Red stars are for books I own, white for books I know from hearsay. The number
of stars (max. 5) shows how much I recommend them.
Ashelford, Jane, and Andreas von Einsiedel. The Art of Dress
: Clothes and Society, 1500-1914. |
I've
perused this book in the library reading room, but it was not what I wanted
at the time. Contains superb paintings that you don't see in many other
costume books. Do not mix up with Ribeiro's book of the same main title
(see below, 18th century)     |
Blum, Dilys. Illusion and reality : Fashion in France,
1700 - 1900. Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1986 |
Boucher, François. 20,000 Years of Fashion. The
history of costume and personal adornment. New York: Hary N. Abrams,
1987 |
Has
been accused of mistakes, but then most costume books have been - especially
if published before the very late 20th century- the first edition of this
one was 1965. Good if you want an overview of all eras, although "20,000
years" smacks of delusions of grandeur. Deals mostly with English and
French costume, but attempts to include the rest of Europe. With a temporal
scope as wide as that, the attempt must needs be embryonic. Overall it's
a great cross-era source with wagonloads (over 1,100) of pictures.     |
Bradfield, Nancy. Costume in Detail 1730-1930.
New York: Costume and Fashion Press, 1997. |
The
drawings in this book look very much like my own sketches. :) This is what
any costumer would take home from a visit to all the museums the garments
are from, if only they could afford the trip... and have a close enough
look, inside and out. Of course we normal people can't have either, so this
is a good substitute. Some of the garments here are the same as in Arnold
(see pattern & construction section),
so this is a nice compliment.    |
Braun & Schneider. Historic Costume in Pictures.
Dover, 1975. |
Reprint
of a late 19th century German publication, consisting entirely of illustrations
of costume from Pharanonic times onwards (for Europe and the Mediterranean),
and for 19th century world-wide. With a few exceptions, it is relatively
accurate but, what with the restriction of page space, does not illustrate
the full range of variations. On the other hand, it's pretty good on 19th
century European regional costume. |
DeMarly, Diana. Fashion for Men : an illustrated history.
New York: Holmes & Meier, 1985 |
DeMarly, Diana. Working Dress : a history of occupational
clothing. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1987 |
Druesedow, Jean L. In Style : celebrating 50 years of
the Costume Institute. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987 |
Ewing, Elizabeth. Everyday dress 1650-1900. London:
Batsford, 1985 |
Fontanel, Béatrice: Support and Seduction: A
history of corsets and bras. New York: Harry N. Adams, 1997. (orig:
Corsets et soutiens-gorge) |
Lots
of background about all the things that women have used and are using to
shape their body, the change of the beauty ideal etc. Good if you're interested
in how the beauty ideals changed and what women did (and suffered) to conform
to them. Covers the time from the inception of corsets until the late 20th
century.   |
Lynn, Eleri. Underwear: Fashion in Detail. London:
V&A Publications, 2010 |
The third volume in a series (see 18th/19th century
further down) of terrific detail pictures of items from the collections
of the V&A. Pure porn, als all the "Costume in Detail" books
are. Too much modern and designer stuff towards the end, though.     |
Kelly, Francis M. European Costume and Fashion 1490-1790.
Dover, 2002 |
Museum of London. Shoes and Pattens. London:
Boydell & Brewer, 2002 |
Rothstein, Natalie (ed). Four Hundred Years of Fashion.
London: Victoria & Albert Museum, 1996. |
Not
quite a museum catalogue - it covers only a small portion of the collection
- , but the closest you can get to taking home one of the world's most important
costume collections.    |
Takeda, Sharon Sadako, and Kaye Duirkand Spilker: Fashioning
Fashion. European Dress in Detail 1700-1915. München
u.a.: Delmonico/Prestel, 2010 |
Catalogue of an exhibition
at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The in Detail" part of the
title echoes the "Fashion in Detail" series of the Victoria &
Albert Museum. Just like those, it's pure costumer's porn.      |
Willett, C., and Phillis Cunnington. The History of Underclothes.
New York: Dover, 1992. |
An
overview of those garments that most other costume books neglect... from
medieval times until the 1930s in well-organised chapters. Illustrations
are only b/w, but then there aren't many alternatives in the underwear department.
  
|
Arnold, Janet. Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd.
Maney, 1988 |
Ashelford, Jane. Dress in the Age of Elizabeth I. |
Crowfoot,
Elizabeth et al. Textiles and Clothing : Medieval Finds from Excavations
in London, c.1150-c.1450. London: Camden House, 2001 |
Egan,
Geoff et al. Dress Accessories C.1150-C.1450: Medieval Finds from Excavations
in London. London: Boydell & Brewer, 2002 |
Houston,
Mary G. Medieval Costume in England and France : The 13th, 14th and 15th
Centuries. Dover, 1996 |
Museum
of London. Shoes and Pattens. London: Boydell & Brewer,
2002 |
Newton, Stella Mary. Fashion in the Age of the
Black Prince : A Study of the Years 1340-1365. Boydell & Brewer, 1999 |
Norris,
Herbert. Medieval Costume and Fashion. Dover, 1999 |
Weiditz,
Christoph. Authentic Everyday Dress of the Renaissance : All 154 Plates
from the 'Trachtenbuch'. Dover, 1994 |
Baumgarten,
Linda. What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and
Federal America: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection. Colonial
Williamsburg Foundation, 2003      |
Blum, Stella. Eighteenth Century French Fashion Plates
in Full Color. New York: Dover 1982 |
The
title lies: The range is limited to 1778-1787. Illustrations and nothing
else, with the original French subtitles. 
