Review--The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Sylish

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The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America StylishThe Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish by Linda Przybyszewski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What I liked best about the book was the author's sharing of information on how women in the US used to dress themselves comfortably and professionally for far less than they're expected to spend today, especially if they knew the fundamentals of design and could sew. We used to have mandatory Home Economics courses for girls in junior high. I objected to that, but what I wanted to see in its place was a year of mandatory Home Ec for all students, and a year of mandatory Shop (what the boys took). Everyone should know the fundamentals of cooking, sewing, budgeting for a home, and everyone should know how to do simple home repairs and maintenance.

But I digress. The book is wonderfully snarky, informative, and entertaining and I recommend it to students of American History and of design, as well as the casual reader.


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