Descriptions, Reviews, etc.
Description:
The clothes we wear every day keep us comfortable, protect us from the elements, and express our unique style--but could fashion also be fatal? As it turns out, history is full of fashions that have harmed or even killed people. From silhouette-cinching corsets and combustible combs to lethal hair dyes and flammable flannel, this nonfiction book looks back at the times people have suffered pain, injury, and worse, all in the name of style. Historical examples like the tragic "Radium Girl" watchmakers and mercury-poisoned "Mad Hatters," along with more recent factory accidents, raise discussion of unsafe workplaces--where those who make the clothes are often fashion's first victims.
Co-authored by a scholar in the history of textiles and dress with the founder of
WORN Fashion Journal, this book is equal parts fab and frightening: a stylishly illustrated mash-up of STEAM content, historical anecdotes, and chilling stories. Nonfiction features including sidebars, sources, an index, and a list of further reading will support critical literacy skills and digging deeper with research on this topic.
Brief description:
Dr. Alison Matthews-David was trained at Stanford University and investigates the history of textiles and dress. She is an associate professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. This book is based on the research for her adult book Fashion Victims (Bloomsbury, 2015) and its related co-curated exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. Her next project sleuths out the links between clothing and crime.
Review Quotes: "Readers and report writers will not be disappointed."-- "The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"
