Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, and Murdered Through History

Killer style is a dark nonfiction book about how horrid trends in fashion, throughout history, and even today, have harmed the people following them.

The book has three sections about heads, middles, and legs. It talks about different kinds of harm; the culprit could be an extremely harmful chemical or the fabric used. Killer style opens your eyes to the great crimes manufacturers, trends, and designers have committed.

Some cases are more well known than others, like Queen Elizabeth I using white lead to cover up her scars or “Mad Hatter” using mercury, a poisonous substance to fabricate hats. Others have been covered up like factories in unregulated countries, sandblasting jeans to give them a worn look, but the particles in the sand will clog the worker’s lungs and kill them.

Surprisingly, there are recent happenings as well, for example in 2016 a company that sold “waist trainers” was being promoted on social media. These were very much like the corsets of the past which could cause shortness of breath and common fainting.

This book was extremely informative and I was very shocked by some of the articles. My dream is to become a fashion designer when I grow up, and I swear that I will never harm the people who wear my clothes. I would love to help prevent more accidents and harmful trends. I have never read a more honest book about fashion, and I recommend this book to ages eleven and up.