This is a lovely book, which makes an in-depth study into four Victorian fashion accessories: the glove, fan, parasol and vanity set. Spanning the period from 1830 to 1920, the book also examines Victorian fashion and Victorian notions of luxury.
The purpose of Victorian Fashion Accessories is not only to study Victorian fashion, but also to inquire into how fashion helped women "create a sense of who they were", and "how they experienced gender, class, and race in the Victorian period".
This is because the Victorian is the period which developed fashion as we know it today, in the sense of fashion shows, shopping and advertisements in magazines. Fashion became cheaper and widely available and was thus democratized; a great Victorian worry was that "low class" women could pass for women of the middle and upper classes (a horrible prejudice to our modern ears).
On the other hand, clothes (quality, for instance) could also be a class marker. Beaujot examines this link between fashion and class ideology; with gloves, for example, a fine and white hand denoted middle- and upper-class. The three parts of the vanity set (brush, mirror and comb) were essential in maintaining and signifying a middle-class respectable appearance.
Another of the book's pros is that it contains numerous Victorian illustrations, pictures, advertisements, and even photographs.
I love this book, and I would totally recommend! It makes great reading for anyone interested in the Victorian period, the history of fashion, the history of beauty and history in general!
Have a great Sunday evening, always with beauty and a book! xxx
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