Why’d They Wear That?: Fashion as the Mirror of History, Sarah Albee
Nonfiction
Booktalk: Did you know that Celtic warriors painted their bodies blue before battle? Or that wealthy Mayans intentionally elongated their babies’ skulls? Or that seventeenth century Russian men had to pay a tax in order to have a beard? Maybe you’re all about bright colors: did you know that purple dye originally came from the crushed bodies of thousands of snails, which smelled so bad that no one could live anywhere near them?!
In this nonfiction book, Why’d They Wear That?: Fashion as the Mirror of History, you’ll read about clothing dating all the way back to the cavemen in countries all over the world. From furs to silk to wool, from crazy hats to facial piercings to chain mail, you will find out how clothing and cosmetics both reflected and influenced their cultures.
There’s some fascinating gross stuff in here (before there were special wool cleansers, people would wash their woolens in urine!) as well as information about war (lots of stuff about chain mail and armor) and culture. If you’re a history buff – or if you just like grossing out your friends – this is the book for you.