Fashion Victims

From insidious murder weapons to blaze-igniting crinolines, clothing has been the cause of death, disease and madness throughout history, by accident and design. Clothing is designed to protect, shield and comfort us, yet lurking amongst seemingly innocuous garments we find hats laced with mercury, frocks laden with arsenic and literally 'drop-dead gorgeous' gowns.
Fabulously gory and gruesome, Fashion Victims takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the lethal history of women's, men's and children's dress, in myth and reality. Drawing upon surviving fashion objects and numerous visual and textual sources, encompassing louse-ridden military uniforms, accounts of the fiery deaths of Oscar Wilde's half-sisters and dancer Isadora Duncan's accidental strangulation by entangled scarf; the book explores how garments have tormented those who made and wore them, and harmed animals and the environment in the process. Vividly chronicling evidence from Greek mythology to the present day, Matthews David puts everyday apparel under the microscope and unpicks the dark side of fashion.
Fashion Victims is lavishly illustrated with over 125 images and is a remarkable resource for everyone from scholars and students to fashion enthusiasts.

Alison Matthews David is Associate Professor in the School of Fashion, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.

Introduction: Death by Fashion in Fact and Fiction
Chapter 1. Diseased Dress: Germ Warfare
Chapter 2. Toxic Techniques: Mercurial Hats
Chapter 3. Poisonous Pigments: Arsenical Greens
Chapter 4. Dangerous Dyes: A Pretty, Deadly Rainbow
Chapter 5. Entangled and Strangled: Caught in the Machine
Chapter 6. Inflammatory Fabrics: Flaming Tutus and Combustible Crinolines
Chapter 7. Explosive Fakes: Plastic Combs and Artificial Silk
Conclusion: The Afterlife of Fashion Victims
Bibliography
Index