Clothing

Reinhold Niebuhr argued that one of the fundamental challenges to human existence is the anxiety caused by our desire to be perfect and godlike while knowing we are limited and mortal. This book explores how human adornment practices negotiate anxieties about our finitude. Through our clothing, we often shield ourselves from feeling our human frailty and from having others detect our emotional, physical, and spiritual vulnerabilities. Looking at the incarnation as a form of "dress," Saracino claims that getting naked with Jesus or embracing our vulnerability is our only hope at creating life-giving relationships with God and others in the global world.
Review
"Michele Saracino has written a unique 'spirituality of dress,' one that is lively, inventive, and humorous. It is also well connected to the psychological, spiritual, and ethical difficulties that many people find themselves in today regarding 'what to wear.' In her focus on vulnerability, she shows how theology can contribute rich and practical ideas to the larger cultural conversation. It is a high compliment to say that Saracino is a most helpful fashion guide for Christians and other seekers." --Tom Beaudoin, Fordham University
From the Inside Flap
Reinhold Niebuhr argued that one of the fundamental challenges to human existence is the anxiety caused by our desire to be perfect and godlike while knowing we are limited and mortal. This book explores how human adornment practices negotiate anxieties about our finitude. Through our clothing, we often shield ourselves from feeling our human frailty and from having others detect our emotional, physical, and spiritual vulnerabilities. Looking at the incarnation as a form of "dress," Saracino claims that getting naked with Jesus or embracing our vulnerability is our only hope at creating life-giving relationships with God and others in the global world.