Twentieth-Century Fashions
English Women's Clothing in the Present Century. By C. Willett Cunnington. (Faber. 31 guineas.)
PARADOXICALLY enough the student of fashion finds it easier to inform himself concerning the fashions of the nineteenth century than those of his own period. if he is not too particular about dates, even the eighteenth century is easier from the wealth of "conversation pictures " and engraved portraits. The nineteenth is the century of fashion-plates, those charming and informative coloured, engravings which begin with the French Revolution and end, alas, with the death of Queen Victoria. After that he has to make do with line drawings, mostly by inferior artists, or with photographs of Paris creations which may never have had much influence on the clothes of ordinary people.
The difficulty increases as one approaches one's own day. It is almost impossible to select from the files of recent fashion-magazines the characteristic dress. One cannot see the wood for the trees. It is no wonder, therefore, that fashion-historians have so far fought shy of the twentieth century, and it is very difficult to find a really informative and reliable book. Dr. Cunnington comes to the rescue with a magnificent publication which places all students of costume and social historians once more in his debt. Fourteen years ago he produced English Women's Clothing in the Nineteenth Century. Now he brings the story up to date.
As.-he has shown by his other writings, as for example his provo- cative Why Women Wear Clothes, he is a lively commentator who is never willing merely to list fashion's changes, or to repeat the patter of fashion journalists. He remembers his psychology and his sociology, and understands that the modern historian of fashion must cast a wider net than was necessary for his predecessor.
" The decline in class distinction," (he remarks) ," so very marked since the first Great War, has led to fashions spread- ing over a far wider social field than formerly, so that ultimately only the poorest section of the community remains unaffected. Fashion has now become a democratic expression instead of being, as it once was, the exclusive symbol of the upper-class outlook. The effect of this is that today we can speak of a fashion being established only when it has been adopted by the millions instead of by the hundreds. The future historian of the subject will have to consult far more ' popular ' sources of information than formerly if he wants to get a true picture of current fashions."
k The scheme of the book, apart from the penetrating introductory chapter, is chronological. Dr. Cunnington deals with " The Edwardian or ' Flared Skirt ' Period " of 1900 to 1908, " The
Hobble Skirt ' Period " of 1909 to 1914, " First War Fashions " of 1915 to 1918, " The Schoolboy Shape " of 1919 to 1924, " The Schoolgirl Shape " of 1925 to 1928, "The False Dawn " of the 'thirties, " Second War Fashions " and " Post-War Revival." These divisions seem to be clearly established, and the author has something pertinent to say about each. - Feminine readers will probably be unable to resist reading the last chapter first, for in it Dr. Cunnington attempts to indicate the lines of probable future development. He recognises that for the past forty years fashions have favoured youth to a marked degree ;' this being characteristic of times of social revolution, while more mature styles belong to periods of peace and prosperity. As these are not in sight, it is safe to assume that fashions will continue to be markedly youth-
ful in design. • He thinks that the designer is now abandoning the " picture " as an inspiration, and is unconsciously turning to architecture for ideas and building compositions based on line values. The result is that there are now two distinct types of feminine garment, the " frock " and the " costume," with functions essentially different. The one is to express feminine charm, the other competence at work or play— in short, the poetry and prose of dress, as Dr. Cunnington calls it.
The book is well illustrated both with diagrams and photographs ; it has a valuable " glossary of textiles," a " note on prices," giving a table of the relative purchasing power of money for the different years, and a detailed index. Dr. Cunnington is to be congratulated. Ir is hard to see how the job could have been better done.
JAMES LAVER.
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