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BLUTEAU, JOSHUA M. 2022. Dressing up: Menswear in the Age of Social Media. New 

York: Berghahn Books, 172 pp., ISBN 9781800732773 

Keywords: Material Culture, Menswear, Ethnography, Digital Anthropology, Identity. 

In Dressing Up: Menswear in the Age of Social Media, social anthropologist Joshua M. Bluteau 

provides a compelling investigation into the world of men’s fashion, examining those who 

‘seek out unusual or flamboyant tailoring’ (p. 6) and how their sartorial choices reflect and 

actively shape contemporary ideas of masculinity. Drawing on perspectives from identity 

studies, semiotics, performance theory, as well as understandings of authenticity, fetishization 

and commodification, he demonstrates how tailored menswear functions as a medium through 

which men craft their identities within an increasingly digitized world. 

Bluteau’s research blends participant observation across ‘terrestrial’ (physical) and ‘digital’ 

spaces. He avoids using the terms ‘online’ and ‘offline’ to emphasize how interconnected these 

realms have become: ‘so deeply enmeshed… that it [is] impossible to separate the two’ (p. 8). 

The book consists of a preface, introduction, six thematic chapters, and a conclusion. Bluteau 

opens with a vivid, introspective account of his mornings. He speaks of reaching for his 

smartphone upon waking to check the engagement on his Instagram posts; selecting and putting 

on a tailored suit; photographing the look; and reviewing the images before sharing them to 

Instagram. Such actions effectively set the stage for the book’s main argument: the crafting of 

the  sartorial self is a performance that extends beyond the physical act of dressing to include 

habitual engagement within digital spaces. 

Bluteau’s ethnography begins in the ‘terrestrial’ spaces of Savile Row and Dover Street Market 

(DSM), where bespoke tailored menswear is produced. At Savile Row, open workshops 

showcase the artisanal skill and heritage behind each garment, elevating their value through 

visible craftsmanship and a sense of authenticity beyond material worth. DSM, by contrast, 

offers an immersive, art-like retail experience, where avant-garde designs and a no-

photography policy position fashion as exclusive and experiential. Both spaces demonstrate 



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how men are not just buying clothing, but curated performances—where aesthetics, service, 

and craftsmanship contribute to shaping identities rooted in taste, power, and exclusivity. 

Fashion shows are other performances that men can ‘buy into.’ In Chapter Two, Bluteau attends 

and analyzes those by designers Sir Tom Baker and Joshua Kane. Building on Debord’s 

theories of ‘the spectacle,’ he frames the shows as ‘spectacles’ in their own right—self-

generated events where images are commodified and fetishized - blurring the line between 

fiction and reality. Through the interplay of clothing, mood, music, and staging, fashion shows 

create powerful images that shape audiences’ perceptions, influencing how they dress and 

construct their identities. 

Bluteau focuses specifically on how ‘depth ontology’ (Miller 2010) is employed to enhance the 

desirability of the clothes on the runway. This concept refers to the extent to which clothing is 

perceived as an authentic reflection of the wearer’s identity. Some designers adopt shallow 

ontologies, positioning models as neutral figures so that audiences can project their own 

aspirations onto the clothing. By contrast, others adopt deeper ontologies where models 

embody a distinctive attitude or aesthetic that aligns with the designers’ vision. This fosters a 

desire not just to own the clothing, but to inhabit the individual identity it represents. Bluteau 

adds that the ‘spectacle’ of fashion show extends into the digital realm, where carefully curated 

and ‘behind-the-scenes’ images are shared to keep their audiences continually engaged with 

the clothes, effectively shaping both their digital and terrestrial selves.  

