--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The clothes in themselves are empty. But…" description: "\"The clothes in themselves are empty. But what they throw off and what clothes mean as signifiers is incredibly interesting - to see what people do with..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/kim-gordon-4178_clothes_the-clothes-in-themselves-are-empty-but_689798.jpg" --- # The clothes in themselves are empty. But what they throw… ![“The clothes in themselves are empty. But what they throw off and what clothes mean as signifiers is incredibly interesting - to see what people do with it. That's more interesting to me than flipping through a magazine or seeing the fall look.” quote by Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/kim-gordon-4178_clothes_the-clothes-in-themselves-are-empty-but_689798.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/kim-gordon-4178_clothes_the-clothes-in-themselves-are-empty-but_689798.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8a/kim-gordon-4178_clothes_the-clothes-in-themselves-are-empty-but_689798.jpg) > “The clothes in themselves are empty. But what they throw off and what clothes mean as signifiers is incredibly interesting - to see what people do with it. That's more interesting to me than flipping through a magazine or seeing the fall look.” [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores how clothing functions as cultural symbols beyond mere utility, revealing social meanings. **In simple terms:** Clothes signal identity and culture. Key Takeaway Analyze clothing as cultural communication. Themes culture identity symbolism Mood analytical curious Type sociological observational When to use this quote - marketing analysis - personal branding - cultural studies Key Concepts semiotics fashion theory social critique Questions to Reflect On - What messages do your clothes convey? - How does fashion shape perception? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on symbols can ignore practical needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I get used to my fountain pens and my clothes, and I can never throw them away. I replace them only when I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-get-used-to-my-fountain-pens-and-my-clothes-and-i-can-never-throw/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [When you fall,get back up again. Don't let people know you are down because some people like seeing you fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/when-you-fall-get-back-up-again-don-t-let-people-know-you-are-down/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [The bigger they are, the harder they fall. And the better the world liked seeing them fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/the-bigger-they-are-the-harder-they-fall-and-the-better-the-world/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) > [For me, clothes mean self-expression. You need to have an audience and connect with people. Fashion is shared. It connects people. And we share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-dello-russo/for-me-clothes-mean-self-expression-you-need-to-have-an-audience-and/) [Anna Dello Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-dello-russo/) > [In the fashion world, you have to make clothes to sell. You have to make clothes for the press. You have to make clothes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-armani/in-the-fashion-world-you-have-to-make-clothes-to-sell-you-have-to/) [Giorgio Armani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-armani/) > [British people still wear clothes. By clothes I mean actual clothes: jackets and shirts and ties and suits. The spirit of Beau Brummell is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/british-people-still-wear-clothes-by-clothes-i-mean-actual-clothes/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-jacobs/clothes-mean-nothing-until-someone-lives-in-them/) [Marc Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-jacobs/) > [“It seems so ridiculous to me,' he said, 'that a person should be expected to lock themselves into a suit of clothes. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/it-seems-so-ridiculous-to-me-he-said-that-a-person-should-be-expected/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [You don't throw clothes away, because you know it's going to come back in fashion!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/you-don-t-throw-clothes-away-because-you-know-it-s-going-to-come-back/) [Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/) > [Fine! I'll throw on some clothes. Turn around. I'm in my pj's" "I'm a guy. That's like asking a kid not to glance at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/fine-i-ll-throw-on-some-clothes-turn-around-i-m-in-my-pj-s-i-m-a-guy/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [I don't throw my clothes out after one wear. Shocking, I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-fanning/i-don-t-throw-my-clothes-out-after-one-wear-shocking-i-know/) [Dakota Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-fanning/) > [It's nice to get off the couch, throw the clothes on, add a little make-up and go back to work, every once in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-nimoy/it-s-nice-to-get-off-the-couch-throw-the-clothes-on-add-a-little-make/) [Leonard Nimoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-nimoy/) > [I just go to work, come home. And my wife lets me throw my clothes on the floor, and she doesn't say anything, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/i-just-go-to-work-come-home-and-my-wife-lets-me-throw-my-clothes-on/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [“I houseclean my books every spring and throw out those I'm never going to read again like I throw out clothes I'm never going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-hanff/i-houseclean-my-books-every-spring-and-throw-out-those-i-m-never/) [Helene Hanff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-hanff/) > [Throw off your worries when you throw off your clothes at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/throw-off-your-worries-when-you-throw-off-your-clothes-at-night/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) ## More by Kim Gordon > [It's hard to say when the life of a band starts and stops... but playing music together is an act of trust. When that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/it-s-hard-to-say-when-the-life-of-a-band-starts-and-stops-but-playing/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I think of myself as unconventional, I guess. I maybe always had a problem with authority, like a stubbornness about what's expected - despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-think-of-myself-as-unconventional-i-guess-i-maybe-always-had-a/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [When I was young, there was never any space for me to get attention of my own that wasn't negative. Art, and the practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/when-i-was-young-there-was-never-any-space-for-me-to-get-attention-of/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I'm not saying Sonic Youth was a conceptual-art project for me, but in a way it was an extension of Warhol. Instead of making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-m-not-saying-sonic-youth-was-a-conceptual-art-project-for-me-but-in/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I do retweet some of the things that people say about the things I've done, but I don't necessarily want to use it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-do-retweet-some-of-the-things-that-people-say-about-the-things-i-ve/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I am basically a shy person, so performing sometimes helps me focus - having all those people concentrate their attention on you. