Martin Rubin reviews Jonathan Walford’s book Forties Fashion in the May 13, 2011 Washington Times:
Jonathan Walford, “Forties Fashion: From Siren Suits to the New Look.”
New York: Thames & Hudson. 208pp $29.95. Illustrated.
By Martin Rubin
One of the best things about the way historiography has opened up over the past half century is the way it has enabled us to view the palette of the past from different perspectives. Freed from the straitjacket of what used to termed “political economy”, historians find themselves free to explore different aspects of culture and indeed to use them as a means to take a fresh look at even the most over-explored times and places. This book, by an experienced Canadian fashion curator, takes an in-depth look at the clothing, shoes, and accessories of the most transformative decade in a century chock full of turmoil and upheaval. And in so doing he manages to convey to the reader a marvelous sense of the texture of life as a whole back then.
For Martin’s full review, click here or visit www.washingtontimes.com.