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A review by sarah_moynihan
A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty by Mimi Matthews
4.0
'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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4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars.
I have read all of Mimi Matthews' historical fictions, but A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion Beauty is the first of her historical nonfictions which I have read. Following her newsletter on her author's page however, I can say that the tone if this book is very remenisent of the manner in which she writes those newsletters, which often feature deep-dives into the various aspects of Victorian life. They are always well-researched, clear, and detailed with many quotes from publishings and periodicals of the day focused on the matter. The same can be said of this book, the time and reasearch put into the writing is clear with plenty of detail.
I'm very glad for the included illustrations because some of the styles are hard to picture in your mind due to their intricacy(the hairstyles are coming to mind for me here). There was much of the information in this book that I was previously aware of, but I was not clear on the timeline and evolution, so it was interesting to see how some trends would fade only to later come back into fashion, if slightly altered. At the same time though there was some information that was new to me and was similarly interesting to learn about.
Nonfictions are not normally my go to, but I do enjoy reading them from time to time and I did enjoy reading this one. A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty does a lovely job on detailing the evolution of the Victorian era, which paved the way for the further changes and advancements of the Edwardian era. I found it very interesting and I will go back at some point to read one of Matthews' other nonfictions. In fact I would be interested to read another nonfiction from Mimi Matthews, should she write it, that similarly details the evolution of fashion and beauty throughout the Edwardian era.
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I received a paperback copy of this book through a giveaway held by the author, many thanks to Mimi Matthews for sending me a copy of A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty. This is my honest review.
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.'
___________________________
4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars.
I have read all of Mimi Matthews' historical fictions, but A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion Beauty is the first of her historical nonfictions which I have read. Following her newsletter on her author's page however, I can say that the tone if this book is very remenisent of the manner in which she writes those newsletters, which often feature deep-dives into the various aspects of Victorian life. They are always well-researched, clear, and detailed with many quotes from publishings and periodicals of the day focused on the matter. The same can be said of this book, the time and reasearch put into the writing is clear with plenty of detail.
I'm very glad for the included illustrations because some of the styles are hard to picture in your mind due to their intricacy(the hairstyles are coming to mind for me here). There was much of the information in this book that I was previously aware of, but I was not clear on the timeline and evolution, so it was interesting to see how some trends would fade only to later come back into fashion, if slightly altered. At the same time though there was some information that was new to me and was similarly interesting to learn about.
Nonfictions are not normally my go to, but I do enjoy reading them from time to time and I did enjoy reading this one. A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty does a lovely job on detailing the evolution of the Victorian era, which paved the way for the further changes and advancements of the Edwardian era. I found it very interesting and I will go back at some point to read one of Matthews' other nonfictions. In fact I would be interested to read another nonfiction from Mimi Matthews, should she write it, that similarly details the evolution of fashion and beauty throughout the Edwardian era.
_____
I received a paperback copy of this book through a giveaway held by the author, many thanks to Mimi Matthews for sending me a copy of A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty. This is my honest review.