Tracksuit or business suit: what should a woman wear coming out of prison?

In 2004, American businesswoman and television celebrity Martha Stewart was imprisoned for insider trading. By 2005, she was reinstalled in her television world of promoting domestic fantasy and class mobility through her products. Her 17 February 2011 show titled 'Redo, Renew and Recycle' (as well as including 'bathroom make-over ideas' and a 'leather handbag how-to') promoted Dress For Success, a charity with over 125 affiliates across the world. Dress for Success is a non-profit organization that raises money with the aim of providing economic independence for disadvantaged women by dressing them for work. Stewart may not have needed the services of Dress for Success when she left prison, but for many women who have been incarcerated, are in refuges or are part of the long-term unemployed, Dress for Success becomes an important link in the preparation for reintegration into the workforce. Their major service is to supply women with a business suit to attend interviews or commence work. In a corrective service centre, the service provides clothes for inmates to attend court, or to meet the outside world with some civilian clothes. Through interviews undertaken with clients and staff at Dress for Success, this paper examines the role of the organization in providing clothing for women as they enter the workforce or prepare for court appearances. The paper also analyses the iconic role of the business suit as an instance of material rhetoric and as an important symbol of work readiness.