I just got 19th Century Fashion in Detail by Lucy Johnston from Amazon.com and it is worth every penny. For those of us on the U.S. side of the pond, it is a companion volume to Fashion in Detail(17th and 18th centuries)and the photographed fashions(from the V&A collections)are every bit as drool worthy. The format is the same as the previous book and the World Fashion in Detail(I don't own both have seen this one): The left-hand page has a complete description and line drawing of an entire garmet or garmets. The right hand side of the page has a stunning full-color view of a detail and sometimes the entire garment or garments. The book covers men's and women's fashions, including shoes. It is divided into the usual sections like the other books that are a little offbeat as it is subjects, not strictly chronological. On the cover is a stunning magenta bustle dress of the mid 1870's that lovers of the bustle era will itch to copy. The dress is actually three pieces with two separate bodices which was pretty common among surviving dresses of the last half of the 19th c, and has both a back view of one bodice and a side view of the entire ensemble. One bodice is for day and the other a dinner(not short sleeved formal ball)bodice.
Get this as a Christmas gift for self or a friend who loves beautiful surviving fashions. Cindy Abel _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
