This nonfiction book takes a look at the most influential dress/skirt styles throughout recent history. Some chapters were more interesting than others - I really liked the "little black dress", "the wrap dress", and the "poodle skirt chapters". I had a hard time getting into this one because it felt like it assumed a lot of prior fashion knowledge, and I couldn't keep up with the sheer number of names being thrown at me. As the topics got closer to present day, I got more into the book. I think pictures of the garments would have helped a lot, as well as a timeline of dress/skirt fashion and designers to help keep everything straight.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this novel after having just watched a documentary on the History channel. How clothing has evolved is very interesting and just the research Criswell-Campbell must have done is intriguing enough. Women have been controlled in many ways and clothing is just one of those ways.
This is a great work of nonfiction for those in women's studies, historical fans, and those interested in fashion.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of information in it that I didn't know. I feel like I learned a lot from reading it.

This book is interesting. I like deep-dives into niche topics and this is definitely that, but some of the focus was a bit imbalanced. I guess I expected more “feminist” than feminism and the praise of problematic white women in skirts like Coco Chanel. I don’t know how I really feel. I guess I’d recommend it to fashion fanatics, but probably not a general recommendation, though I feel the average reader can tell this book may be too oddly specific for them.

Skirts: Fashioning Modern Feminity in the Twentieth Century is a well-researched and well written book about women’s fashions in the last century. Chrisman-Campbell details the relationship between women’s fashion and current events. As a fashion historian and expert, she brings into play the architecture of fashion as well as the development of newer textiles, which open new doors for fashion designers. Since the readers advanced copy that I received from NetGalley did not have images, I found myself going down the Google rabbit-hole many times as I researched the styles to better understand the text.
From the Fortuny pleated dress to Dior’s Bar Suit to Von Furstenberg’s wrap dress, I was mesmerized by this book. Who would have thought that so much went into the development of a strapless gown? And who knew what a Bar Suit was? This is a must-read for the fashion conscious woman who enjoys history.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for and honest review.

This book was not what I expected. Though it did provide a historical view of skirts along with one woman's reasoning behind her choice to wear skirts, I found nothing beyond that to keep me reading.

Sorry. Not my cup of tea.

This book gives a historical view of the skirt in modern day fashion. I found it quite interesting. Chrisman-Campbell took great care to explain the triumphs & controversies of the skirts. I found this book quite informative.

"Skirts" is a look back at women's dress and skirt fashions, not just as articles of clothing, but as icons of culture. Each chapter in the book examines a different kind of skirt or dress throughout the twentieth century. I am sure this book is more interesting when the photos and pictures are included (they were not in this ARC). This book would appeal to readers who are interested in the history of fashions and their impact on the lives of the wearers, as well as what they represent in society.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions represented here are my own.

I recieved an eArc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The most important thing I can say is get a version of the book with pictures. I have some historical fashion knowledge but even I found the book difficult to follow with it's pace connecting different trends. Now that's not saying the book is bad, it's really good, It's just that its premised on connecting trends like The Little Black Dress over several decades which as one can imagine has varied in appearance over time.

The book successfully walks the line between focusing on fashion trends and social trends which makes it my favorite type of fashion history.

I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating. The author delves into the history of skirts and dresses in an informative and interesting manner. The chapters are engrossing, each dealing with specific types of dresses or skirts that have made historical impacts on society. The latter chapters also provide insight into more current and recent instances of the evolution of this garment. I was provided an ARC of this book, so I did not have access to the photos and illustrations, my only regret.

Not just a structured piece of fabric…

I had no idea. None. What I thought was simply another option in my clothes closet was actually a complex part of women’s history. A social analysis, it was broad in its scope, quoting from many sources and time periods, explaining the significance and the life of its own that is the skirt…

Instead of a dry treatise, it was a wealth of information conveyed in an informative, entertaining style. Pants vs skirt wasn’t just a decision based on weather but of a woman’s autonomy and self-expression. Not just a fashion choice but a reflection of the age in which they existed and the tug of war happening between women and the options open (or closed) to them. I loved the fashion/design aspects, detailed by time period, diving into the people who created and the audience that consumed their offerings. The politics, I admit, was more of a surprise than I thought. Little did I know the decades of back and forth, the politics that surrounded the skirt and the little black dress.

An unexpected foray into a topic I knew little of but am thrilled to have taken a chance. If you are a fashionista and love history (social or otherwise) you will love it as much as I did!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest opinion.

I am definitely not a fashionista and I mostly just grab whatever is clean and feels like a comfortable choice out of my closet. So when I was offered this book to read I wondered if I'd enjoy it. Would I care?

Turns out I found this subject rather interesting. The debate another the "in" skirt length of the year was wild. As someone who wears whatever it surprised me that sobmuch thought goes into what is current. Decisions that will make or break a business.

If you enjoy the history of one particular thing, you will enjoy this book. Available now!

