View of Fashion

First published in 1966, View of Fashion is a collection of articles on fashions shows, parties and people in London, Paris, Italy and New York, including a section looking back to the surprising sportswomen of Victorian and Edwardian times. Lady M.P.s are observed from the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, the Headmistress and the Board of Governors are studied from the School Hall on Speech Day, tennis champions in the Players’ Tearoom at Wimbledon. Fuller figures descend upon Woburn Abbey by helicopter, model girls weather a stormy crossing on the Queen Elizabeth, fancy goods are reviewed at Brighton, costume exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, corsetry in the River Room at the Savoy. There are profiles of well-known personalities on the fashion scene and a section on men’s fashions and male models.

Alison Adburgham’s view of fashion is both accurate and acute; often unexpected, never distorted. It picks out the essential, mocks the meaningless and notes significance in the nuance. It is view with which Haro is in sensitive accord, and which he here brilliantly illustrates with ten full pages and many incidental drawings. This book will be of interest to students of fashion, journalism and social history.