Iconic clothing has been secularized. A guardsman in a dress uniform is ostensibly an icon of aggression; his coat is red as the blood he hopes to shed. Seen on a coat-hanger, with no man inside it, the uniform loses all its blustering significance and, to the innocent eye seduced by decorative color and tactile braid, it is as abstract in symbolic information as a parasol to an Eskimo. It becomes simply magnificent.

Summary

This quote suggests that when iconic clothing, such as a guardsman's dress uniform, is removed from its intended context and seen in isolation, its symbolic meaning diminishes. The uniform, traditionally representing aggression and bravery, loses its significance when detached from the human wearing it. Instead, it is purely admired for its visual appeal and decorative elements, no longer conveying its intended message. In this abstract state, it becomes something magnificent to the observer rather than a symbol of power and force.

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