Fashion in Detail from the 17th & 18th Centuries

[fuzzel]

I was born in the wrong century. I spent the better part of Saturday pouring over a book I have that chronicles the most amazing clothes from times past. Has anyone ever seen this?

 

[fuzzel]

I KNOW I am not the only person here who drools over such things as:
Stiching, Seams, Quilting and Cording
Gathers, Pleats and Looped Drapery
Collars, Cuffs and Pockets
Buttons
Trimmings
Applied Decoration
Slashing, Pinking and Stamping
Knitting, Lace and Openwork
Stomachers
Gloves and Shoes

 

[fuzzel]

All you artsy-fartsies out there might want to look for it. This is not just for people into fabric, sewing and handwork, it's fashion elevated to art. It's handwork that no one knows how to do anymore.

Here is what Amazon said in it's review.

"This sumptuously illustrated book offers the first up-close view of the richness and variety of historical dress of the 17th and 18th centuries. Drawn from the Victoria and Albert Museum's world-famous collection, these garments display skills that are now lost, yet continue to inspire today's leading designers.
Much of the finery seen here is too fragile to be on permanent display, or its detail too intricate to be captured in conventional photography. Jacobean blackwork, neoclassical tambour work, exquisite stitching, and knife-sharp pleats are pictured in stunning photographs, alongside such unusual techniques as stamping, pinking, and slashing--many of which are rarely employees in the modern world, as they require labor-intensive handwork impossible to replicate by machine.

With line drawings showing the construction of the complete garment and a text that sets each in the context of its time, this book is a visual feast for all fashion lovers, and an essential resource for curators, collectors, students, costumers and designers.

About the Author
Avril Hart is an expert in historical dress who has published books on Englishmen's dress in the 17th and 18th centuries, ties, and fans with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Susan Hart is Assistant Curator in the Department of Textiles and Dress at the Victoria and Albert Museum."

 

[april-wine]

artsy fartsy..........checking it out.......

 

[fuzzel]

You'll like it if you do. It's the best book on it's subject I've ever seen.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

I had to do a great deal of fashion research for an historical novel I was writing (and never finished), and when I got to the part about how late Victorian women had ribs removed so they'd fit their corsets better, I was hooked. Weird, weird shit.

 

[fuzzel]

OK, DCL. I officially love you. You said "AN" historical novel. Like you have a thing about "a lot," that's my scratching-on-a-blackboard button.

 

[Guest]

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