Women's Costumes

One hundred years ago, well-to-do women spent most of their time sitting down and being decorative. There was little alternative, bound up as they were with the padding and corsets necessary to create the hourglass and S-bend figures that were fashionable. But as fast new dances, such as the tango, became popular, women found the corset too restrictive, and its days as essential underwear were numbered. This was the beginning of a century in which women's lives changed dramatically. In addition to the traditional jobs of homemaking and childrearing, they played active roles in wars, in industry, and in politics. Women's Costumes looks at how changing fashions reflected the changes in women's lives, from the miniskirt, unisex garments, and the "power suit," to the rise of the designer label. Book jacket.