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Why'd They Wear That?: Fashion as the Mirror of History Hardcover – February 10, 2015

by
Sarah Albee (Author)
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Sarah Albee (Author), Timothy Gunn (Foreword)
4.6 out of 5 stars 17 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Age Range: 10 - 12 years
  • Grade Level: 5 and up
  • Lexile Measure: 1190 (What's this?)
  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (February 10, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1426319193
  • ISBN-13: 978-1426319198
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 0.7 x 11.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsGreat For Clothes-Obsessed Tweens, A Little Superficial for Grownup Fashionistas
By Anne Mills on October 31, 2015
Format: Hardcover
This is a great book for tweenagers who are interested in clothes; for grownups with the same passion, it's fun, even if it doesn't tell you much you didn't know. The writing is amusing, and the illustrations are big, bold, and very frequent. Organizationally, it follows a rough time line from the cave to the cubicle, but throws in lots of interesting digressions -- like, how did knights in armor go to the bathroom? I think it's more likely to hold the interest of young readers than a straight linear narrative, plus it gives them lots of "fun facts" (many of which are pleasingly icky) to share with friends. It will also, as some other reviewers have noted, give young readers a dose of history with something to tie that history to -- like cavaliers are the ones with the lace, puritans the ones in black. For an adult reader who wants a serious history of what dress meant, there are better choices -- notably Anne Hollander's "Seeing Through Clothes" and "Sex and Suits". This book, however, is a great starting point.
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5.0 out of 5 starsI think it would be a great addition to any public or school library
By EMR on March 16, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
This book has fabulous photographs and lots of interesting information about the history of fashion. I relied on it heavily
for a presentation I did for a middle school audience. I think it would be a great addition to any public or school library.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFun coffee-table book.
By Lizz.B on September 9, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I purchased this as a coffee-table book. We homeschool, and I like to have books laying around that anyone can pick up and peruse when feeling idle, but maybe learn a thing or two at the same time. My 11 yo daughter loves flipping through occasionally. The bigger surprise was when my parents came to visit and my father was engrossed in its pages! Lots of fun to hear Dad say, "Huh, so that's what that was. I'd heard the term before, but never knew!" :-)
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5.0 out of 5 starsFascinating!
By Heidi Grange on June 2, 2015
Format: Hardcover
The minute I heard about this book I was intrigued. History I've always enjoyed reading, but I've never looked at it through the lens of fashion. I was not disappointed in the least. The book fascinated me with it's look at the fashion choices people have made over time and how those choices were made in the context of the time. It was interesting to know that people's impractical and often painful fashion choices haven't really improved much over the years. The book is divided up by time period with particular fashions from each period highlighted, everything from suits of armor to corsets to bound feet to ruff collars. The author includes side notes about various jobs related to fashion none of which sound particularly enjoyable. It was eye-opening to ponder why people dress the way they do both past and present. While some current fashions seem practical and comfortable, there are just as many uncomfortable even painful fashions that still exist (stiletto heels, anyone?). For readers who enjoy reading about fashion or history I highly recommend this wonderfully fascinating book.
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5.0 out of 5 starsCool way to learn history!
By This Kid Reviews Books on August 4, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Synopsis- Have you ever wondered why the Greeks and Romans draped cloaks over themselves? Why we have “Royal Purple”? How ladies walked in gigantic hoop skirts? Well, this book tells the answers to these questions, and many more. They make you wonder, laugh, and feel sorry for the wearers (did they KNOW they were poisoning themselves???). Plunge into the history of fashion!

What I Thought- This is a really cool nonfiction book. It goes through a history of the known world, and teaches about how they made clothes or why they did them like that. I like how this book teaches kids more than they would think about a time period. The book is written in paragraphs, with little fact boxes, captions, and real photos/paintings/art. It makes it all visually interesting. The paragraphs are in columns, like a newspaper, but dotted with pictures and mini fact boxes. The book mostly focuses on the rich of the time, mostly because they were the ones with the most outrageous fashions. It explains that in Renaissance times, women would eat arsenic wafers to get that shade of deathly pale just right. Ms. Albee has written a wonderful nonfiction book that will get kids thinking about history from a different point of view. This was a really cool book that makes you really wonder about the history (and future) of the world!
*Note I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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5.0 out of 5 starsNo one writes non-fiction like Sarah Albee
By CT Booklover on April 17, 2015
Format: Hardcover
No one writes smart, entertaining non-fiction like Sarah Albee and Why'd They Wear That is another brilliant feather in this author's cap. It is a gorgeous and well-researched book, and an addicting read. As with all Albee's books, there is so much more than the "wow" factor and the ensuing laughs from all the facts and information she delivers. It's deep history with a light, witty and thoroughly engaging touch.
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5.0 out of 5 starsWhy indeed?
By Shelter Island reader on February 10, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Another fabulous take on history, this time through how people have chosen to dress throughout the centuries. With her usual sense of the weird and trademark love of puns, Albee lures readers of all ages. Meticulous research, entertaining prose and fascinating sidebars (my favorites are the jobs people once performed -- do you know what a "wool fuller" did?), one ends up learning loads, laughing a lot, and very glad they read this book.
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4.0 out of 5 starsWhy'd They Wear That?
By Rachel McElhany VINE VOICE on April 29, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Why'd They Wear That? is full of colorful images and interesting sidebars and boxes with factoids that will keep tween fashionistas interested as they're learning about fashion through the ages. They'll be learning about history as well, though they probably won't even realize it since this book is such a fun read. The history presented in this book is pretty Euro-centric but there a few tidbits from other cultures. It would great if this was the first book in a series. Asia, Africa and the Native Americans could each easily fill a volume with the history of fashion in their cultures I'm sure.

I learned a lot reading it even as an adult as well. I was especially interested how fashion has shaped our language. For instance, the term "mad as a hatter" came about because mercury was one of the ingredients used to make a hat from a beaver pelt. Mercury poisoning can cause erratic behavior and personality changes. Mercury poisoned hatters roamed about towns and cities - thus "mad as a hatter".

I liked the light-hearted tone and humor with which Why'd They Wear That? was written. The description of polyester had me cracking up, "Polyester can spring back into shape after wear and look just as awful as when new."

Why'd They Wear That is a fun and educational book for kids of all ages.
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