The nineteenth century, according to C.Willett Cunnington, was a period when the cult of modesty was a tactical maneuver camoufaged as a virtue. It was also a period when euphemisms were used for such terms as "naked", "breast", and "leg" and when underclothing was vaguely spoken of as "lingerie".
Cunnington an early 20th-century authority on fasion, argues that the Victorian matron was governed as much by current popular style as she was by instinct and custom. In a … mehrlight, amusing, and highly readable account, he not only describes what Englishwomen wore in the nineteenth century but also explains why they clothed themselves as they did.
Enlivenend with extracts from novels, correspondence from the columns of ladies' magazines, fasion descriptions, and period advertisements of beauty aids, the volume traces changes in feminine dress and ideas decade ba decade through the 1800s. the importance of being "in fashion" and the longing to imitate - in appearance - those in the same social group is closely examined, as is the desire to be sexually attractive and its counter-effort - to conceal sexual features.
A carefully researched work on a fascinating subject, this volume will appeal to a wide audience, encompassing feminists, sociologists, fashion historians, and costume designers. weniger