Skirts by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell tries to explore the evolution of women's fashion and the meaning of wearing dresses/pantsuit/skirts. The author takes us into the glamor and fashion world of French couture, ateliers, UK fashion and Hollywood from the time period of just before the First World War to today's world.
The things I liked:
1. It is a well researched book which gives us an insight on how fashion can influence the society that we are all a part of.
2. The Conclusion of the book where the author goes into the gender neutral dressing of today is my favorite part. The message that you are not defined by what you wear comes across strongly.
The things which didn't work for me:
1.I love wearing dresses and skirts myself and it was a very interesting read but I didn't really read too much about the skirt evolution. What I read was how the hemlines of the dresses have changed throughout the 20th century.
2. The issue which I have with this book is that there are no pictures and hence the glamor of this book wears out quickly.
3. The other problem is this book somewhere manifests the idea that you need to look a certain way to wear these glamor pieces/styles. The designers quotes in some place don't really help.
4. The book takes into the world of glamor where women could and can afford these styles but did all the women afford these? A little bit insight into the normal fashion would have helped as well.
Overall, the concept on how fashion influences women's outlook and how she is perceived due to her choices is good. But at the same time it could be a bit problematic with some the material included in the book.
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fashion used to explain 20th-century history. Although I am one of the least fashionable people you'll ever meet, I found this a compelling read because it was well-written and because I am obsessively interested in history. I loved learning what scandalous dress led to the creation of Google image search; that people actually held protests against the fashion industry becuase of the midi-skirt; and why, oh why, girls wore poodles on their skirts in the 50's! If you read non-fiction at all, I think you'd enjoy this one.

Skirts is such a fun and informative read! It is essentially a written history of dresses (and pants), as both female and male apparel. I studied fashion history in college, and so most of the pre-1970s information was familiar to me, but I really enjoyed considering the more current political/fashion issues. The reading did get a tad tedious at times - there might have been a little too much information about historical characters and their fashions. But the last chapter, the conclusion, was incredibly interesting, especially how Chrisman-Campbell highlighted the wearing of skirts and dresses by men in this century.

Would recommend this book to students of fashion history, and anyone who is curious about fashion, fabrics, and politics.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Skirts.

I have to admit after reading this, I was itching to go buy a dress! When I was much younger I loved wearing dresses, my mom made me beautiful ones! My downfall... a private school. Dresses only, past your fingers, tights or knee socks only. That kind of killed it for me. I do still wear a dress or a skirt here and there though.

It was interesting learning a handful of things on the body, who did what, who made what, and women fighting to wear a comfortable dress and not what was expected of them by many others. Those people should have a week or two wearing what they were so pursuant on what was proper, and I bet they will have changed their minds!

Enjoyed reading about the creators/designers and what created their ideas to come out. I was slightly confused why we were in one century in one sentence, and a different century in the next sentence, then going back to the previous century. I'm thinking they could have been Jesuit in the dance chapter but writing them in century order, just a thought. I was also slightly bummed there were no pictures. Yes I know outs ab arc and on a kindle, but I've read arc's on my kindle that did have pictures. Not expecting all the pictures, but dine would have been nice, I spent a bit of time to go to Google and set a picture of a dress there were talking about.

But over all I did really like the book and if you are into skirts and dresses, and curious who created what, this book is for you!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this through Netgalley for my honest opinion!

The author brings to readers a fact filled history of what women wore and why throughout the twentieth century. I found the book to be interesting and enlightening. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love a good social history and this largely did not disappoint. I am at the other end of the spectrum, I wore pants all my life until I realized about six years ago I vastly preferred dresses and haven't looked back. Until I read this book., I liked the parts about skirts and the civil rights movements but I was puzzled at the time spent on the Nazi Coco Chanel, Yes, her influence was strong but I would have preferred more on the average person, not a designer. I was hoping for a more intersectional conversation and some more diversity beyond Serena Williams, who was great to include but I felt like there could have been more. Maybe they didn't want to make the book too long?

As a woman who wears skirts and dresses almost exclusively, "Skits" by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell was an enjoyable and informative read. I was excited to learn the histories of my favorite vintage styles, many of which grace my work wardrobe today. This book is a fascinating history of women's fashions, including how they were, and still are, influenced by the political and social climates of the day. The author deftly tied in information about women's liberation movement, and finished the book with commentary and opinions on how modern fashion isn't only for slender, white women; indeed skirts need not be just for women at all! In a world where we are all encouraged to blend in, I loved reading about how fashion designers over the years gave women a way to stand out in skirts and dresses.

This book inspired me to search out fashions of which I was previously unaware, such as the Delphos dress (I must get my hands on one!) and the Bar Suit (gorgeous!). I already own many of the others detailed in the book, such as the wrap dress (I could absolutely live in DVF), mini skirts (so cute with tights), and the Bodycon Dress (great for all confident bodies!).

Because the advanced digital copy of this book I received from NetGalley did not contain the illustrations, I will certainly purchase a hard copy of this book, not only for the promised pictures, but because it is a book I will read again and again. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for sharing it with me!

Skirts is an absorbing, informative look at how dress has shaped the lives of women over the centuries. This isn' t a dry history book but a fascinating narrative complete with examples and stories including movie trivia for the most recent fashions. For example, the colourful costumes of Star Trek were used to encourage viewers to get colour TVs! It's taken me a while to get through this as I kept Googling the different people and outfits to get a fuller picture of what I was reading (I was reading the Kindle version without photos provided by NetGalley). This was such an interesting guide that I'll definitely be buying the hardcover book to keep in my fashion library.

You don't have to be a historian to enjoy this book. The author has done an outstanding job making fashion history come to life. A must have for every fashionista!