Why does fashion hold so much power over us? Even those of us who purport to not spend much mental energy on it ultimately care about how we dress and how we present ourselves. Style gives us clues about everything from class to which in-group we belong to, and we dismiss it at our peril. Like a Bad Feminist for fashion, Dress Code takes aim at the institutions within the fashion industry but without trivializing the importance of dress as self-presentation. Everything—from societal changes to the progress (or lack thereof) of women’s rights to the hidden motivations behind what we choose to wear to align ourselves with a social group—can be tracked through clothing. Hyland argues that fashion is a key—unlocking questions of power, sexuality, and class, tapping into history, and signaling the world around us. It means something. Yes, even if you’re “just” wearing jeans and a T-shirt.