For the next installment of Past Perfect, I will collaborate with participants to design their perfect uniform. As with the first installment, participants will also write about why their piece is compelling to them.

Uniforms have a rich history to be mined. First, from a purely esthetic standpoint, uniforms are built to work, and built to last. Nonetheless, they often include colorful and beautiful details- epaulettes, badges, decorative braid, bold buttons, sharp hats. Next, on a psychological level, uniforms are compelling because they often used to classify, identify, segregate, and/or control groups of people. They are often used to create hierarchies, yet simultaneously also erase differences in order equalize individuals. Then there is the great tradition of activists and artists who reappropriate and subvert these institutional symbols and the conformity, control, and power that uniforms represent. Finally, while the description above focuses mainly on the traditional idea of a uniform, most occupations and subcultures have informal, unspoken uniforms. How we choose to subvert, personalize, or conform to these dictates is rich territory for exploration.