Lesley Millar and Alice Kettle, eds, The Erotic Cloth: Seduction and Fetishism in Textiles

Abstract

however, given the relatively short chapter length, those addressing a single designer feel more satisfying. The authors cover a wide range of topics from readyto-wear to custom-made, and readers find themselves learning about knitting patterns one moment (Chapter 2) and children’s clothing the next (Chapter 7). The diversity is one of the many strengths of the book and helps demonstrate the vibrancy of the American fashion industry. Particular themes reoccur throughout the chapters and these are mentioned by Deihl in her introduction. These commonalities help to draw the book together, situating each designer within a wider narrative. One such area is the issue of recognition for women working behind the scenes producing designs for major labels, but often receiving little acknowledgement for their talent. Their inclusion in the book, alongside more prominent designers, is refreshing and needed. Many of the authors are museum curators, and another theme skilfully teased out is the important relationship between museums and fashion designers. Jessie Franklin Turner, for example, was appointed as the Director of the Museum of Costume Art in 1940 and Tina Leser’s Fall collection in 1950 was inspired by collections at the Brooklyn Museum and the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. To help make connections across chapters, the essays are grouped into three sections. The first, ‘Design Innovators’, looks at four designers with distinctive design practices and styles: Jessie Franklin Turner, Virginia Woods Bellamy, Tina Leser and Sandra Garratt. The second and largest chapter, ‘Developing an Industry’, focuses on designers who shaped the way the fashion industry works across America, looking at Marion McCoy and Pauline Fracchia, Fira Benenson, Helen Lee and Suzanne Godart, Nicki ‘Catherine Scott’ Ladany, Jean Wright, Mollie Parnis, Elizabeth ‘Libby’ Payne and Ruth Finley. The final section looks at ‘Hollywood, Broadway, and Seventh Avenue’, exploring the crossovers between film, theatre and fashion design. It includes a chapter on Zelda Wynn Valdes by Deihl herself, as well as chapters on Viola Dimmitt, Kiviette and Vicky Tiel. This section is particularly welcome, broadening the book’s scope, demonstrating the fashion industry’s complex eco-system, and the cross-pollination between complementary industries. All of the essays are meticulously researched and primary sources are used rigorously, including archival materials, photographs, magazines, museum collections and interviews with the designers. The latter is particularly important in providing insight into these women and their work. The range of sources provides abundant material for photographs and illustrations and all of the chapters include black-and-white images. Further colour images to showcase the range of the designers’ work would have been helpful. An enjoyable read, this book is a much-needed addition to fashion history, and it is hoped it will succeed in its mission to inspire further research into American fashion.