All the Rage: Stories from the Frontline of Beauty: A History of Pain, Pleasure, and Power: 1860–1960

Historian Nicholson (Perfect Wives in Ideal Homes) scrupulously details how shifting notions of femininity shaped a century of women’s fashion. She begins in the 1860s, contending that the era’s rigid moral code translated into a desire to police women’s bodies: corsets constrained figures; hair was “obediently” pinned, combed, or brushed back. The dawn of the 20th century saw those strictures loosening to make way for more permissive social conventions, as well as lower necklines, slit skirts, and lingerie that accentuated women’s sexuality. In the 1910s and ’20s, bobs, boyish figures, and sleeker silhouettes dominated as women’s increased participation in sports and the workplace fueled a rising “preference for lissomeness over bulk” that persisted through the ensuing decades, which saw women don more form-fitting outfits, shorter skirts, and bikinis. Nicholson astutely draws out how “demands and pressures on the female body” increased along with “progress towards equality and liberation” as a patriarchal culture sought to reassert its control over women. Feminist fashionistas will want to add this to their shelf. (Aug.)