For much of my adolescence and early adulthood, the primary information I took from TV and movies was the clothing worn by the female characters. It has been a complete shock, as I’ve aged, to realize that I completely missed the plot of most stories or films because I gazed too long at the costumes. SKIRTS: FASHIONING MODERN FEMININITY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY is a fascinating book filled with detailed anecdotes and historical references for many of those well-known fashion choices I remember so well. This book is a joy to read for those of us who easily conjure up specific outfits worn, and frequently referenced, in the 20th Century. My only complaint is the absence of photographs. I had an early review copy and perhaps the later versions will have some; but they would be such a great addition to an otherwise wonderful book. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Such a fun book! Interesting, entertaining, and well written. Learned about the Delphos, tennis dress, and of course, the LBD. Interesting history regarding the wrap, the strapless dress, and the Bar Suit (Dior). Good points on the naked dress and the mini, maxi, and midi skirts and powerful women using fashion to make a statement. Good insight with the conclusion regarding men in skirts.

This book was an interesting look at women’s clothing throughout the twentieth century, primarily skirts and dresses, and how those styles became trends and influenced the fashion of the everyday woman on the street as well as the rich and famous and demonstrated just how powerful the designers were and how they were followed almost without question. I know almost nothing about high fashion so most of the designers were not familiar to me. However, the history timeline and the impact these designers, both men and women, had on not only fashion but politics, social mores the reputations of women, and the giving or taking of their power based on what they wore was an eye-opener, as was just how competitive, cutthroat, petty and unprofessional most of them were.

Each chapter is devoted to a particular garment - Tennis Dress, Strapless Dress, Miniskirt, Little Black Dress, Wrap Dress, Naked Dress, etc. – and the designer associated with it. Even though each chapter addressed one dress or style, the author did jump around quite a bit in time so names and events repeated and were often confusing. The only real drawback to the advanced e-copy I received was that it did not include pictures. I tried looking up each particular dress or designer as I was reading but it was cumbersome and negatively affected the flow of the book.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of Skirts via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All in all it was an enjoyable read and made some fascinating points about the evolution of women’s fashion and some of the meaning and impact behind it. I was a little put off by the author’s repeated declarations that she only wears skirts and the impression that the designers were not interested in dressing anything but the perfect body. All opinions are my own.

The extensive research and interesting examples made this a unique book. But if you are going to encourage a book to be read in advance of publication, it is not fair to readers to omit illustrations.
Illustrations are critical to a topic like this and I think that should have been obvious. No excuses.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Skirts for advanced digital copy.

Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century
Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell
St. Martin's Press
Fashion History
Pub. Day 6 Sept. 2022

This is a fascinatingly well written and well-researched examination of how skirts/dresses shaped and defined modern femininity. Dr. Chrisman-Campbell is clearly a wealth of knowledge about the subject and a great writer. Often history, particularly specialize history, can be difficult to get into and hold someone's interest if they do not have the same intense interest in the subject, but that is far from the case with this book.

I highly enjoyed this read and recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in history of any type.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

You don't have to be a fashionista to enjoy this interesting history about skirts. It is filled with fun facts and so much more. Yes, there is some gender issues discussed in this book, how could there not be. However, it is not a tirade about how the male gender used skirts to objectify and restrict women (both literally in their movements and their rights). The writer enjoys wearing skirts so there is also discussion about the positive things about skirts and how it has moved slightly beyond just women wearing them. She also explores how skirts, their lengths and designs have reflected the politics and economy of the times, and the impact of social and cultural events and movements.

This is very easy to read and goes by quickly. I quite enjoyed it. Have fun!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I've long been interested in the evolution of fashion . . . until the 1930s, at which time my interest dwindles rapidly. Fashion as social expression as well as personal expression has always been interesting, while it can be a fraught subject. The history of twentieth century fashion especially, after Coco Chanel boosted women into modern times, while saddling them with a nearly inescapable ball and chain: to be chic, one must be thin. Oh, yes, and white.

So, reading this book, I think demands that the reader except that as the substrate, because these innate demands really are not examined here. Instead, there is a mostly readable, formidably researched look at fashion over the twentieth century.

I need to say at the outset the the ARC is seriously hampered by the lack of images. The book's marketing promises "lavish" illustrations. You'd think that the publishers who put out the ARC could see their way clear to include some B&W illos...but they didn't.

The result was, the vast amount of name-dropping of fashion designers caused my eyes to glaze over in places. I don't think that a fault. Someone more into twentieth century fashion will no doubt know who all those people are.

The amount of work that went into this book is impressive, and there are some fascinating ideas presented. Overall, the book is a good look at the "outer woman"--in other words, what she wears-- in white western fashion, without much delving into social history.

A highly engaging and informative book on the evolution of and political statements made by women's choice in clothing. Full of fascinating tidbits.

