Friday, April 19, 2024
"Skirts"
BOOK REVIEW
A lady always sits with her knees together, ankles discreetly crossed.
A hundred years ago, that's the advice great-great-grandma might have whispered. A lady always moves quietly and demurely but purposefully, uses discretion in her costume, never raises her voice and never, ever allows too much of her leg to show. Knees together, but covered. And if great-great-grandma could read "Skirts" by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, wow, would she be surprised.
Many hundred years ago, everybody wore a skirt, though it wasn't called a skirt then. It was a toga, kilt, tunic, robe that could be embellished to reflect one's status; it was mostly unisex and quite egalitarian. Then came the Middle Ages, and a double-standard in fashion: men's clothing allowed more showing off, while women were deemed immodest for doing the same.
As years passed, women wore whatever they wanted, as long as it was a gown or dress. Even well into the last century, pants-wearing in public was generally frowned-upon.
Today, says Chrisman-Campbell, many women still choose skirts, though great-great-grandma might have worn a flowy silk dress from designer Mariano Fortuny that harked back to togas and Grecian goddesses. If she played tennis, she may have started out in long dresses that caught in her heels as she dived for a ball, until 1919 when tennis pro Suzanne Lenglen stepped onto the court in a calf-length sleeveless dress.
Coco Chanel introduced women to the anytime LBD ("little black dress"), which could be embellished up or down, while Elsa Schiaparelli did the same with the wrap dress. Hollywood made the strapless gown glamorous and teenagers made it popular. Marilyn Monroe put the "naked dress" in the gossip columns.
Hemlines have gone up, thanks in part to Mary Quant, and they went down, thanks to a mini backlash and the "prairie look." They swept the ground in everyday wear before settling into a whatever-works-for-you length. And now, says Chrisman-Campbell, we've come full circle and "pants are no longer the only option for men, either."
Lift "Skirts" and you may notice that leg-baring attire isn't the only thing you'll learn about. Author Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell is more expansive, with the story of several styles of dresses, designers, a good bit of cultural history, and to some extent, women's history. Those things widen what could have been a hemmed-in story.
Still, despite that this book is chock-full of little-known information for the average fashionista, and what's here is interesting, you might wonder about what's not included. Big-closet owners may notice holes in the narrative here or there; there's not much about some rather influential fashions and too much about others, and a lot about specific designers that the average reader might not recognize. Moreover, the impact of it all 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 missing a few stitches overall. The reader who loves clothes and wants a lively, fun and light read, though, will think that "Skirts" is the bee's knees.
