Art Historical Costumes

Survey of Historic Costume, 6th Edition, is the best-selling introduction to Western dress from the ancient world through the twenty-first century. Each chapter presents social, cross-cultural, environmental, geographic, and artistic influences on clothing. With visuals, illustrated tables, and in-depth discussions, readers come to recognize recurring themes and concepts and understand the role of dress from a diverse, global perspective. The new edition features more than 1,000 full-color photo... [Read More]

The pursuit of style has prompted centuries of dramatic change in fashion—and author R. Turner Wilcox researched and documented it all in this completely comprehensive volume. A lifelong student of history, costume, and design, she observed decades of fashion innovations from major cities all over the world and served as fashion editor of Women's Wear Daily from 1910 to 1915. Her remarkable Mode series is a definitive reference for anyone with a passion for fashion. From the togas of ancient R... [Read More]

Dressmaking, considered a natural extension of women's proper work in the home, was a common and lucrative employment for women in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It afforded creative expression, prestige in the community, and even the possibility of financial independence. Yet as entrepreneurs, dressmakers faced unique business pressures, and with the advent of department stores and widespread mass production of women's clothing, most were forced out of business. Coinciding with t... [Read More]

Rare book

What People Wore When combines the studies of two classic nineteenth-century illustrators Auguste Racinet and Friedrich Hottenroth for the first time. Their works are presented first by chronology and then by subject, so that illustrators, historians, and students alike can choose to follow the path of fashion through the centuries, or study in detail the contrasting styles of individual clothing and accessories. Silhouettes reveal the shape of style through the ages, detailed cross-references d... [Read More]

Colonial Williamsburg owns one of the most outstanding collections of period costumes in the world, numbering almost 900 costumes and more than 2,400 accessories.There are 25 full-page patterns in inches and centimeters for women's and men's clothing and accessories accompanied by photographs.

This study guide is a tool to help students get the most out of Survey of Historic Costume, 6th Edition. Following the chapters of the textbook, the Student Study Guide includes chapter objectives, key terms, historic overviews, chapter summaries, chapter quizzes, image-analysis exercises, garment analysis worksheets, glossary of key terms, and a fashion garment guide-a mini-dictionary identifying basic garment terminology with illustrations. By providing a consistent approach to all of the chap... [Read More]

". . . thoroughness and most impressive scholarship . . . much entertaining detail and . . . pleasant humour." — The Times Literary Supplement (London)Underwear — practical garments with a utilitarian function or body coverings that serve an erotic purpose? As this fascinating and intelligently written study shows, the role played by underclothing over the last several centuries has been a varied one.In a well-documented, profusely illustrated volume combining impressive scholarship with an ... [Read More]

This carefully researched volume offers lovers of both costume and the medieval period a meticulously researched and accurately detailed study of the clothing of the Middle Ages. Following an illuminating discussion of the style and construction of costumes worn in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, noted costume historian Mary G. Houston provides detailed descriptions and illustrations of actual apparel worn by all classes and sectors of society. Included are elaborate royal, ... [Read More]

This practical and informative guidebook is a "must-have" for anyone planning to create accurate period costumes for theatrical productions and historical reenactments. From short tunics worn by Saxon men in the fifth century to a lady's bustle dress of the late 1800s, this profusely illustrated text contains a wealth of authentic patterns. Information on pattern sizes, materials required, and methods of sewing accompany simply drawn diagrams for Elizabethan doublets, capes, and trunks; a man's ... [Read More]