Support and Seduction: A History of Corsets and Bras [Hardcover]

Beatrice Fontanel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810940868 | ISBN-13: 978-0810940864 | Publication Date: September 1997 | Edition: 1

Compressed, uplifted, flattened, and pointed--women's breasts have been subjected to the endless whims of fashion. This lighthearted book, loaded with historical facts and anecdotes and images ranging from the hilarious to the sublime, recounts the often surprising history of the garments Western women have worn for support--and seduction. 220 illustrations, 60 in full color.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Hardcover: 159 pages
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams; 1 edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810940868
• ISBN-13: 978-0810940864
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,825,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful and Fun, April 26, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

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, March 26, 2001

By 

Courtney L. Lewis "Sassy Librarian" (Kingston, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Support and Seduction: The 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, December 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Support and Seduction: The 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.