Scan barcode
ghostlydreamer's review
3.0
Certainly an excellent guide to Victorian fashion, beauty, and haircare, I won't dispute that. It's a comprehensive guide that, on one hand, was easily tailored to beginners because it covers a lot of material in immense detail. But on the other, I feel like the reader was expected to know some things prior, such as the terminology, in order to understand the details we're being given. I think more illustrations would have been helpful to demonstrate the onslaught of descriptions the author gives us. Sometimes I just didn't know what they were talking about, and a picture to accompany it would have been nice so I didn't have to break away and Google it instead.
But apart from that, this was a very informative read and fairly quick as well. I had no idea Victorian fashion varied so much, but it makes sense given how long the era lasted. And even now, trendy fashion can change drastically from one decade to another, so it only made sense that what was considered proper or trendy back then changed frequently as well. There is no one standard Victorian outfit. And while I knew many of their beauty and haircare ideas were absurd, this book still managed to shock me with some of the remedies the Victorians thought WORKED.
Anyway, a decent guide to Victorian era fashion, so I'd recommend it if that's something you're interested in learning more about.
But apart from that, this was a very informative read and fairly quick as well. I had no idea Victorian fashion varied so much, but it makes sense given how long the era lasted. And even now, trendy fashion can change drastically from one decade to another, so it only made sense that what was considered proper or trendy back then changed frequently as well. There is no one standard Victorian outfit. And while I knew many of their beauty and haircare ideas were absurd, this book still managed to shock me with some of the remedies the Victorians thought WORKED.
Anyway, a decent guide to Victorian era fashion, so I'd recommend it if that's something you're interested in learning more about.
camillalice's review
5.0
Absolutely fascinating!
I recognised Mimi Matthews’ name as I recently read and enjoyed one of her books, The Pug Who Bit Napoleon, so I got quite excited to see she had another book out.
A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty is a thorough study of the world of fashion and beauty in the higher classes of Victorian society. There is so much detail, enriched by wonderful illustrations, that it all comes to life and you can just imagine what it was like. Anyone interested in the time period should pounce on this.
I like how it’s organised by decade, it makes things really clear. Not only does Matthews describe the fashion and beauty trends (hairstyles and cosmetics) of the decade, but she also explains the reasons for changes and what was going on in history at the time. Yet she manages to keep the whole thing entertaining and light despite basically bombarding you with interesting information.
The extensive bibliography gives lots of ideas for those who might want to further research the topic – I admit I love going through bibliography to see what else I could read. In my opinion, a good history book needs a bibliography.
This is definitely a book I will eventually purchase so I can keep a hard copy at home.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pen&Sword History for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
I recognised Mimi Matthews’ name as I recently read and enjoyed one of her books, The Pug Who Bit Napoleon, so I got quite excited to see she had another book out.
A Victorian Lady’s Guide to Fashion and Beauty is a thorough study of the world of fashion and beauty in the higher classes of Victorian society. There is so much detail, enriched by wonderful illustrations, that it all comes to life and you can just imagine what it was like. Anyone interested in the time period should pounce on this.
I like how it’s organised by decade, it makes things really clear. Not only does Matthews describe the fashion and beauty trends (hairstyles and cosmetics) of the decade, but she also explains the reasons for changes and what was going on in history at the time. Yet she manages to keep the whole thing entertaining and light despite basically bombarding you with interesting information.
The extensive bibliography gives lots of ideas for those who might want to further research the topic – I admit I love going through bibliography to see what else I could read. In my opinion, a good history book needs a bibliography.
This is definitely a book I will eventually purchase so I can keep a hard copy at home.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pen&Sword History for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
lifeandtea's review
4.0
Review from my blog:
https://lifeandteablog.wordpress.com/2019/05/24/book-review-a-victorian-ladys-guide-to-fashion-and-beauty-by-mimi-matthews/
https://lifeandteablog.wordpress.com/2019/05/24/book-review-a-victorian-ladys-guide-to-fashion-and-beauty-by-mimi-matthews/
aecorral's review
3.0
Fashion: Victorian Style
Interesting. Not sure I’d like the hoops and corset but that was the fashion. Did not realize all the beauty treatments women used then. Overall, a good read if one is interested in history of fashion.
Interesting. Not sure I’d like the hoops and corset but that was the fashion. Did not realize all the beauty treatments women used then. Overall, a good read if one is interested in history of fashion.
rlangemann's review
4.0
You probably have to be a bit of a historical fashion nerd to enjoy something like this. I found it fascinating—well researched and written. Good background if you read a lot of Victorian literature. I would have loved more pictures.
annarella's review
5.0
A very good book, well written and well researched. It's full of interesting facts and clear explenation of how the Victiorian fashion worked.
The illustration are very good. The book is really entertaining.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for this ARC
The illustration are very good. The book is really entertaining.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for this ARC