There is no inherent reason for an item of clothing, for example a skirt, to be considered feminine. Roland Barthes, in his book The Diseases of Costume, writes of theatrical dress as a kind of language in which the basic element is the sign (Lurie, 1992, p3). This statement can be expanded to include all elements of dress away from the theatre. If clothing is a sign therefore, it must be given a meaning and this meaning, as with all signs, is constructed. For example, society has identified the skirt as a signifier of femininity, which has been reinforced through repeated exposure (both through the media and on the street) to images of women in skirts and men in trousers. The fact that the gender signification of this garment has altered indicates that fashion, just like gender itself, is a social construction, with fashion items becoming loaded signs. If our appearance is an accumulation of signs then we each reveal something about ourselves through our choice of garments; clothing becomes a reflection of our identity. Whilst fashion does allow women to experiment with their image and different ways of portraying femininity, as something primarily constructed for the male gaze it still confines women to a choice between constructed female identities (Barnard, 1996, p140).