18th-Century Fashion in Detail
by Susan North
Genres: Fashion, HistoryPages: 224
Series: Fashion in Detail
Rating:
Synopsis:This beautifully illustrated book reveals sharp pleats, high collars, gleaming pastes, colorful beads, elaborate buttons, and intricate lacework that make up some of the garments in the Victoria and Albert Museum's extensive fashion collection. With an authoritative text, exquisite color photography of garment details, and line drawings and photographs showing the complete construction of each piece, the reader has the unique opportunity to examine up close historical clothing that is often too fragile to be on display. It is an inspirational resource for students, collectors, designers, and anyone who is fascinated by fashion and costume.
The V&A’s 18th-Century Fashion in Detail is written by Susan North, and it’s a beautiful item, with glossy full-colour images of details from the garments discussed. My main quibble is that it doesn’t provide full images of how the garments looked as a whole, rather breaking them down into one bit that the author has chosen to discuss, like just a close-up of some embroidery. There are sketches showing the garments and how they’re put together, but it’s not really the same.
It’s still a fascinating read, especially when it discusses some of the unfinished garments that were sold part-completed, so they could be fitted to the wearer. There’s almost nothing about children’s clothes, which made me curious — I think in this period they were still usually mini-versions of the adult clothing, but I’d still like to see some examples.
It’s a lovely volume, despite the caveats.
Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)
This sounds like a fun book to look through, pretending that I’m at the V&A and studying the costumes myself.
These books from the V&A really are fascinating! I want to go at some point and see things in person.
I’ve been to the V&A twice and I *loved* it both times (admittedly, the visits were only a couple weeks apart, but there had been a temporary exhibition swap between that time!). It was much better than the British Museum for me – just somehow felt more down to earth and less full of looting ahem. And the staff and volunteers were absolutely lovely about accommodating my needs (I had a torn knee, a sprained wrist on the hand that should have been using the cane, as well as a sinus infection – I was an absolute shambles).
Aw. I think it’d be the perfect place for me and Lisa to spend a day, at some point!
It would be so frustrating for me as well to not see phots of the full pieces. Still, it sounds lovely and seems like something I would really enoy.
Yeah… some of the books in this series do have full pics, but it surprises me that this one didn’t. Just the sketches. It’s a lovely book all the same, though.
I’ve been watching Mr. Selfridge, and I’ve learned from watching it a good bit about fashion. This sounds fascinating, but the lack of actual photos (!) is surprising.
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The photos of the pieces of the clothing discussed are really good, I just wish there were some overview pics as well…