of dress. his perspective on dress was influenced by a passage on the "philosophy of clothing" in Hermann Lotze's Microcosmus. James believed clothing to be an essential part of the material self; in this article it is argued that it is important to the spiritual and social selves as well. James's interest in the self-expressive aspects of clothing was reflected in his attire, his descriptions of colleagues" clothing, his account book, and his chairmanship of Harvard's Committee on Academic Dress.