Alison Matthews David

A beautifully illustrated and gruesome history of fashion, illness, injury and death by dress. From insidious murder weapons to blaze-igniting crinolines, clothing has been the cause of death, disease and madness throughout history, by accident and design. Clothing is designed to protect, shield and comfort us, yet lurking amongst seemingly innocuous garments we find hats laced with mercury, frocks laden with arsenic and literally 'dropdead gorgeous' gowns. Fabulously gory and gruesome, Fashion Victims takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the toxic history of dress, in myth and reality. Drawing upon numerous visual and textual sources, from nonsensical mad hatters and lice-ridden soldiers, to the fiery deaths of Oscar Wilde's half-sisters, the book explores how garments have actually, purportedly, or mythically, tormented those who made and wore them. Vividly chronicling evidence from Greek mythology to the present day, Matthews David puts everyday apparel under the microscope and unpicks the dark side of fashion. Fashion Victims is lavishly illustrated with over 100 images and is a remarkable resource for everyone from scholars and students to fashion enthusiasts.

The Dangers of Dress Past and Present

Fashion Victims

Serah-Marie McMahon

A fascinating look at the harmful history of fashion

How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, and Murdered Through History

Killer Style

опасная одежда прошлого и наших дней

Жертвы моды

From insidious murder weapons to blaze-igniting crinolines, clothing has been the cause of death, disease and madness throughout history, by accident and design. Clothing is designed to protect, shield and comfort us, yet lurking amongst seemingly innocuous garments we find hats laced with mercury, frocks laden with arsenic and literally 'drop-dead gorgeous' gowns. Fabulously gory and gruesome, Fashion Victims takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the lethal history of women's, men's and children's dress, in myth and reality. Drawing upon surviving fashion objects and numerous visual and textual sources, encompassing louse-ridden military uniforms, accounts of the fiery deaths of Oscar Wilde's half-sisters and dancer Isadora Duncan's accidental strangulation by entangled scarf; the book explores how garments have tormented those who made and wore them, and harmed animals and the environment in the process. Vividly chronicling evidence from Greek mythology to the present day, Matthews David puts everyday apparel under the microscope and unpicks the dark side of fashion. Fashion Victims is lavishly illustrated with over 125 images and is a remarkable resource for everyone from scholars and students to fashion enthusiasts.

Alison Matthews David

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