I love a good book that teaches me a lot of new things on a subject that I am not to familiar with, and Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century by fashion historian Kimberly Campbell-Chrisman did just that. A huge Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for the advanced digital copy of the book. Skirts is a well researched, insightful, fascinating and delightfully entertaining book that I enjoyed reading.
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The book delves into the history and evolution of womenswear throughout the 20th century. The author analyzes the design of skirts from the standpoints of class, gender, race and fashion through such innovative styles like the Bar Suit, The Little Black Dress and many more iconic fashionable womenswear. This a highly readable, captivating book is for anyone who really loves fashion and enjoys history.📚📖⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Synopsis: “While the story of women’s liberation has often been framed by the growing acceptance of pants over the twentieth century, the most important and influential female fashions of the era featured skirts. Suffragists and soldiers marched in skirts; the heroines of the Civil Rights Movement took a stand in skirts. Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe revolutionized modern art and Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes in skirts. When NASA put a man on the moon, “the computer wore a skirt,” in the words of one of those "computers", mathematician Katherine G. Johnson. As women made strides towards equality in the voting booth, the workforce, and the world at large, their wardrobes evolved with them. They did not need to "wear the pants" to be powerful or progressive; the dress itself became modern as designers like Mariano Fortuny, Coco Chanel, Jean Patou, and Diane von Furstenberg redefined femininity for a new era.”

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review
-Apart from having French words ill-written (such as "à la Grec vs. à la grecque"), the editors did a good job.
-Lots of name-dropping. At some point, I was asking myself if it was worth the time. I know the author was pointing out styles and such and who did what when but it was more like a thesis for school than to educate people to the history of skirts.
-Sometimes poetic, sometimes factual, all dresses and skirts would have needed a picture here and there in the book. Now I'm going to Google tons of names instead of having them right there.
-A better organization would have benefitted the reader. For ex., we finished a chapter and we're in the 1990's, then we start the other and we go back into the 1920s-1930s. It's a bit discouraging, not to forget that it's confusing too because most of the sentences are too long.
-My LOL moment: "For many men newly accustomed to seeing the female leg on full display for the first time in history, it was an unwelcome step backward" speaking from going from mini skirts to midi skirts, hiding everything in sight.
-TIL that fashion is like butter concerning morals. One year tight clothing is the best to show your high morality but a few years later is shows how low and loose you are. Butter is great for several years, then it's the worse fat ever.
-Even though we can feel the author loves fashion, the whole thing was leaning on feminism and culturally acceptable bodies.

As someone who loves dresses and skirts and finds them more comfortable than pants, this book fascinated me. I had no idea women were still getting arrested for wearing pants in America in the 1930s. I walked away with a new perspective on fashion and what I personally wear.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in 20th century fashion and the societal shifts that influenced fashion.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fashion holds a chicken/egg position in social history. Society changes fashion, while fashion pushes change. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell explores those dynamics through ten examples of skirted garments that made fashion news in their time. There is plenty about each garment, the designer, the reactions and significance. She points out how technology affects fashion, as well as the ways war, sports and work have brought about change. A look through the bibliography reveals the research was extensive which has lead to wonderful quotes and historical tidbits. This book is for fashion lovers, history buffs and general readers and Chrisman-Campbell's style makes that look easy. I received a digital advanced copy thanks to St. Martin's and NetGalley. It did not contain the illustrations, but there are plenty of examples on the internet.

“Why are you all dressed up?“

For those of us who love skirts, dresses, all things long and fluttery or clean and sleek, that’s a question that gets asked a lot. This book is chock full of fun facts to quash the impertinent questioner..

While pants and shorts get a mention, this is the history of the skirt. American women got the vote wearing skirts, as did the British Suffragettes. The heroines of the civil rights movement wore skirts. Marie Curie won two Nobel prizes in a skirt. "When NASA put a man on the moon, “the computer wore a skirt,“ in the words of one of those computers, mathematician Catherine G Johnson."

A strength of this book is the ways it links changes in fashion to changes in wider society, not simply whether there was a war on and fabric needed rationing but where women spent their days, and their evenings. Office wear, sports wear, afternoon wear, and evenings from casual nights out to the Met Gala all get their due.

Despite many references to English aristocracy and French fashion houses, the book maintains its distinctly American lens. While the anecdotes are entertaining and the famous names drop with aplomb, there are a lot of both. It’s a book you won’t want to rush but rather dip into for a chapter or two, to whirl yourself away from modern fashion to the fashions in your youth, your grandmother's, even your great-great grandmother's.

Fair warning: you will yearn for illustrations of all the fabulous gowns worn to fabulous parties. I ended up searching online to see for myself the iconic evening wear of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and other great women of the 20th century. It's fashionista heaven.

I thought this book was fascinating. It was interesting to see how the most sought-after styles of one era became the opposite of what women wanted in the next. I was surprised that the author didn’t include a chapter about the iconic flapper dresses of the 1920s. However, I did learn a lot about the short-lived poodle skirt that has since become synonymous with the 1950s. Overall, this is a fun and informative fashion history book.

NOTE: The finished product is a coffee table book with lots of photos and illustrations, but the eARC could not include them due to file size. My thoughts on the book are therefore about the text only.

