My Favorite Book Recommendations for Fashion History
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
- There is a massive assortment of wonderful books that fall under the genre of Fashion History, but many are often missed in the must read lists. So, today, I want to go through some of my personal favorite titles and share below and in the comments so many others that might peak your interest!
As some of these books are out of print (and therefore expensive), I recommend also checking out www.abebooks.com and other used book sellers to find the best prices for used books or www.worldcat.org/ to check your local libraries or request an interlibrary loan.
Textiles in America: amzn.to/3DQ6Hfx
Wearable Prints: amzn.to/3DN17dC
5000 Years of Textiles: amzn.to/3j7xBaA
Elephants Breath and London Smoke: amzn.to/3FPwgPr
A Lady of Fashion: amzn.to/3lH5gJX
Tudor Tailor: amzn.to/3DLgrYq
Seventeenth-Century Women's Dress Patterns: amzn.to/3lKxRhq
Costume Close-Up: amzn.to/3lL9Re2
The Lady's Stratagem: amzn.to/3vfHubg
Vintage Couture Tailoring: amzn.to/3FTBdqE
Women's Shoes in America: amzn.to/3FPA6bt
The Dress of the People: amzn.to/3aEMYmq
American Beauty: www.abebooks.com/book-search/...
The Fashioned Body: amzn.to/3lKzjjS
Women's Work: amzn.to/3lLaTXs
📚 Extras
17th Century Men's Dress Patterns: amzn.to/3lL9Re2
18th Century Embroidery Techniques: amzn.to/3AOgQXZ
Treasures Afoot: amzn.to/3aMFaix
Bitten by Witch Fever: amzn.to/3patv5h
The Way We Wore: amzn.to/3n2mm4q
The Silk Road: amzn.to/3ATUvbO
Consumptive Chic: amzn.to/3jb1Du9
The Golden Thread: amzn.to/3vkn5Sg
18th Century Dressmaking: amzn.to/3viRbFX
18th Century Beauty: amzn.to/3FNULwq
Shoes and Pattens: amzn.to/2YU2ojZ
Heights of Fashion: amzn.to/3FRnUqC
The Dirt on Clean: amzn.to/3AUmMP7
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
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00:00 Introduction
02:04 Textiles
08:48 Construction
16:56 Shoes
18:33 History & Theory - Jak na to + styl
I'm a knitter and a spinner, and one of my favorite books about spinning is by Abby Franquement called Respect the Spindle. Ok, I know, it's incredibly niche, but it is So informative about fiber and spinning and how it all comes together. A lot of knitters, weavers, and spinners assume that spindle spinning is a stepping off point to get to the wheel, and it's not. Drop spindling is thousands of years old, still going strong, and a wonderful way to feel connected to women across the eons.
I second Respect the Spindle!! Such a great explanation in the beginning on how women's work and pre-industrial technologies can be just as "advanced", beautiful, and useful!
Wow, it would be so great to learn from you and simply just see the process.
Love "Respect the Spindle". Prior to reading it I hadn't thought about how the fibre for togas or ship's sails was produced. It prompted me to spindle spin, then design, knit, and publish The Buttonbox Waistcoat for Knitty Magazine. Abby's CZcams videos are also wonderful and showcase her calm, soothing demeanour while teaching.
Cool!
Favorite Book Recommendations from Friends
Morgan Donner: The Clothing of the Renaissance World amzn.to/3j8GmB8
Bernadette Banner: Medieval Finds Series amzn.to/3jaS0eS amzn.to/3aHwDgP
La Bella Donna: Dressing Renaissance Florence amzn.to/2YVgXEu and Renaissance Dress in Italy amzn.to/3vgkYit
Maggie Roberts: The Needles Eye amzn.to/3n0rR3F
Christine Millar: Embellishments amzn.to/3p3EjlU and Dictionary of Children's Clothes amzn.to/3BNJ6vh
Costuming Drama: From the Neck Up amzn.to/3FYLm5w and 50 Heirloom Buttons to Make amzn.to/3viyLF2
you can pin your extended list to the top of the page. thanks for the extra book suggestions. :)
Thank you for this.
I treasure my Medieval Finds books so much that sometimes I feel like weeping over them. There are a gift to those of us who chose the difficult path of obsessing over the historical accuracy of a time period from which very little remains.
Hello Nicole, I am writing to you from Spain. I am not very fluent in the English language, in fact this message is translated by Google. It is a real pleasure to see and listen to your content every week. It is making me improve my understanding of English a lot thanks to your delicate explanations of the subject that I adore, The History of Clothing. Thank you very much for all your work.
What a sweet thing to say! Nicole is wonderful
There's no better way to learn a language than to watch interesting videos in that language!
