A lady always sits with her knees together, her ankles discreetly crossed.
A hundred years ago, that’s the advice that great-great-grandmother might have whispered. A lady always moves quietly and demurely but with determination, she uses discretion in her wardrobe, she never raises her voice and never, she never lets too much of her leg show.
Knees together, but covered. And if great-great-grandmother could read “Skirts” by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, she’d be amazed.
Many hundreds of years ago, everyone wore a skirt, even though it was not called a skirt then. It was a toga, a kilt, a tunic, a robe that could be adorned to reflect one’s status; it was mostly unisex and fairly egalitarian.
Then came the Middle Ages, and a double standard in fashion: men’s clothing allowed them to show off more, while women were considered immodest for doing the same.
Over the years, women wore whatever they wanted, as long as it was a gown or a dress. Even well into the last century, wearing pants in public was generally frowned upon.
Today, Chrisman-Campbell says, many women still choose skirts, though the great-great-grandmother might have worn a flowing silk dress by designer Mariano Fortuny that harked back to togas and Greek goddesses. If she played tennis, she may have started out in long dresses that caught on her heels when she lunged for a ball, until 1919, when professional tennis player Suzanne Lenglen walked onto the court in a sleeveless, calf-length dress. .
Coco Chanel introduced women to the LBD (“little black dress”) of any time, which could be adorned up or down, while Elsa Schiaparelli did the same with the wrap dress. Hollywood made the strapless dress glamorous and teenagers made it popular. Marilyn Monroe put the “naked dress” in the gossip columns.
Hems were up, thanks in part to Mary Quant, and down, thanks to a mini backlash and the “prairie look.” They swept the floor in daily use before settling on a length that works for you. And now, says Chrisman-Campbell, we’ve come full circle and “pants aren’t the only option for men, either.”
Pick up “Skirts” and you may notice that the leg-baring outfit isn’t the only thing you’ll learn. Author Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell is broader, with the history of various dress styles, designers, a bit of cultural history, and to some extent women’s history. Those things expand on what could have been a closed story.
Still, even though this book is packed with information little known to the average fashionista, and what’s in here is interesting, you might be wondering what’s not included. Owners of large closets may notice holes in the narrative here or there; there’s not much about some fairly influential fashions and too much about others, and a lot about specific designers that the average reader might not recognize. Furthermore, the impact of all this on society and women’s rights sometimes seems frustratingly brief.
The reader who makes fashion a passion may find this book too shallow in its coverage and miss some points overall. The reader who loves clothes and who wants a lively, fun and light reading, however, will think that “Skirts” are the bee’s knees.
Source: www.goshennews.com