Dress and Morality

<p><b>In 747, Saint Boniface declared that wide stripes and scarlet borders in dress were a dangerous incitement of lust and ruination of the soul. A thousand years later the Jesuit Father Bernard Vaughan, in his book <i>The Sins of Society,</i> claimed that immodest dress led to paganism, while the popular v-shaped necklines of fashionable tops (referred to by some doctors as 'pneumonia necklines') were denounced as immoral by religious critics, along with short skirts.</b><br><br>For many years dress and morality have been intertwined, while moralists throughout history have raged against fashions for being too short, too long, too tight, too loose, or too costly.<br><br>In this enlightening and entertaining book, Aileen Ribeiro looks at fashion extremes over the centuries – from codpieces to corsets – revealing how dress has functioned as a vehicle of righteousness or turpitude, and as an expression of sexuality, class or social status.<br><br>With sharp wit and lavish illustrations, <i>Dress and Morality</i> offers an in-depth exploration of the comical vanities and social etiquettes associated with dress in the past. This foundational fashion classic has been re-issued with a new preface, afterword and further reading list – remaining an essential and entertaining read.</p>