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Addressing Dresses
We are in an age of sexual confusion. It is a pleasant surprise to find a book devoted to celebrating a form of clothing that defines femininity. Moreover, a book that does so unabashedly and unapologetically.
“Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century,” by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell is a history and an appreciation of the dress, in all its forms.
Chrisman-Campbell opens the book by celebrating dresses and their role in enhancing femininity. She shows how dresses feed into women’s desire to express pride in being female, and help them express their sexuality. She discusses how dresses can be simultaneously demure and forward. She also examines their role in defining women in all of their modes, mother, temptress, and ingénue.
She follows this with a chapter on every major dress type of the twentieth century, defining the style and presenting the history and impact of the type. These include studies of the Delphos, the tennis dress, the little black dress, the wrap, the strapless dress, the bar suit, the naked dress, the miniskirt and the midi skirt, and the body-conscious dress.
In each chapter, she discusses the impact of each style, and explores what it said about the times in which it emerged. She introduces the women who pioneered each style. She also shows how it impressed or scandalized the society of its times. She also looks at the message and politics behind each style. Her explanation explores many levels.
She also examines the tension between dresses and pants, the conflict between the advocates of women’s pants outfits and those preferring dresses. She shows how the definition of feminism and femininity was defined by the choices women made in their clothing. This includes the roles women play in society.
Chrisman-Campbell is a woman of the left. She frequently uses figures such as Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama to underscore points about dresses, while depreciating or ignoring stylish women associated with the right such as Melania Trump. Do not avoid this book because of that. Chrisman-Campbell s’ story is fascinating and absorbing, full of valuable insights on women’s dress and women’s role in society through the ages.
Avoid the mistake of dismissing “Skirts” as a “chick book,” one only of interest to women. While covering a topic traditionally of interest to women, Chrisman-Campbell fits the history of the dress into a larger context, showing its role in history and today’s society.
“Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century,” by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, St. Martin’s Press, 2022, 272 pages, $28.99 (Hardcover), $14.99 (E-book), $15.30 (audiobook)
This review was written by Mark Lardas, who writes at Ricochet as Seawriter. Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City, TX. His website is marklardas.com.
Published in History
I am curious about her observations regarding Hillary and Michelle Obama. In my mind they reside in the unfeminine category.
Let me put it this way, I figured what she said was an example of willing suspension of disbelief. She was holding them up as positive examples.
Insurance against cancelation, I suspect.
Possible – and a charitable interpretation. I’ll go with it.
It is sad that there is no escaping politics–anywhere! I think of Laura Bush and Melania Trump, and what beautiful and classy examples they were/are to women.
This sounds like my kind of book.
If anyone is interested (doubtful) I bought a red velvet dress yesterday for a wedding I’m going to next month. I think it’s reminiscent of the 1940’s .
Ooh, try it on and show us! It sounds lovely!
I’ll send a photo from the wedding, in the meantime there’s the tiny matter of dropping the Christmas weight between now and then. All those snowballs, wassail and mulled wine really didn’t do me any favours!
Okay, as a dude I’ve got to ask: What possessed you to read a book about dresses?
Because I review books for my entire audience. This was a book I chose because the subject seemed interesting and I wanted to read something outside what I typically read. Certainly by the likes I have received for this (and who) it seems appreciated by the Ricochetti, including some I suspect don’t normally read my reviews.
While I am not interested in wearing dresses, as a guy I am certainly interested in what dresses contain. Or rather what they are supposed to contain.
Fashion history is history too😁
I didn’t know this until I read a book on 1930’s fashion but coloured nail polish became commonly used in that decade because the polish was a by-product from car production.
There’s a YouTuber I like a lot called Micarah Tewers. She makes clothes from all kinds of found material and is very funny. She’s also very knowledgeable about the history of fashion and fabrics and made a video discussing the costumes from Little Women. It enhances the enjoyment of a book or film for me when I know the significance of the costume.
Och, aye!
That’s a kilt, not a skirt. I am not Scots. And I don’t have the build for an Evzone outfit of my Greek heritage. (Besides, I’d look silly in white tights and shoes with pom-poms.)
Never know until you try.
Really, as long as you have the rifle, who would dare to call you silly?
Gotta fix the footwear. They look like fluffy slippers.
Those were the pom-poms I was referring to. Although one thing – go around in that getup and you have to be tough/.