Have you ever wondered why we wear the type of clothes we do? Packed with outlandish outfits, this exciting history of fashion trends reveals the flamboyant fashions adopted (and discarded) by our ancestors.In the days before cosmetic surgery, people used bum rolls and bombastic breeches to augment their figures, painted their faces with poisonous concoctions, and doused themselves with scent to … scent to cover body odor.
Take a fresh look at history’s hidden fashion disasters and discover the stories behind historical garments:
How removing a medieval woman’s headdress could reveal her as a harlot
Why Tudor men traded in their oversized codpieces for corsets
How crinoline caused a spate of shoplifting among Victorian ladies
Karen Bowman charts our sartorial history from the animal skins first used to cover our modesty and show off hunting skills, right up to the twentieth-century drive for practicality and comfort. Corsets and Codpieces is a fascination read for history buffs and fashionistas alike.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history–books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
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A short time ago, I finished reading Corsets and Codpieces: A History of Outrageous Fashion, from Roman Times to the Modern Era by Karen Bowman. When I picked it up, I expected it to be dry and more than a little dull, but the subject matter interested me, so I figured I’d plod my way through it.
When I started reading it however, I was pleasantly surprised by a conversational tone and fantastically interesting nuggets of information woven into the engaging narrative.
For example, did you know that the phrase “street walker” derives from medieval prostitutes who wore sandals that spelled out ‘follow me’ in the sand? Or that sewing needles were “extremely valuable, varying in worth from a yearling calf for a common needle to an ounce of silver for an embroidery needle”.
I found it immensely interesting that blue was once considered feminine because it “was associated with the Virgin Mary and conveyed gentleness” while “pink came from red and red was the embodiment of power, passion, wealth and blood” and was therefore a masculine color.
And how much do you know about crinolines? I had no idea that “accidents as a direct result of wearing a crinoline were more frequent than with any other garment in history”. In fact, “in 1864 a Dr Lancaster reported there had been 2,500 deaths in London alone from fire on account of the monstrous skirt.” Crinolines also, apparently, increased crime. A woman was caught smuggling “5 pounds of cigars, 9 pounds of tobacco, a quantity of tea and a bottle of gin, all concealed beneath her crinoline”.
Then later, during the second world war when strict clothes rationing was introduced in England in 1941, people were issued 66 coupons to last a year, which “would have been spent in the first quarter of any year” by pre-war standards.
My only real ‘complaint’ for lack of a better word to call it, is that I wish more of the “Modern Era” was covered. You only get a couple pages to get you from the 50s to the 70s, and nothing at all further forward. There are certainly some outrageous fashions in modern clothing as well.
Ms. Bowman does offer an extra little bit of information right at the end of the book, explaining why most bras have “a small bow stitched to the front between the cups”. But I won’t spoil the surprise in case you pick it up yourself.
Perhaps now you understand why I found this book so interesting. Or perhaps you think I’m an absolute nutter. *shrug* Ultimately, if you have any interest whatsoever in the history of some of humanity’s weirder garments, I heartily suggest you get Corsets & Codpieces.
A fun read that you can pick up & put down in between chores. Many issues known if you’ve read A LOT of books from our early American beginnings, but many historical facts I had NO idea about. Nothing serious, but fun if you like information (nerd at heart).
Shallow
Entertaining and informative
I learned new things. A horse once ate a woman’s straw bustle.
Love how fashion has evolved. This book goes into the how pieces were made and the reasons for them. Enjoyed it immensely!
Guess I expected to much. Lost me in dribble
I liked this book because I was interested in the history of clothing and why they did what they did. GREAT pictures added for better understanding. It was a fun read and I enjoyed being able to tell students about the styles- which some found really interesting.
Needed more pictures
I enjoyed it. Women with 4 foot tall hair treatments? Wow.
Also, men with shoes two feet longer than their own feet. They were intended as phallic symbols, but I imagine very difficult to walk in.
I enjoy the history behind everyday things. Mark Kurlansky’s ‘Salt’ was another good one. I am now reading Mark’s ‘Cod.’ How cod built countries and fed the world. Very interesting history.
This book was especially helpful with my volunteer work making costumes for performances at our local community theater. The actors have been impressed with the authentic look I’ve been able to achieve. Thank you!
Interesting. Amazing. Intriguing.
Lots of interesting information but a slow read. Could have been crisper regarding details but personally, I’d rather have too much information than too little.
Wow! Am I thankful for the simple, easy to wear clothes of my day. My goodness, the difficult, painful, often ridiculous items of apparel our ancestors wore (often by law or force!!) back in the day! We are certainly lucky to be able to slip on simple under-garments and outer layers of clothing are designed as much for comfort, warmth or coolness, as for design and fashion. Personally I gave up fashion sense years ago and go with comfort. But back then, one didn’t have that freedom of choice. Still, it was historically AND hysterically a fun read!!
I learned much about fashion trends.
The idea is good, and parts of it are good, but there’s too often descriptions using fashion or time terminology and no accompanying illustrations to make clear what’s being described.
Also far too often comments on how men disapproved of women’s fashion, wondering what the real woman looked like. Maybe this is a subtle dig at the make up women still wear, that so dramatically alters their natural appearance, but still … after all, the men were also wearing figure-altering garments and cosmetics. What did women think about their artificiality?
I’d say it’s a good overview. The health problems of tight-lacing were genuine, as was the danger of catching fire when wearing a hooped skirt. The ebb and flow of the fashion pendulum certainly continues, even tho’ we are now able to choose from more styles and still be socially acceptable.
If there’d been less repetition, more simple-sketch illistration, and less focus on judgemental annecdote, I think the book would have worked better.
Probably more than I really needed to know about the subject! Certainly entertaining.
Fun read! Interesting & informative, witty & humorous!
It was interesting, although did get a little slow in places. But I enjoyed it enough to recommend it.
Just a fun informational read.