A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty
£11.60£12.30 (-6%)
What did a Victorian lady wear for a walk in the park? How did she style her hair for an evening at the theatre? And what products might she have used to soothe a sunburn or treat an unsightly blemish? Mimi Matthews answers these questions and more as she takes readers on a decade-by-decade journey through Victorian fashion and beauty history.
Women’s clothing changed dramatically during the course of the Victorian era. Necklines rose, waistlines dropped, and Gothic severity gave way to flounces, frills, and an abundance of trimmings. Sleeves ballooned up and skirts billowed out. The crinoline morphed into the bustle and steam-moulded corsets cinched women’s waists ever tighter.
As fashion was evolving, so too were trends in ladies’ hair care and cosmetics. An era which began by prizing natural, barefaced beauty ended with women purchasing lip and cheek rouge, false hairpieces and pomades, and fashionable perfumes made with expensive spice oils and animal essences.
Using research from nineteenth century beauty books, fashion magazines, and lady’s journals, Mimi Matthews brings the intricacies of a Victorian lady’s toilette into modern day focus. In the process, she gives readers a glimpse of the social issues that influenced women’s clothing and the societal outrage that was an all too frequent response to those bold females who used fashion and beauty as a means of asserting their individuality and independence.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Pen & Sword History (17 Sept. 2018) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 152 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1526705044 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1526705044 |
| Dimensions | 15.49 x 1.27 x 23.37 cm |
by Lizanne Lloyd
Having read many of Mimi’s online blog articles I know she has a prodigious knowledge of 19th century customs, art and fashion so I looked forward to learning a great deal from this book. Well annotated and sourced, the first part takes the reader through each decade from the 1840s to the 1890s. Looking at clothing, underwear, millinery and jewellery, Miss Matthews describes the changing female silhouette, illustrated with beautiful plates of the particular decade. But in no way is this a pedestrian account; the vocabulary of Victorian fashion; spoon busks, crinolettes, paletots etc are intriguingly poetic and yet we also read of the tragic death of a Regent Street seamstress, who worked from 6.30 in the morning till 11 pm plus occasionally working all night to complete a commission.
The section on fashion etiquette describes how clothing for specific circumstances, such as mourning, were strictly dictated. Middle and upper class ladies needed to change their dress several times a day, from a comfortable morning dress, to a walking dress and then a splendid evening dress. Other activities, such as sport, riding and visiting the seaside required different styles just as today. Finally the section on beauty, hair care and cosmetics is particularly fascinating. I love the suggestion that to avoid wrinkles one should, “endeavour to acquire plumpness.” This is a superb book to peruse during the festive season.
by Georgia
I found it very informative on the fashions of specific decades, which was useful for my research.
by Kindle Customer
Such an interesting book the fashion plates in the book are taken from publications of the time. Yes it’s about fashion but much more its a social history of women. Who knew that a women in a metal skirt hoop got hit by lightning or another was blown off a cliff. That bloomers early slacks were seen as subversive. A great read.
by Frankie
Well this is wonderful, I am a huge fan of Mimi Matthews work, whether that be her beautifully poignant romances, or her well researched actual pieces, like this. I will admit that as soon as I heard about A Victorian Ladies Guide to Fashion and Beauty, I was fascinated by it and I was jumping for pure when I got the opportunity to review it.
This is the perfect reference book for those interested in Victorian fashion and beauty, set out in different sections throughout the book it covers every aspect of what a Victorian lady would have worn and her beauty regime from 1840 to 1890. Ms Matthews covered everything you would ever want to know about, from under-garments, day/evening wear and shoes to cleansing soaps, hair removal and hair styling.
Every aspect of a ladies, day when they change, and why is written in clear and precise detail from which piece of clothing they would wear for what occasion, who would be able to wear what, Ms Matthews has even covered the fabric and colours that would have been used. And I do have to say that, I love how very gothic the Victorian era was in their clothing.
My favourite part is the Victorian Beauty part, I always knew that their cosmetics were at times perilous for the health. Some of what they used to do, to keep that perfect porcelain complexion is mind blowing plus quite bizarre and worry-some that Victorian ladies were so obsessed that they were happy to put quick lime on their faces and even use electricity to combat some normal issues.
This is such a great read, brilliantly researched and fabulously engrossing. I love how much detail Ms Matthews has added to each part, her passion for the era is obvious and another thing I love is how she has sprinkled the whole book with passages and extracts from genuine articles and periodicals from the time.
I cannot recommend this enough, for anyone who loves their fashion history and Victorian’s then this is a must read
by Louise
This book was full of fascinating history and well sourced historical material. However, the pictures in the paperback were often extremely small or of poor quality which was a shame as I would have loved to have seen them at a larger size.
by Ann Griffiths
Am interested in this fashion era and this book was an excellent read
by Casey
Good overview of the topic, combined with some surprising information – who knew Guerlain was around as a perfumer in 1861? Some wonderful images, too.
by Piki82
Lovely book – cannot believe I only just found it. What a thorough and well-researched treasure trove for the amateur fashion historian or beauty enthusiast. Loved it!