Weekend Review: Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century

 

Skirts / Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell
NY: St. Martin's, c2022.
254 p.

Women wearing trousers was not the only big fashion story of the 20th century. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell's book looks at the changing fashions in skirts and how they also shaped and reflected social norms for women throughout the decades. 

It covers most of the 20th century, from Fortuny to Versace to Leger's bandage dresses -- talking about the skirts and styles that women wore while they did big, important things, no pants required. She talks about Chanel's influence, about the Wrap Dress, about politicians, sports figures, society icons and others outside of fashion who wore unforgettable dresses and skirts. And about some of the social significance of the choice of these outfits. 

This is a pretty short book, though, and written in a very conversational style, so it has to skim over a lot. There are black & white photos throughout, with a centre section of colour photos that include images beyond the twentieth century -- moving into iconic moments of the 21st, like J Lo in her Versace dress in 2000 or Billy Porter in his tuxedo gown in 2019. In her conclusion, she points out that men are wearing skirts -- is that the future? (this book was published in 2022 but since then the trend of men in skirts seems to have mostly died down.)

I enjoyed this quick tour of skirts, hemlines and important innovations in women's wear over the last century. I mostly wear dresses and skirts myself, so found this one entertaining and relatable. It's great to talk about the garment that most women wore for most of the last century. In one part of the book, she says, "It has become a lazy cliché of costume drama...to put a heroine in pants or breeches to signal that she is sporty, adventurous, rebellious, or somehow 'not like other girls'...But suffragists and soldiers marched in skirts. The heroines of the civil rights movement...took a stand in skirts. ... Even as they were increasingly given the option of wearing pants...women continued to wear skirts, this time by choice." 

This book celebrates that choice and the changing fashions with appreciation and respect. A fun read that doesn't feel like academic writing at all; it will appeal to the general fashion reader, like me!