- Hardcover: 160 pages
- Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.; New edition edition (30 April 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0810982080
- ISBN-13: 978-0810982086
- Product Dimensions: 31.4 x 25 x 2.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,207,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Thoughout the ages, women's breasts have been subjected to the endless whims of fashion. From the ancient Greeks to Mae West and Madonna, this light-hearted book charts the changing shapes of female beauty. The elegant and amusing images - including fashion drawings, paintings, photographs, and film stills - illustrate the often surprising history of the garments women have worn for support - and seduction.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Support and Seduction: A History of Corsets and Bras (Hardcover)
For a large part of the known history of costume, women's bodies have been subjected to artificial shaping. From ancient Greece to the often hilarious inventions of modern designers, this book looks at the changing beauty ideal and the tools used to make the body - especially the breasts - comply with it. The tone of the text, interspersed with anecdotes, makes for a pleasant read. It is accompanied ny numerous illustrations taken from paintings, ads, photographs and caricature. It's not the book you would choose if you wanted to study the construction of corsets or seriously research their history within a certain time frame, but as an overview of the cultural history of body shaping, it is perfect.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful and Fun,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Support and Seduction: A History of Corsets and Bras (Hardcover)
This is an excellent book filled with illustrations and photos. Support and Seduction is narrated by a lucid discription of the way corsetry and undergarments have effected women and the wearing of clothes. It mentions undergarments/understructure from as far back as midaevil times and follows through at a brisk pace until the early 19th Century, The major concentration of it's efforts begins around the Romanitc era and continues into the late 20th Century. A must have reference book for costumers and others who have need for period research at their fingertips. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has an inkling of interest on the subject, the book is a good read besides being useful.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Work of Social History,
By Courtney L. Lewis "Sassy Librarian" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Support and Seduction: A History of Corsets and Bras (Abradale Books) (Hardcover)
Beatrice Fontanel has done an excellent job piecing together the fascinating history of bras and corsets. Let's face it - what zaftig woman hasn't said to herself, "My God, what DID they do before the bra?" Well, here's your answer.The illustrations from various sources are top notch and of excellent quality with an emphasis on 19th and 20th century advertising. Since support has changed according to fashion, the book naturally chronicles in detail the ebb and flow of various fads. Suddenly women fainting at the drop of a hat no longer seems an affectation after reading an account of a 23 year old woman who died shortly after a ball - the autopsy revealed her ribs that overlapped one another from years of corset use had finally pierced her vital organs! I did find Fontaine's text to occasionally be a little shallow, and was dismayed to see Tony Curtis refered to as the captain of a submarine in "Operation Petticoat" (it was Cary Grant). Whenever I find a small error like that I can't help but wonder what other errors I'm missing. For the costumer, the social historian or anyone interested in women's issues, the book is a wonderful read. 11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What We Women Won't Do,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Support and Seduction: A History of Corsets and Bras (Abradale Books) (Hardcover)
This is a beautiful book, almost falling into the "coffee table"genre with interesting illustrations and color photos. The sidebar comments add fascinating details to the pictures. Along with the discussion of what a woman will do to feel beautiful in her era, the author spent time discussing the impact of historical times, i.e. World Wars I and II, on lingerie, as well as the development of the tire industry into girdles and DuPont research into other synthetic fabrics.It made for a fun program and with the addition of items from our local fashion museum, we females now appreciate how fortunate we are to live in our current period. |
|
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Art, Architecture & Photography > Fashion Design
- Books > Art, Architecture & Photography > Print & Decorative Arts
- Books > Art, Architecture & Photography > Women & Art
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Beauty & Fashion > Fashion
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Cultural Studies > Fashion
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Women's Studies
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
