100 Years of Fashion
Cally Blackman
Laurence King
It鈥檚 not without significance that this book contains comparatively few photographs from the current decade. It hardly seems right that a text including a 1947 image depicting women in Chicago protesting outside Dior鈥檚 hotel against the impracticality of 鈥渄resses to the floor鈥 should also contain a glossy image of Miley Cyrus in Valentino on the red carpet.
The last 100 years witnessed the transformation of women鈥檚 fashion. Charting the development of the style alongside social, political and economic changes, Blackman succeeds in providing an introduction to the various fashions. There are also some good moments of cohesion; a 1927 image of a woman handknitting a Fair Isle 鈥渏azz jumper鈥 in Ardara, Ireland could just as well be an image from an editorial on the Lund sweater craze.
Organised into sections that include Youthquake, Amazons and New Looks, you can鈥檛 deny that 100 Years of Fashion is an excellent overview. However, with Blackman鈥檚 academic credentials, you can鈥檛 help but feel she鈥檇 have sooner written multiple texts that offer real critical and in-depth discussion.
Bethany Rex