Tag Archives: book review

Book Review: Dress Codes by Richard Thompson Ford

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Lynn

As usual with academic scholarship, it is the subtitle–“How the Laws of Fashion Made History”–that really tells what this book is about.  In this wide-ranging study, Stanford law professor Richard Thompson Ford examines how dress codes—both formal legal regulations and … Continue reading →

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Book Review–The 1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years by Rebecca C. Tuite

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Lynn

This is what the cover of my copy of The 1950s in Vogue looks like—no book title, no author, and no indication of the fact that the book is actually about Vogue editor, Jessica Daves.  Perhaps this is a new … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Olive Cycle

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Lynn

Although I have vowed to stop buying books, I couldn’t pass up Elizabeth Strout’s the new novel about Olive Kitteridge. I read it in a flash and then decided to read the two books–Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again–one after another.  … Continue reading →

Posted in 2020s, General | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Book Review—Fear and Clothing: Unbuckling American Style by Cintra Wilson

Posted on October 19, 2019 by Lynn

What happens when a punk-inspired, all-black-wearing Brooklynite undertakes a wide ranging study of American dress?  You end up with a humorous, and often snarky, assessment of Americans’ love of pastels, polyester, and malls.  The book’s big message: break loose from … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010s | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Book Review–The Devil’s Cloth: A History of Stripes by Michel Pastoureau

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Lynn

For those of us who love stripes, it is fascinating to learn something of their controversial history.  In this short gem of a book, French historian Michel Pastoureau traces the meaning of stripes from the Middle Ages in Europe to … Continue reading →

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Making Clothes for the Older Woman

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Lynn

Imagine how excited I was when I discovered this British title on World Cat—Making Clothes for the Older Woman. As an older woman who sews, it seemed custom designed for me. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Book Review—Dress Like a Woman: Working Women and What They Wore

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Lynn

I was attracted to this book by the two big names on the cover, feminist scholar Roxane Gay and the New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman. Gay wrote the foreword, a brief examination of the many laws and customs … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Lynn

What would you do if you discovered a large stash of material about a once-famous, now-forgotten woman?  Kathleen Rooney wrote a novel.  A librarian friend was one of the first to process a donated archive about the life of poet … Continue reading →

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Book Review: American Style and Spirit

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Lynn

How do we know what people wore in the past?  There are many places to look—family photographs, letters, receipts, and of course the clothes themselves. Now imagine if you had all of these things and more, including pattern books, tear … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane von Furstenberg

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Lynn

Back in the days when I wore dresses, I didn’t find the wrap dress very practical. When I wore it, the style was given to constant wardrobe malfunctions both on the top and the bottom. Since Diane von Furstenberg’s career … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s, 2010s | Tagged , , | 4 Comments