Victorian to Vamp: Women's Clothing 1900-1929

Rating:
Summary: Feeble
Review: As a fan of these three eras in fashion, I had high hopes for this book, but the front cover is the best thing about it. The most grievous problem with this book is that, focussing as it does on such a limited time span, it should go into depth about that time span. It does not. The descriptions of fashions of the eras are too generalized and don't indicate how and when changes within the eras took place; since fashion was changing pretty rapidly by the end of the 19th century, and certainly by the beginning of the 20th, I expected much more attention to chronology and gradual changes.

The illustrations are also scanty and often of poor quality; some look as though they were made by tracing the outline of another illustration. I could have forgiven the shortcomings of the text had this book provided lots of illustrations, which is the main reason I suspect many of us buy books on fashion history. This book has a great premise, but it is very unhelpful.

Rating:
Summary: Feeble
Review: As a fan of these three eras in fashion, I had high hopes for this book, but the front cover is the best thing about it. The most grievous problem with this book is that, focussing as it does on such a limited time span, it should go into depth about that time span. It does not. The descriptions of fashions of the eras are too generalized and don't indicate how and when changes within the eras took place; since fashion was changing pretty rapidly by the end of the 19th century, and certainly by the beginning of the 20th, I expected much more attention to chronology and gradual changes.

The illustrations are also scanty and often of poor quality; some look as though they were made by tracing the outline of another illustration. I could have forgiven the shortcomings of the text had this book provided lots of illustrations, which is the main reason I suspect many of us buy books on fashion history. This book has a great premise, but it is very unhelpful.

Rating:
Summary: a "don't buy"
Review: I had read several encouraging reviews and decided to purchase this book; and unfortunately, I feel that I wasted my money.

On the plus side, while the author says nothing new, she does a good job of going over social and fashion trends of the time; I will give her credit for a decent job of writing and research.

But for me, as for other vintage fashion enthusiasts, any book on historical garments must include lots, and I mean lots, of great illustrations, whether photographs or reprints from contemporary periodicals and catalogs. This is where "Victorian to Vamp" falls disappointingly short.

The reprints are of indifferent quality, a couple of them quite crude (the author couldn't get her hands on a better picture of Amelia Jenks Bloomer? Come on!). And for a book of this type, why oh why couldn't the editors have sprung for a couple of prints in color?

If the author would care to reissue this with the help of a better photo/print researcher, I might be tempted to revise my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for women's fashion enthusiasts.
Review: Victorian To Vamp: Women's Clothing 1900-1929 explores the evolving dress styles of women from 1900 until the Great Depression, a time when the oppressive and constrictive styles of the Victorian Era were giving way to a new freedom in women's clothing with the advent of the modern short skirt and loose chemise dresses. Paula Darnell's informative text is illustrated throughout with line drawings and black/white photography. Victorian To Vamp will prove valued and engaging reading for costumers, popular culture historians, and writers seeking accuracy respecting details of women's clothing styles and trends during the first three decades of the nineteenth century.