I'm always interested in fashion history, so I picked up this book from my library and dug right into it. It is exactly what it says: a look at fashion codes between the two World Wars, and how they delineated class. I think it's understood from the title and cover images that it is entirely focused on the UK - but if not, it is definitely 100% England focused.
With a lot of research (the bibliography is lengthy!) and some fun additions like editorial cartoons of the time that poke fun at fashion topics, this is an interesting read. There were descriptions of the minutiae of dress and how even a glove or a tie had so much cultural meaning. She brings up Rational Dress societies and how they tried to change men's dress habits, with very little success -- menswear seldom changes much, or quickly. There was a photo of a man striding down a street in white knee length shorts and an open shirt, surrounded by men in full suits and hats, giving him a bit of a stink eye. The photo makes you realize how startling it would have been to see that "Rational Dress" outfit in context, and why it wasn't quickly adopted.
Another thing I appreciated was that the author used novels as part of her research. She quotes some parts of Rosamond Lehmann, Dorothy Whipple and Nancy Mitford, all authors I've read and so these felt resonant to me. I enjoyed the addition of fiction and cartoons into an otherwise quite academic book. I felt that it was a little dry, a little too detailed at times, so these elements helped give it more of a popular read feel.
Overall I enjoyed this one and it made me very glad that dress restrictions are not quite so particular these days!
Very sorry my library doesn't have this book. I remember photos of my mother dressing in that period and through the 40s and it would have been so fun to see what else she might have worn.
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