Keeping Up Appearances: Fashion and Class Between the Wars

by Catherine Horwood

The British have always been concerned about accent, appearance and class, but at no time during the twentieth century was 'keeping up appearances' more important than during the 1920s and 1930s. From the impecunious youth anxious to create a favourable impression at the local tennis club dance to female office workers advised by the Daily Mail that women in business kept 'their position partly, if not chiefly, by appearance', we peer into the intimate lives and anxieties of the middle classes as they dressed to impress. Choices were influenced as much by the advent of mass production, economic stringency, snobbery and the influence of America, as by personal aesthetics. Seemingly insignificant items such as ties, braces, gloves and hats, could convey a lack of breeding if worn incorrectly. This engagingly written and illustrated book explores the social mores behind one of society's most popular activities, and reveals not only how we dressed but why.

Genres: History, Fashion, Nonfiction

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good and enjoyable read; the research was solid and well-documented. This was a good read in cultural history/fashion history without getting bogged down in the theoretical thesis that so often seem to be deemed necessary to current historical works. Historical and cultural context was largely made clear; there was some repetition of information due to the organization of the book (thematically) but this is more of an observation than a criticism. While i am sure that the cost of images prohibitied more, because this book is a cultural history with an emphasis on fashion, the thesis would have been much strengthened by more photos, instead of only references to that "famous Punch cartoon" or such.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

- People did not put less emphasis on clothing during the war years (nor the Great Depression years). As the author noted, some girls would rather starve herself in order to buy proper clothing.


- Advice for what male should wear mostly came from tailor, there were no male equivalent of Vogue at the time

- By the mid-1930s, the tailor industry felt threatened by the made-to-wear industry, thus they began self-publishing “proper” clothing in order to emphasize class divide (so that upper class could quickly decipher who didn’t belong to their class just by looking at clothes)

- Women were the predominant buyer of men’s clothing (presumably for their husband/children)

- “Ready-made” was not acceptable until well after the Second World War (beforehand, tailor-made clothing was the norm)


- In 1926, Londoners spend less money on clothing than people living outside of London (could due to competitiveness)


- Clothing was seen - advertised by the tailor industry - as a representation of that person. Thus, the industry advocate that people of certain industry or certain stature ought to invest decently in clothes

- During the Great Depression, the “perception of increased job insecurity led to the re-embracing of formality”

- “There was a hierarchy of dress for women within the office environment”


- People wear tie back then so they wouldn’t be “associated with the plebeian collarless worker”


- “Overt interest in clothes by men was construed as a sign of homosexuality, still a criminal offense” (also, the author noted the suede shoes were seen as a sign of homosexuality back then)

[Natalya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few phrases are as striking as "keeping up appearances." Immediately the title grabbed my attention and I had to take the time to read it. Especially since it covers one of my favorite historical periods, the 1920's-1930's. It's a period of intense upheaval as the western world is transitioning between the traditional past and the free-spirited future. This drama is played out in the fashion world. Horwood does an excellent job of exploring how this transition affects clothing. The book is well researched and broken out into clear groups. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that Horwood's writing style is academic to the point of being a bit dry. The readers also need more illustrations of specific items to know what item of clothing she is talking about (Horwood may know what a spat is, but very few modern readers do without a quick google search).
This book reminded me why I love learning about history. As I was reading it I began to better understand some of the classic books I loved. For example, James Herriot writes about a handsome heavy tweed suit he was gifted as a country vet. It seemed a bit odd to me, but now I understand why that was such a big deal and why the old men respected him more because of it.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating glimpse into the signals sent by the clothing worn during a particular historical period. Well documented.

[Sonia Gensler]

A pleasure to read and very illuminating!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be an engaging and educational read about the struggles and triumphs mastering the dress codes of the time.