Against Fashion – Clothing as Art 1850–1930

I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea how interested I'd become in the Artistic Dress/Dress Reform Movements and this book is where I first dove into it. The beginning of the book is an essay by the author about these various opinions and artistic philosophies that eventually led to 20th century clothing (which is so different than anything that proceeded it). The rest of the book is a series of essays written by those who were involved. I had no idea that people like Klimt, Oscar Wilde, and Henry van de Velde were all so concerned with women's clothing. This book actually raised a lot of questions for me which I answered by reading "Politics, Health, and Art: Reforming Women's Fashion, 1850-1920" by Patricia A. Cunningham. "Against Fashion" does have quite a bit of information on men's fashion reform as well where Cunningham's book focuses only on women's dress. I would find the book worth the price just for the wonderful photos and illustrations - but it is definitely worth reading from cover to cover. I have studied the history of fashion for years, majored in Art History in college, and have always been very fascinated with the late 19th / early 20th century time period so how wonderful it was to have a whole new angle on this period in history to love.