Ok. You want a niche historical clothing book rec? Then I HEARTILY recommend 'Women's Work Women's Art; Nineteenth-Century Northern Athapaskan Clothing' by Judy Thompson. It is a fascinating look into the history, techniques, styles, cultural significance, changes, and geographical differences of clothing among Athapaskan-speaking groups living in Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and into Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nunavut starting in the late 18th century, when Europeans started showing up and writing stuff down, to the 20th century, when the words of Athapaskan elders were recorded. There is so much information on the making, wearing and life of these clothes and I really recommend it to anyone who is at all interested in fashion history or indigenous history.
Oh that’s really interesting I would actually really like to get a copy of that at some point. My aunt used to go to college in Alaska in her roommates we’re both from indigenous peoples there. I remember some of the pictures she sent back were really cool. They taught her how to sled and she used to fly them up to see their families because she flew one of the single engine planes to pay for school and the rest she got on scholarship. (It’s like our family’s thing we all fly)
I bet that book is so cool! I bet meeting and hanging out with your folks is really cool too!
Oh heck yea, "Women's Work." Should be the first stop for a new sewist. It's hard to describe how it will put sewing and fabric in historical perspective. Got it out of my public library, which are still out there! My reccs that I have used and found very helpful: ----"From the Neck Up: An Illustrated Guide to Hatmaking," by Denise Dreher (1981). If you wanna make a hat from almost any time period, this will get you there.
----"Couture Sewing Techniques" (Revised and Updated) by Claire B. Shaeffer (2011). Takes you through all the handwork and finishes of haute couture, which historical costumers are often unwittingly trying to replicate as we admire those fashion plates.
I second "Couture Sewing Techniques". It practically lives on my sewing table!
@@christikaboom I agree! Couture Sewing Techniques is such a great reference.
Oooh hat making sounds really cool!
I would highly reccomend "The Modern Maker" series by Mathew Gnagy for anyone interested in 16th and 17th century patterning and tailoring. I would also reccomend "Dressing Up: Cultural Identity in Renaissance Europe" by Ulinka Rublack. "Patterns for Theatrical Costumes" by Katherine Strand Holkeboer is not necessarily the most historically accurate source, a lot of her stuff is based on what I would consider outdated research, but she provides basic, multi-sized, patterns for men's and women's clothing from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century. I find it a very accessible book for beginners who are interested in ancient greek through medieval costume and want something that will look better than the results of commercial patterns from major pattern companies. For a truly niche topic book that I'm currently enjoying, I'm going to reccomend "Aphrodite's Tortoise: The Veiled Women of Ancient Greece" by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones. A very detailed book that discusses veiling practices and modesty values in ancient Greece. I think I'll stop here.
Fantastic video! I have so many new books that I want to read now. I would like to recommend ‘Saris: Tradition and Beyond,’ by Rta Kapur Chishti. It covers how different textiles are woven and how saris are draped in different regions of India. Chishti travelled village to village as research for this book. There are many pictures showing the saris and step-by-step photos of how to drape them and there is a lot of textual explanation as well.
A book I'm really enjoying now is: The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660-1900 by Burman and Fennetaux
I would like to reccommend the Ancient Textiles series by Oxbow Books because these books cover textiles from the very beginning of the Neolithic period to the Aegean Bronze Age, to Ango-Saxon embroidery, and medieval broadcloth. Several of the volume are among my favourite resources.
Ooh. I love the history of fashions in general, but fabrics specifically.
This is def more my area of interest.
I know it's good because when I'm reading it I start arguing with the writers in my head.
Nicole: *mentions "ideal beauty"
Also Nicole: *embodies it with her intelligence, humor, and beauty.
You would certainly enjoy Archaeological Footwear: Development of Shoe Patterns and Styles from Prehistory til the 1600's by Marquita Volken. It's a comprehensive catalogue of upper cutting patterns from all extant footwear until the 17th century.
"ducks foot yellow" - that's a truly delightful name for a colour. As both an archaeologist and a new sewer, this video was so incredibly helpful. I can't wait to get into some of these resources.
It's very descriptive too.
That just SOUNDS adorable.
@@FennecTheRabbit I often heard when my grans were buying clothing, the expression "Little Duck Yellow" or "Duckling Yellow".
My FAVORITE book for hand sewing, that very clearly explains stitches and how they are accomplished, is "The Geometry of Hand-Sewing" by Natalie Chanin.
Yes, great book!
In the 1920s Pitman’s (Of Shorthand fame) published a series called “Common Commodities of Commerce and Industries” which contains volumes on the different fabric (Cotton, Wool, Silk) industries and also The Clothing Industry, The Boot and Shoe Industry, Perfumery, and Gloves and the Glove Trade (the one I have). Also Gold, Silver, Lead, and Asbestos. Actually I find the whole genre from the 1910s to 1930s of books for self-education aimed at getting ahead in a business or trade fascinating especially as they are so down to earth and matter of fact in their approach.
