5 comments about What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America.

1. I haven't finished reading this book, but it's a real treasure. The pictures even brought me to tears at a couple of points -- yes, I'm a sap. Truly, though, the clothing just seems to resonate with lives long past. They were painstakingly made by hand and worn by men, women and children of varying walks of life, not just the wealthy, although their clothing survived most often, of course. The clothes have stories to tell that in most cases the people who wore them never put to pen and paper.
   The book is exactly what the title says -- a look at how surviving articles of clothing (including shoes, hose, etc.) reveal the circumstances and stages of a person's life in colonial and federal America, not to mention the wider forces at play around them.
   
   I can definitely recommend What Clothes Reveal for history buffs and writers -- not sure about costume designers, but perhaps that's covered in another review.



2. After spending a whole day at a Living History event, trying to justify spending that sort of money on a book. Which at the time was sealed and the vendor would not allow it to be opened. I finally bit the bullet and made the purchase. It is one of my all time favorite clothing books. The images are stunning, both full shots of pieces and close-ups. There are accessories, undergarments, et cetera. It includes a range of styles in the 18th century for men and women. Some children's garments. It is not all just aristocratic or high fashion, though it isn't lacking it either. But, the uberness of this book does not stop there. After I stopped devouring the pictures like a kid in a candy shop I started reading. I was impressed with the practical approach to fashion history that the author took. Instead of focusing on the outrageous and bizarre fads of fashion. The book also touches on how historians have identified, classified and labeled garments. And how they have been right or wrong in their theories, going on to explain the current position of opinion today with scholars in the field. The text flows with interesting facts and a keen wit and humor. There are quite a few amusing side bars, and a lot of "myth busters". I think this would be a welcome addition to any collection.



3. "What Clothes Reveal" is first and foremost a history of American and British wearing apparel from the 18th and early 19th centuries found in the Colonial Williamsburg collection. It is also a social history of the period illustrated by garments and accessories that allows the reader to delve beneath the outer surface silhouette seen in paintings, prints, and on museum mannequins to reveal garment construction, fit, underpinnings, alterations, and simple thrift. While many costume histories focus on a single gender and social class, "What Clothes Reveal" includes examples for men, women, and children--not only gentry but also common folk. While author Baumgarten's "Eighteenth Century Clothing at Williamsburg" was intended to be a catalog of the collection, "What Clothes Reveal" goes several steps further. Baumgarten explores the deeper meaning of individual items and their construction, offers an curatorial interpretation of the garments and objects, and places them in a historical context by identifying details about the original owner where possible. While not intended to be the minute examination of garments in her "Costume Close-up: Clothing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790," it is an important companion. While the general photos are typical, the detail photos are rare in costume histories. Readers shouldn't ignore the sidebars, the timeline, or the footnotes. The extensive bibliography offers a superb list of additional titles to assist with further research. This book is a must for costume historians, curators, collectors, re-enactors, and others who seek to understand 18th and early 19th century garments and the lives and times of those who wore them. Baumgarten unbuttons many mysteries in a thoroughly readable style, leaving the reader anxious for her next contribution to the field of costume history.



4. This remarkable reference book consists of six chapters and a conclusion segment. So much information is included in this work that one can review it on many levels. My interest in this book is 18th century embroidery. The work of an 18th century surface embroiderer is foretold in this book and is portrayed in many venues. Embellished textiles such as stomachers, heavily embroidered pudding caps, women's cord quilted waistoats, swaddling bands for the new infant, and a yellow silk infant gown with a matching embroidered satin cap. Also, stunning embelishments on items such as spangled men's waistcoats, still unmade but outlined, on a large piece of silk are displayed with magnified detail allowing stitch colors, patterns, and directions to be studied. Included in What Clothes Reveal are beautiful examples of embroidered aprons for both the gentile ladies and the common women, different styles of pockets, covered and embroidered buttons, men's embroidered bargello wallets, and impressive men's caps. Baumgarten also included beautiful examples of ladies' fans, a wedding gown, and full maternity and nursing gown details including stays.
   
   I ordered this book upon its release and studied it relentlessly. Afterwards I went to Colonial Williamsburg and experienced first hand this entire collection. With knowing and understanding the inside workings of this display, I was able to totally appreciate and understand the items in front of me.



5. I am a historical seamstress that uses this book to copy the shape and style of Rev.War garments. I really love this book and go back to it over and over. It is a very useful book in my reference library.

5 comments about Medieval Costume, Armour and Weapons.

1. As a historical costumer by trade, I had borrowed this book from a local library so often that buying my own copy just made sense. It covers all classes of dress from peasant to noble in Medieval Europe,focused primarily on the area around Prague. This book has also been used by family as a resource for research papers due to its detailed historical data. Our medieval re-enactment society has used its armor & weapons data to base some of our armor & weapons upon to use in battle re-enactments.
   To anyone seeking detailed, documented data regarding Medieval European dress, armor & weapons, I highly recommend this book.



2. I especially like this book because it's almost the only one that gives information about Bohemian clothing and weapons. I'm a costumer, so the costume section is much more interesting to me than the weapon section, but I think this book gives quite a lot of information about weapons, there is quite a number of paintings and sources they came from. As for the costume section text, it all guides you through the fashion change in the half of the 14th century to the 15th century and gives several examples and proofs. Nevertheless, there are some facts that seem to be a bit confusing, like stating that there were "detachable sleeves" without giving any proofs etc.