4 out of 5 Stars

***ARC received from St. Martins Press and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

Skirts is a focus on the shifts women's fashion of the 21st century. It is broken up into ten chapters covering from the little black dress to the changing fashion of tennis attire, some of the styles more recognizable than others. I want to note that my ARC did not have any images so I did a lot of googling which is definitely helpful for designs that may not be as common knowledge or you may only recognize them by sight but not know their names. Which for me was the Bar Suit, immediately recognized it had no idea what it was called but if you have a more in depth knowledge of fashion the images will be a nice added bonus.

Skirts is broken up into ten chapters about fashion trends that had both long and short impacts on fashion. Some chapters are definitely more fleshed out and longer than others, whether that was due to the fashion having a longer impact, more fashion designers involved in the trend or the writers personal preference I can’t say for sure. I did enjoying learning about all the different fashion designers that are named throughout the book and how fashion designers took inspirations from older styles or the changing environment, particularly after WWII to create styles that left the war behind.

One thing I wish the book had done was be written in a chronological order. This way the book could have more easily followed the evolution of fashion and how skirts continue to find ways to fit into the ever changing fashion. Each chapter follows the evolution of certain styles but then when you move into the next chapter the timeline reverts back. While the book touches on the accessibility of designer styles based on a persons ability to afford it I wish it had dealt more with the changes in styles and body shapes. Because most of the styles are designed specifically for thin, white, rich women so there is not much discussion on poorer or Black women but doing it in chronological order could have covered how these issues.

For me, I personally found the chapter on tennis attire the most interesting and easiest to follow the timeline from the Suzanne Lenglen to the Williams sister. Its also one of the fashions that isn’t impacted by access to fabrics but more the way the game became more active forcing fashion to keep up instead of the wearer having to keep up with the changing fashion game.

Overall, I really did like this book although I think if you are a history or fashion enthusiast you may get a lot more enjoyment out of this book. I enjoyed learning about the different types of fashion but also about the designers themselves and the impact society and fashion had on each other. I’ll probably pick up the hard copy just so I can see the pictures that were chosen to go along with each chapter.

ARC Review: Skirts

Thanks @stmartinspress for my copy of this book - it’s out tomorrow!

I love picking up nonfiction books that actually keep my interest! While the beginning of this book was a bit slow for me, once it moved in to discussing the history of women’s fashion, I was sold.

I loved how this book was broken down. Each chapter was devoted to a different fashion (tennis skirts, strapless dresses) and went into that style’s origins and where it has ended up today. I also really enjoyed reading about how these styles ended up being so big across many decades - was anyone else in a bandage dress chokehold 10 years ago?

Overall I enjoyed this book so much! It was a quick read and now have many more fun facts added to my repertoire which is alway appreciated 😂

Read this if you:
- Have ever wondered how your favourite clothing items came to be
- Appreciate the freedom of not having your legs trapped in pants
- Need an easy nonfiction to make you feel smarter

Skirts is an interesting read about women's fashion over the years - dresses, skirts - anything but pants! I found parts of the history really interesting and yet at the same time wanted a bit more around implications of women's fashion as linked to women's movements throughout the years. I for one was thrilled when I did not have to wear a skirt, pantyhose and an ugly blouse with a bow to work anymore and instead could wear "slacks" or something more comfortable especially in the cold midwestern winters. There were not photos in this book but this may because I read an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is a quick read and has some interesting facts so for readers who are especially interested in fashion and fashion history, you will find this a fascinating read. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

I didn’t know what to expect…how could there be enough to say about skirts? Well…I certainly found out!
This book takes us from the Little Back Dress to miniskirts and everything in between. The author meticulously researched her subject and made it engaging by using examples from well known people and celebrities.

I found the book somewhat of a trip down memory lane with explanations of poodle skirts and midi skirts right down to the onset of pant suits

I am not especially interested in fashion but I found this book fascinating.. I think anyone interested in fashion and the fashion industry would be thrilled.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

One of the things I love about reading is all of the things I learn. Today I learned that studying the history of fashion is a thing! Who knew?! Probably lots of you… I think that would be such an interesting job. As someone who enjoys period novels and films, the content of this book was so intriguing. I loved learning about the origins and descriptions of the dresses that defined a period. The author not only teaches the reader about what the dresses looked like and where they came from, but also how certain dresses served as social commentary on women’s rights and gender equality. The author asks, “Are dresses doomed?” I would say “No.” Women have taken ownership of skirts and dresses. We wear them because we want to, not because we are forced to due to dress codes or societal norms. Women can wear skirts or pants or whatever we want and feel strong, powerful, beautiful, successful, intelligent, any number or things. It’s our choice.

I found this interesting and very well researched although I felt a more appropriate name would have been Dresses but that is being picky. I think I prefer my nonfiction to be more people based rather than something as visual as fashion. I found myself really wishing for pictures of what someone wore to a Met Gala, what was a clover dress, etc. rather than just a description.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's for providing me with a digital copy.