"The book is an invaluable guide to all things fashion." -- Collectors' Corner
Spanning nearly 5,000 years of clothing styles, this splendid sourcebook presents a fascinating panorama of wearing apparel, beginning with the ancient Egyptians and continuing through the early decades of the twentieth century.
Over 1,800 drawings -- meticulously researched and accurately rendered by the author -- depict garments ranging from diaphanous gowns of Egyptian royalty, ornate robes of Byzantine dignitaries, and elegant dresses worn by eighteenth-century Parisians, to picturesque outfits of American frontiersmen and the revolutionary 1930s wardrobe of the American flapper.
Here also are informal portraits of Byzantine commoners and religious figures, Elizabethans in lace collars and ruffs, upper-class Venetians, English dandies, and French gentlemen of the mid-eighteenth century as well as detailed illustrations of nineteenth-century New York farmers, western fur trappers, cowboys, mountain men, and lumberjacks, Klondike prospectors, Mississippi rivermen, and many more. A brief historical survey precedes the chronologically grouped illustrations of each period, and an overall list supplies the source for each drawing. A comprehensive reference for artists, designers, and social historians, this invaluable treasury will also intrigue anyone interested in the evolution of wearing apparel.
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Afghans Handicrafts Patterns Arts, Music & Photography Crafts Crafts & Hobbies Crafts & HobbiesVery informative and exactly what I was looking for: dress for nearly two thousand years and attached pictures.
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The black and white illustrations are well researched, and many are reminiscent of fashion plates and other primary resources. While designers and historians should be skeptical of original illustrations because of artistic liberties and accidental changes to the shape, style, and accuracy of the garment, this book is pretty decent/trustworthy. Gorsline also gives specific dates for the illustrations, which is very helpful...
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If you design costumes or want to do any type of research on them ... you cannot survive without this book. For a broad cross-section of clothing across the ages, this has it covered. For a more in depth look at Victorian Era costumes, try Victorian fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazaar 1867-1898.
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Every library has this book; every one. But if you'd just pull out that card and take a look at the last recent signout date, as I did, you might be surprised. Almost no one has heard of this book, which really is a shame. As a writer, this is the first book I purchased for reference...and just for browsing through. It's just so neat!
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