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-am-basically-a-shy-person-so-performing-sometimes-helps-me-focus/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I just happened to start playing music for the conceptual ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-just-happened-to-start-playing-music-for-the-conceptual-ideas/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [You're always going to feel like you're catching up, and part of that is just balancing work and motherhood and the whole feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/you-re-always-going-to-feel-like-you-re-catching-up-and-part-of-that/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I was kind of freaked out by the art world in the 1980s. Just the money thing. All the competition over artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-was-kind-of-freaked-out-by-the-art-world-in-the-1980s-just-the/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [Political art never goes away. I started watching The West Wing show recently and I'm actually learning about how the government works in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/political-art-never-goes-away-i-started-watching-the-west-wing-show/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [Sonic Youth, for better or worse, is/was a machine that carried me along through pregnancy, motherhood, and creative opportunities I never would have achieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/sonic-youth-for-better-or-worse-is-was-a-machine-that-carried-me/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [In a lot of the art world, you have to present yourself as you know what you're doing at a young age. Music gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/in-a-lot-of-the-art-world-you-have-to-present-yourself-as-you-know/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I have a really hard time writing my own lyrics for this record, because one, I had to write so many and also I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-have-a-really-hard-time-writing-my-own-lyrics-for-this-record/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [In rock music, people have certain assumptions that it makes people more enlightened, and it really doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/in-rock-music-people-have-certain-assumptions-that-it-makes-people/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [Because our daughters have school and it's just such a hassle going down to New York all the time, we can really only go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/because-our-daughters-have-school-and-it-s-just-such-a-hassle-going/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) [Explore all 115 Kim Gordon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) ## More Clothes quotes > [Personal Style comes from within. It's when the woman, her individuality and spirit come through. She uses clothes to express who she is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/personal-style-comes-from-within-it-s-when-the-woman-her/) [Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/) > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [The color of somebody's skin or the way he wears his hair or clothes has nothing to do with anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-color-of-somebody-s-skin-or-the-way-he-wears-his-hair-or-clothes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I shot for French and British Vogue. The British Vogue one featured clothes by Chloe and was shot at Highgate and the John Soane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-shot-for-french-and-british-vogue-the-british-vogue-one-featured/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [I know my hair is out of the '60's, my clothes are '50's and the shoes I wear are from the '40's. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-know-my-hair-is-out-of-the-60-s-my-clothes-are-50-s-and-the-shoes-i/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [Don't get too excited, but I'm naked under these clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/don-t-get-too-excited-but-i-m-naked-under-these-clothes/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Downstairs in my house, I have a museum room. I keep all of my awards down there, and childhood photos, and even all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/downstairs-in-my-house-i-have-a-museum-room-i-keep-all-of-my-awards/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [My problems are sort of more on a nuisance level. I can't stand scratchy clothes, I've got to have soft kinds of cotton against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/my-problems-are-sort-of-more-on-a-nuisance-level-i-can-t-stand/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [“Take care of your costume and your confidence will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/take-care-of-your-costume-and-your-confidence-will-take-care-of-itself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When I was a kid, my parents were happy to buy me clothes; they provided for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-wooster/when-i-was-a-kid-my-parents-were-happy-to-buy-me-clothes-they/) [Nick Wooster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-wooster/) > [It's very important to me that I look good when I go out publicly. I like looking at my clothes rack in the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-wintour/it-s-very-important-to-me-that-i-look-good-when-i-go-out-publicly-i/) [Anna Wintour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-wintour/) [Browse all 4,888 Clothes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The clothes in themselves are empty. But what they throw off and what clothes mean as signifiers is incredibly interesting - to see what people do with it. 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