Geraldine Howell (U. of Westminster, London, UK) is a scholar of dress history. Her subject here is women's clothing in Britain between 1939 and 1945, which offers a way to see the social history of Britain in the Second World War. She is particularly interested in rationing, in the ways that what was allowed and what was worn by women document ideas about class, gender, and taste, and in social changes as a result of the war. The book is divided into fourteen short chapters. The first two give the social background for the book's era. The next two investigate tensions between ideas of fashionableness, health, and Britishness. She then offers a look at the early era of evacuation and war's edge, when fashion-makers asked such questions as whether a chic portable gas-mask container should be the latest thing. The next four look at the call for rationing women's fashion, the actual ration scheme for clothing and fabrics that resulted, and its impact. Two more chapters look at how women responded with new styles, handmade clothes, and ration-juggling techniques. The last two look at evolving British attitudes as a result of the war years: the "keep smiling" idea of natural health and beauty, and concepts of utility and austerity. Howell writes from a historian's perspective, using abundant primary source research and period photographs. She writes with a level of detail that experts will appreciate. While her prose is academic rather than sparkling, the author offers unexpected illuminations, such as practical ways that women's fashion reflects how British society structured work and time. She looks at women's dress not as a topic limited to one gender, but as a window into society. Readers with a serious interest in clothing will be rewarded. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)