Femmes fatales, strong women in fashion

In Dutch

'Femmes fatales' is a beautiful book about strong women in fashion. Nowadays women in the fashion world have a lots of influence, but this was not always the case. From pioneers to "Boss ladies"; this book is an ode to these strong women!

'Femmes fatales' is a coffee table book pur sang
The book was published by Waanders Publishers in Zwolle, the Netherlands in collaboration with Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, the Netherlands. The book was part of the exhibition: "Femme fatales, strong women in fashion" in 2018-2019. The book is bilingual, Dutch and English. Unfortunately, the translator is not listed.

The book is a large format book and is very beautiful because of the layout, photos and the mix of photos and text. It contains essays and interviews with the big names in the fashion world such as Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lavin, Elsa Schiaparelli, Fong-Leng and Agnés B. Some of the interviews are quotes from interviews from the past.

The photos are a collection of photos from the history of fashion through to modern fashion photos, which are like fashion photos should be: striking, creative and above all very unique. And a coffee table book like this should be, because the content will never get boring  and the book is a real eye-catcher.

Strong women in fashion
The essay: "From pioneers to Boss ladies" is really worth reading! Women fashion designers were pioneers and did not have an easy time in a world dominated by men. For a long time, the women were called "seamstresses", even though they were the designers and their collections were very good. The fashion world has long been strongly gendered.

Still, a few women managed to become designers and to become "leading ladies" of the fashion houses. This was not only due to their talent and ambitions but also because they approached fashion in a different way than their male competitors. They respected the female body more and took their curves as concept. Coco Chanel is a good example of this: her famous jacket was mainly designed with the idea that women could dress beautifully and move easilly. These times, comfort in outfits was not a priority at all...

"Only a man who never was intimate with a woman could design something that uncomfortable"
Coco Chanel about a Dior dress ...

"Femme fatales" and their influence now
Women in the fashion world are also increasingly activists these days. They are spokesladies of women's rights and speak explicitly about politics. A good thing because where influence can be positive, it is only a big advantage. Think especially of the fashion world now, which especially emphasizes that everyone should vote! And as for mouth masks: we saw them early on the catwalk, as a fashion accessory, while most people are still getting used to the idea of ​​wearing them.

Goodbye gender stereotyping!
Finally, it is noted in the book that it will be great if, now and in the future, the ideal is pursued that the whole gender story is not an issue anymore. There is no distinction at all in creativity between men and women. Given the history of the fashion world, which for centuries has been dominated by men, this will be a wonderful achievement.