|
Blum,
Stella (ed.). Ackermann's Costume Plates : Women's Fashions in England,
1818-1828. Dover 1979 |
Burnston, Sharon Ann. Fitting and Proper. Scurlock
Publishing Co, 2000 |
One of the few books that deal specifically
with North American clothing of the 18th century, and with the reenactor
in mind. Pictures and patterns of extant garments. Very popular with the
Colonial re-enactment community.     |
DeMarly, Diana. Louis XIV and Versailles. New
York: Holmes & Meier, 1987 |
A good resource on that period - one of very few.    |
Delpierre, Madeleine. Dress in France in the 18th century.
New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 1997 |
One
of the few books in English that concentrate on France rather than England.
As the author has a long history of working with extant garments in various
Museums in Paris, you can expect a high quality of research. Very thorough,
addressing socio-economic matters as well as describing the changing styles.    |
Gilgun, Beth. Tidings from the 18th Century. Scurlock
Publishing Co., 1993 |
As far as I know, this book doesn't deal specifically with clothing,
but with everyday life, manners and among others with clothing in
in the North American colonies. If you do colonial re-enactment thoroughly,
this is your guidebook.    |
Hart, Avril and Susan North. Historical Fashion in Detail
: The 17th and 18th Centruries. London: V&A Publications, 1998 |
A
terrific book full of detail photographs of items from the Victoria &
Albert Museum. You'll never get a closer look. Also contains background
info on the garments and construction overviews. Indispensable to anyone
interested in the period.     |
Placella Sommella, Paola. La mode au XVIIe
siècle d'après la "Correspondance" de Madame de Sévigné. Paris:
PFSCL, 1984 |
Ribeiro, Aileen. Dress in Eighteenth Century Europe,
1715-1789.  
|
Ribeiro,
Aileen. The Art of Dress : Fashion in England and France 1750 to 1820.
|
Deals with fashion as depicted in art, distinguishing between actual
dress and more-or-less fantasy dress for the occasion of being painted.
   |
Roche, Daniel. La culture des apparences : une histoire
du vêtement (XVIIe - XVIIIe siècle). Paris: Fayard, 1989 |
The Kyoto Cosume Institute. Revolution in Fashion :
European Clothing, 1715-1815.      |
Wrigley,
Richard. The Politics of Appearances: Representations of Dress in Revolutionary
France. Berg Publishers, 2002 |
N. A. La mode en France 1715 - 1815 : de Louis XV à Napoléon
Ier. Paris: Bibliothèque des Arts, 1990 |
Blum, Stella (ed.). Victorian Fashions and Costumes
from Harper's Bazar, 1867-1898 |
Blum,
Stella (ed.). Fashions and Costumes from Godey's Lady's Book.
Dover, 1985 |
Cunnington,
C. Willett. English Women's Clothing in the Ninteenth Century : A Comprehensive
Guide With 1,117 Illustrations. |
Gernsheim,
Alison. Victorian and Edwardian Fashion : A Photographic Survey.
Dover, 1982 |
Johnston, Lucy. Nineteenth Century Fashion
in Detail. London: V&A Publications, 2009 |
The V&A has made a series out of the Hart/North book Historical
Fashion in Detail, listed above among the 17th/18th century books..
Now there's Nineteenth Century Fashion in Detail and, lately,
the cross-era Underwear: Fashion in Detail. Like the original,
they're all eye candy and worth having.    
|
Leniston,
Florence, and Joanne Olian. La Mode Illustree : Fashion Plates in Full
Color. Dover, 1997
|
Newton, Stella Mary. Health, Art and Reason : Dress
Reformers of the 19th Century.
|
Olian,
Joanne (ed.). 80 Godey's Full-Color Fashion Plates (1838-1880).
Dover 1999.
|
Olian,
Joanne (ed.). Full-Colored Victorian Fashions : 1870-1893. Dover,
1999
|
Blum,
Stella. Everyday Fashions of the Twenties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs.
|
Blum,
Stella. Everyday Fashions of the Thirties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs.
|
Grafton,
Carol Belanger. Fashions of the Thirties : 476 Authentic Copyright-Free
Illustrations. Dover, 1993
|
Lepape, Georges. French Fashion Plates in Full Color
from Gazette Du Bon Ton (1912-1925: Illustrations of Styles by Paul Poiret,
North, Paquin, and Others).
|
Mendes, Valerie. Twentieth-Century Fashion in Detail.
Lonson: V&A Publications, 2009.
|
Olian,
Joanne. Authentic French Fashions of the Twenties : 413 Costume Designs
from L'Art et la Mode.
|
Olian,
Joanne (ed.). Everyday Fashions 1909-1920 As Pictured in Sears Catalogs.
|
Olian,
Joanne (ed.). Everyday Fashions of the Forties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs.
Dover, 1992
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Olian,
Joanne (ed.). Everyday Fashions of the Fifties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs.
Dover, 2002
|