Book Review: Fashion Victims

Fashion Victims: Dress at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette 

by Kimberley Christman-Campbell.

This is one beautiful, big book. It combines the lavish illustrations of a coffee table volume with the research of an academic journal, and a highly readable narrative voice.

Fashion Victims runs 319 large (9.5" x 11") pages, exclusive of notes/bibliography, with 245 images (all in color, and up to a whole page in size). The images are largely contemporary portraits and fashion engraving, though a fair number of original garments also appear--all beautifully mounted museum specimens, including one of the only surviving examples of a chemise ala Reine.

The book is divided into twenty chapters in four roughly thematic sections. Some chapters focus on the sociopolitical and economic contexts for 18th century French high fashion--such as the rise of celebrity fashion designers and fashion publications, or the traditional divisions between royalty and fashion fads. Other chapters explore particular stylistic fads (orientalism, fashions ala Figaro), or clothing for specific occasions (mourning, court dress), or iconic garments (the pouf, the chemise dress). The book is very specifically focused on the 1770s-1780s in alignment with the 1774-1792 reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The final chapter explores the affect of French emigres on European fashion in the 1790s-1800s, up to the 1814 Bourbon restoration.   

If you were curious about the development of fashion culture in and around Paris in the latter 18th century, this is the book for you. It looks at not only how fashion developed as a career/hobby/lifestyle, but also how fashion was perceived in the wider society, and how fashion affected and was affected by politics. The book covers people as well as trends, and philosophies. So if you want to see a ton of lovely Vigee-Lebrun portraits, learn about the origins and applications of the 'pouf', and better understand Rose Bertin's career trajectory, this is an excellent book for it.

My only caveat is that it's not a quick and easy read nor is it a flip-through reference. I found the individual chapters suited to pleasure reading, though the book itself is a bit too large and heavy for reading on the go.

Stars: 5

Accuracy: A thoroughly-researched book with full citations.

Strongest Impression: Thoughtful, informative, and beautiful. An excellent resource for those doing late 18th century costuming, or otherwise studying/writing about the period.