The History of Underclothes

If you love to learn about historical clothing than this is the book for you.

I am a costume designer and have had this book for over 10 years. I recently purchased a copy for one of my student workers who is now studying costume design at Evansville, IN. I have found it to be a wonderful source for accurate information on period undergarments. It has consise information including many photos and illustrations.

Illustrations and pictures, combined with detailed description, make this book a good resource for any historian or writer. My only complaint is that the book covers such a long period of history (early 1300s to 1939). When so many years are covered, it's hard to have perfect accuracy and not rely on gross generalization. If you want to read about a very specific period, this probably isn't the book for you, but if you are looking for generalization, it's a great resource!I liked it and would recommend it.!

unfortunately this is the only book by C. Willett and Phillis Cunnington easily available in America. This book is a terrrific and cheap resource for those interested in an aspect of historical costume often ignored. It doesn't include construction methods, but it is otherwise a perfect resource for the professional or reenactment costumer. It covers the Middle Ages through 1939 with black and white photos of garments and illustrations from primary sources.

Thanks to Dover reprints, the Cunningtons' books on costume are becoming available again. And what a benefit this is! The best thing about a Cunnington book is that you know the scholarship is sound. No guessing here, no looking at a costume from 1815 and extrapolating to the whole nineteenth century.... This book focuses mostly on the 18th through early 20th centuries (in Europe), with black and white drawing and photos. A wonderful resource for anyone with an interest in costume, history, or theatre, and a MUST for any writer of historical fiction.