3. Heaps of pictures, particularly good for people interested in 14th and 15th century eastern european stuff.



4. I've seen some of the originals these images are taken from and they are quite well done. As the drawings are from art works they are not as detailed as some costume books so be carefull if using them as references for garment making. A great idea to have a wide range of weapons, clothing and armour in one book.



5. This book contains an enormous amount of drawings, most from the bible of King Wenceslas and a variety of others. The book covers many items of medieval life from 1350 to 1450, like the title promises and then some. The drawings are not so great, but most are provided with backgound information, dates, who the person was and from which source it may have been taken. This book has been hard to find and I can recommend it to anybody who is interested in recreating the middle ages.

No comments about The Art of Making Beautiful Fashion Doll Shoes.

1 comments about Victoria and Albert Museum Pocket Diary 2008: The Golden Age of Couture 1947-1957 (Pocket Diary).

1. This is the pocket version of the 2008 V&A diary I've reviewed elsewhere; both of them are spinoffs from the book _The Golden Age of Couture_, which is in turn derived from the V&A's 2007-08 exhibit celebrating 1947-1957 haute couture. The pictures are a nice selection of color & B&W (many of them are the same as the desk version, but there are also some different pictures). As I said in my review for the desk version, you might want to get two, one to work with and one to keep pristine for your library!

No comments about 365 Days of Shoes Calendar 2009 (Picture a Day Wall Calendars).

1 comments about Pattern Cutting for Women's Tailored Jackets: Classic and Contemporary.

1. Winifred Aldrich is a master at producing books with clear istructions for well fitting blocks and this book is no exception. It also includes one of the few chapters detailing the history of tailoring that i have seen. This is important as to come to term with tailoring in all its guises knowing the history helps. Her blocks as usual are straightforward to draft and fit really well, but ... she still retains the 'blow by blow' instructional format which as a teacher i find difficult to work with. She provides line drawings of many variations of collars, vents, sleeves, necklines, etc... and then provides detailed instructions on how to draft these exactly leaving no room to develop a knowledge of why you perform each action. Winifred also provides blocks for use with bespoke or hand tailored construction and for engineered or more contemporary construction - and discusses this difference clearly, one of the few books to cover both. For novice pattern makers, those new to tailored patterns or those seeking well fitting basic blocks you can't go past this valuable book. However those of you wanting to develope more sophisticated tailoring skills will be better off with one of the classics such as Helen Joseph Armstrong or Martin Shoben but would appreciate Aldrich as she has much better and more modern fitting blocks.

No comments about Dodie Goes Shopping.

2 comments about The Bayeux Tapestry.

1. THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY could also have been featured in our history shelf; but it's reviewed here for its appeal and importance to fiber artists as well. The Tapestry is one of the most notable achievements of the Norman Romanesque period, surviving intact for over nine centuries when even cities have fallen. It was entrusted by Napoleon to the citizens of Bayeux and today is displayed in a local gallery. The history of 11th century England and Normandy is surveyed along with the artistic importance of the Tapestry in a title which doesn't intend to revolutionize the study of the piece, but to survey reliable scholarship on the subject. Chapters take a scene-by-scene approach and analyze both historical and artistic elements of the Tapestry while Richard Rex's translation provides smooth enlightenment.



2. If one cannot see the Bayeux Tapestry in person (and I have been privileged enough to have done so), this book may well be the next best thing. Beautiful, two-page spreads highlight the colour, the detail and the magnificence of the what is perhaps the most famous tapestry in the world.
   
   The Bayeux Tapestry itself is over 70 yards long - that is long enough to be hung from the window of a twenty-story building and still be able to touch the ground. Threads of wool embroidered onto the precious linen are brilliantly transformed into a work of art - were this an abstract representation or simple story-telling device, the work would still be famous and remarkable. Yet it has the added advantage of combining unparalleled craftsmanship with a pivotal story in history - the tale of the Norman Conquest, the last successful invasion of Britain.
   
   The story on Tapestry begins in 1064, with the English king Edward the Confessor, much loved and respected, trying to ensure a peaceful succession. The next two years would see other events transpire, ending with the death of King Harold, shot by an arrow in the Battle of Hastings. The details are fascinating, including the appearance of a comet (which turned out to be one of the periodic appearances of Halley's Comet) shortly after Harold's coronation - comets in this period were usually seen as signs of foreboding and doom, and certainly that was the case for Harold.
   
   William the Conqueror is certainly the hero of this Tapestry, and the origins of the Tapestry are still a mystery. There are historical events throughout the Tapestry, and Musset's text looks at most of the Tapestry in 58 sections, going into great detail about what is presented in the embroidery. For example, Harold is shown dying with an arrow through the eye - history does confirm this type of death, and an early engraving of the Tapestry doesn't show the arrow wound for Harold, but given that perjurers and frauds were thought to die of wounds to the eyes, the later addition of the arrow may have been a propaganda move to help justify William's rightful claim to the throne.
   
   Lucien Musset was a professor at the University of Caen, and had a life-long love affair with the Bayeux Tapestry, spending nearly 50 years in study and reflection. This book represents a stunning life-long labour of love, and one that is magnificent in both word and visual form. Musset's text develops historical, artistic and social themes for each of the sections, and adds a richness to the experience of surveying the Tapestry. It is not to be missed.

No comments about Jordan, Marsh Illustrated Catalog of 1891: An Unabridged Reprint.

No comments about Marc Joseph: New and Used.