The Corset and the Crinoline; A Book of Modes and Costumes from Remote Periods to the Present Time

by William Barry Lord

This book has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.

Genres: History, Fashion, Nonfiction

138 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2007

Reviews

[Melly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in 1868 and the things I found most interesting were:
(1) The assumption that women had basically always worn some form of corset and always would
(2) The many, many reprinted letters from both men and women extolling the virtues of "tight-lacing." It seems that doctors were warning against it, but women with 15" or 16" waists would write in and say they were in perfect health and they loved the feeling, while men talked about how beautiful a tiny waist is and how sloppy an uncorseted figure looked. It's fascinating to me that these things never change -- that women will change their appearance to suit the male eye and insist that they like the way it feels.

[Tamara]

I didn't realize this book was a reprint from an 1856 study when I checked it out. I did enjoy reading the reprints from letters written to various magazines and newspapers about the controversy of wearing corsets and tight-lacing, but overall it was bo-ring.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a rather deceptively titled book. Written in 1868, it does include a general overview of fashion history (quick mentions of Egypt, Greece, and Rome as if there wasn't ever any change to fashion, a few quick skips through Europe before he can really sink his teeth into figure-enhancing garments around the 1500s), but the real topic of this book is why it's important to have a tiny waist and how tightly lacing your corset isn't at all a bad thing. Several chapters are devoted to letters from women repetitively rebutting arguments made against tight-lacing corsets. He finishes up with a quick review of currently available corsets, recommending one in a way that made me wonder if the whole book weren't perhaps an elaborate advertisement. As a specimen of views on fashion and source of primary documents, the book is interesting, but it isn't thorough, rigorous, or detailed in its "history." The back suggests it's a great source for costumers. Possibly, but I'm sure there are others that are far better and more meticulous.