The remaining chapters shift the focus to Instagram. Chapters Three and Four specifically look 

at how the platform functions as well as its role in crafting sartorial identities, and the 

emergence of  ‘post-particular’ masculinity’ (p. 80). Here, Bluteau theorizes his research 

subjects – tailors, designers and other sartorialists – as ‘other Elizabethans.’ This draws directly 

from Foucault’s ‘other Victorians’—individuals who deviated from their societal norms, those 

with ‘illegitimate sexualities’ (1990: 4). Bluteau argues that his subjects evoke similar 

illegitimacies through dress, challenging mainstream masculinity by wearing styles 

traditionally considered ‘feminine or frivolous’ (p. 62). Instagram, he writes, serves as a space 

for them to express their individuality and build invisible networks with like-minded people 

through ‘likes,’ ‘comments,’ and ‘follows’ -  a ‘digital reciprocity’ that acts as social validation  

(p. 61). 

Bluteau, however, acknowledges that Instagram is also a space where discourse -  primarily 

images and image-based comments – is controlled. This control occurs through the platforms’ 



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own algorithm and censors which regulate the visibility of content,  and the self-regulation of 

images within specific user networks. By controlling discourse, Instagram dictates which 

images are considered correct or desirable, shaping users' digital engagements and perceptions 

of normality in the process. For sartorialists, this has an enormous impact on issues relating to 

sexuality, gender and the construction of the clothed body (p. 83). 

Bluteau also explores the tension between performance and authenticity within sartorial 

networks. While users often curate their digital identities to match aesthetic ideals, these 

presentations must remain consistent. Any inconsistencies—such as heavily-edited photos, 

misleading timelines of when images were taken, or garments not matching expectations of 

craftsmanship—are seen as deceptive, invoking Sartre’s notion of acting in ‘ bad faith’ (1993: 

185). This leads to criticism and diminished reciprocity between network members. 

In Chapter Five, Bluteau adopts a more reflexive approach, detailing his experience in  

becoming a member of these networks. He reflects on his methodological actions, such as 

buying and regularly wearing bespoke tailored garments, as well as developing an digital 

persona under the Instagram account ‘anthrodandy.’ His digital participation involved learning 

Instagram’s communicative norms, including the use of emojis as concise descriptive markers 

and symbols of intimacy, and hashtags to enhance visibility and signal transparency (e.g., 

#latergram indicates images were not taken on the day of posting). Additionally, he emphasizes 

the importance of balancing visual content to meet his networks’ expectations: popular photos 

include close-up shots of tailored garments being worn – without showing faces – to highlight 

the craftsmanship. However, it is also essential to have some images featuring the account 

holder’s face to maintain a sense of authenticity.  

Bluteau begins Chapter Six by analyzing how Instagram distorts perceptions of time, causing 

the digital to bleed into its users’ terrestrial lives. He reflects, for instance, on how the pressure 

to post at peak engagement times disrupted his own routines, including sleep patterns. More 

broadly, he argues that the platform ‘manipulates a multiplicity of temporal realities’, by 

presenting images taken in past moments as current, sustaining an illusion of real time 

experiences. Bluteau also reflects on the difficulty of leaving the Instagram fieldsite, noting 

that digital engagement does not end neatly with the conclusion of fieldwork. The platform’s 

constant accessibility, coupled with the visibility of past content and follower expectations for 

continued interaction, made withdrawal a gradual and complex process. He concludes by 

raising five thought-provoking questions concerning the anthropology of dress,  the nature of 



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the individual, and the digital self, whether western-centric fieldsites can be studied without 

digital anthropology, and how digital anthropology should be conducted.  

Bluteau’s writing is clear, descriptive, and accessible,  making complex theoretical discussions 

feel more relevant and tangible. While there is some repetition between chapters, this does not 

detract from the overall impact of the book.  His inclusion of Instagram screenshots—alongside 

his decision to keep his Instagram account active—invites readers to explore the content for 

themselves, adding an extra layer of transparency and authenticity to his analysis. From the 

outset, Bluteau confidently asserts that the book will change how we perceive men in suits—a 

claim he fully delivers on. Highly recommended. 

 

Emma Rice holds a master's degree in anthropology from Maynooth University in Ireland, and 

is currently pursuing a PhD. Her research background spans a wide range of topics, including 

material culture, domesticity, digital anthropology, and migration.  

 

 

© 2025 Emma Rice