Comments on: Book Review: Victorian Secrets

By: Jennifer Rosbrugh

Jennifer Rosbrugh — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 02:30:45 +0000

In reply to ronda David-Burroughs. Great comment. Thanks for your thoughts!

By: ronda David-Burroughs

ronda David-Burroughs — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 21:47:16 +0000

When I read Sarah’s book, I too was bothered by her disdain for certain people, but more than that, I was appalled that she didn’t wear a chemise, either. To wear one or not is a personal choice, but in TEACHING what was worn under the fashions, you need to make the distinction clear between personal choice and popular usage, She states not all women wore chemises. Strictly speaking, true, but I’d wager 95% or more DID wear them (or combinations). In not specifying that, she is guilty of making the exception seem like the rule, which furthers inaccuracies on par with the ‘corsets are torture’ and ‘corsets break ribs’ fallacies, which she tries so hard to counteract. Replacing one set of inaccuracies with another isn’t good teaching. It would be like stating that women in the women’s lib movement all burned their bras and went braless. Some most certainly did, but not the majority. It was more symbolic. And yet . . . I can see future generations will inaccurately state of my generation, “Oh, all of the young women of that time went braless” ignoring that a casual scanning of clothing catalogs will prove they most certainly did wear bras (not to mention any business environment would never have condoned bra-lessness).

I was mildly exasperated when she was disdainful of the struggle for women’s rights and the vote, saying that the vote did nothing for her, as her favored presidential candidate lost. Well, of COURSE if your candidate didn’t win, there is no reason for ANY woman to have had the vote (slight sarcasm). And while she decries the violence of their methods (I wish they hadn’t had to go to that extreme, either), the fact is, when they politely asked for the vote, they were equally politely ignored.

I did grieve that the antiques she wears will not be around for future generations to love, even as I concede she has a right to wear them. I am able to own the wonderful antique garments I do because someone before me made the decision NOT to wear them, but to preserve them.

Sarah definitely has a gift for writing, I acknowledge fully. She is incredibly brilliant at capturing and keeping the reader’s attention to the very end. I was completely absorbed in her writing, even when I was cringing. I imagine (hope) that her intolerance of those not as accurate as she feels she is, will fade to acceptance as she matures. I started out in polyester, too, but gentle encouragement from those more educated made me want to be better, and so I learned and sewed and became better and more accurate. If I’d encountered someone disparaging early on, I might well have given up in embarrassment. And what a world of beauty I might have missed out on if I had!

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 22:11:24 +0000

I loved this book. She really inspired me to quit talking about wearing a corset and to actually start doing it. I love them. I try to wear one everyday – even if it is just for a few hours. Slowly but slowly I’ll build my wardrobe up and dress better.

Her writing style can be a little off putting at times, but all in all I really liked this book. She is inspiring, has done her homework and is walking the walk.

By: Maya

Maya — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 06:52:40 +0000

Actually, I gave up bras in favor of corsets at age fourteen due to frequent back problems and it prevented me from needing a medical corset later in life. It started with a simple underbust corset from Hot Topic that came with an outfit I bought, and I quickly found that it improved my posture and the improvement of posture improved both my self-confidence and health. I never gave a thought to anyone else’s opinions on the issue because I’d looked through a Fredrick’s Catalogue and (what is now considered) lingerie is indeed a subset of *undergarments*; I wasn’t actually aware that many women consider it a problem (men don’t tend to). I don’t wear a corset all the time, of course, because in the summer months the *last* thing you want is the extra layer a chemise adds (heat + layers = fainting far more than doing your stays too tight ever could), but in weather where I don’t need the breathability of a sport’s bra? It makes me not only stand tall, both literally *and* figuratively, but also feel sexy, even without a fashion fabric. What’s wrong with feeling sexy in a world that perpetually slumps?

By: april

april — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 05:05:37 +0000

Hi Jennifer. Thanks for the review! The comments here are rich in content about modern-vintage dressing…would definitely love to SEE some more patterns/options that could easily be tweaked toward modern without giving up either the corsetry option(it’s hard to wear a corset under modern clothes!)or the vintage sensibility. 🙂 Going to check out the book!
~april

By: Georgia

Georgia — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 23:05:33 +0000

I bought this book on kindle yesterday afternoon, and had finished it before I went to bed. It’s so refreshing to see someone doing the thing that I’m not quite brave enough to attempt… Perhaps one day I’ll have the courage. (And the funds, which are probably my biggest limiting factor at the moment, especially since my corset is busted and I need a new one before I can even start sewing clothing…)

By: Val LaBore

Val LaBore — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 05:02:45 +0000

I’m not sure how I missed this post when you first wrote it, since I own and read Sarah’s book back in 2012 when she was still printing and binding it herself, and selling them on the street corner in Port Townsend. During the Victorian Festival there I attended the “temperance meeting” that she and her husband put on for us, and later went to their little Victorian home which they were still working on, to watch her presentation on wearing her corset. She had a couple beautiful antique ones on display and then undressed herself to show us her own. I was appalled that she was demonstrating the wearing of a corset and all the time, but WITHOUT a chemise. I felt like saying don’t you know WHY you should be wearing a chemise or something under it? But I didn’t say anything at the time and even bought one of her books she had for sale there. I happened to be wearing my Bloomer gown which I had worn in the fashion show there, and was surprised she didn’t say anything to me. Because later when I read her book, she claimed that women who wore the Bloomers back in the 1850s wanted to give up their womanhood and be more like men. Give me a break! If she had done ANY research before making that statement, she would have know the real reason. So I believe she was making up personal opinions according to her own ideas. But I did enjoy reading the book very much, and on occasion have worn my own corset around the house to see what it feels like. However unless I was wearing one of my costumes that was built around wearing the corset, the majority of my modern clothes don’t fit over it without looking awkward.
Val

By: boocat

boocat — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 03:03:37 +0000

I cannot dress my own hair! And the hair has to go with the outfit or I feel it simply looks peculiar. I wonder what ladies of the day did when they couldn’t dress their hair either?
I really am totally disgusted with the jeans and tee shirt culture though. Nothing is sadder than seeing an eighty year-old lady in blue jeans and a sweatshirt. I am disturbed by the uniformity of it. I have distressing flash-backs to the bad old days of the Mao-era grey pajamas all the Chinese wore. I think tees and jeans look trashy and sad. They bespeak of laziness and lack of care. I am reminded of dungaree-wearing convicts on chain-gangs along the sides of roads. Jeans wear the stench of despair about them.

A little while ago I decided I no longer wished to be a part of that culture of slobs. I haven’t got a good alternative wardrobe put together though yet.