I can already hear my wallet sobbing in the background
I'm partway through The History of Underclothes and so far it's good. It was written in 1951 and covers 15th century to 1930s. The structure can get repetitive if you're reading it chronologically but that structure makes it useful as a reference book as well. The writing itself is quite stylishly crafted with lots of fun excerpts from historical documents. It covers men's and women's garments and makes a point of highlighting whether garments were strictly functional or were visible to serve either as a status symbol or for erotic purpose. Get a load of this sentence from the introduction on underwear's relationship to culture: "A revolution or a great war, such events as these, will derange costume to the very skin."
I had a great time going through "Jeanne d'Arc, ses costumes, son armure" ("Joan of Arc, her clothes, her armor"), by french historian Adrien Harmand, unfortunately I don't know if there ever was a english translation of this 1929 limited edition book. The inital purpose of this work is trying to reconstruct what Joan of Arc could have worn from the moment she began to dress as a man until her death ; but for me it was a goldmine of informations about male clothing and armor between the end of the 14th century and the mid-15th century (in France, anyway). The research of Harmand is incredible, it looks at everything from statues to engravings, tapestries, illuminations from manuscripts, portraits, paintings, written sources, etc. to try understand what men wore back then, how the clothes were constructed, how it was worn, etc. It even had patterns ! I don't really know if it's any relevant from a professional point fo view, but for someone like me who just passionate about fashion history without being a professional, it is very enlighting, especially given that the more we go back in time, the fewer informations we are able to get.
I hate it when my favorite CZcamsrs do a recommendation video! It just costs me too much money. ;) Thanks Nicole. This was really a great vid.
Your comments on the Tiramani and North @11:00 "I would just love it if they keep expanding into all different periods......"
My comment, given the wealth of information that I have obtained from you, Abby and others, I am wondering when one or a group of CosTubers take on these tasks and write these books. As a new person to this topic, I am totally floored at the cost of used copies of these and other classics ($128 for used copies of the two volumes at Amazon). Amazon is making a killing from this interest; the original authors get nothing. For me, this screams that we need new books on these topics (or the authors of earlier classics need to update their editions to benefit from this growing interest).
Given that this is now out of my system, I shall drink my tea and finish watching your video. 🍵
Postscript (finished the tea and video): wonderful video. Also, Abby has authored two books; Bernadette Banner will be putting out a book soon (apologies if I missed others as authors). Would like to see more books.
I would happily ready any book by Nicole or Abby because they have the training that would allow them to present information that would stand up to peer review. I think there is a place for amateur historians and for popular historians, but I think it's incredibly important that it is disclosed what the credentials are, and that the information has been reviewed by someone who can catch issues. Nothing wrong with books for entertainment, but there is a reason why credentialing systems exist for experts.
This may seem gatekeepy, so just to clarify: I would love for everyone to write books they're passionate about, but I would like to ensure that we are clear about the quality of information and the way we usually do that is rigorous peer review that require training and education to be able to pass.
Part of the reason is that they are rarer books and people aren't often selling their copies because of their functionality. If you get into super niche subjects, like leatherwork by hand or needle lace or even sometimes bobbin lace, you quickly run into the same issue and those _are_ sometimes reprinted.
I hang out in thrift store books section for this reason!! You can find some really interesting books in thrift stores! I have a couple older how to sew books that are great when it’s late and I’m stuck.
Love the academic bent of this channel. Such valuable information on credible monographs combined with excellent demonstrations of sewing/tailoring skills. What a gem!
Your fascination with textiles and the grueling details of why some textiles are the way they are has massively benefitted me in my beginners journey in sewing and natural fiber textile knowledge
Once you've finished researching and crafting that fantastic thing, how do you care for it and keep it clean? What if it gets stained? Why shouldn't you sew precious lace into the seam of your garment? My favorite book to answer it all is "Laundry" by Robert Doyle. He even goes into types of textiles. It's definitely worth a review any time anything vintage I own needs some special care.
After I watched this video, I immediately looked up "A Lady of Fashion" at my local university library. I found it and checked it out and read it cover to cover last night! FYI, the edition I found had the title, "Barbara Johnson's Album of Fashions and Fabrics" as the main title, rather than the subtitle. As a non-researcher, I found it mostly fun and charming to look through, especially the way that she "recycled" an old accounts book to use as her diary. It's also amazing that she kept it for so many years. Such a rich history there!
I also found the text portions very interesting, especially about how her family's social networks ensured that she was housed after her parents died and throughout her long life as a single woman.
@@Jasmine-in-my-mind a good resource for both women's history and social history generally. The kind of insight we need when we wonder just how people lived.
Totally niche and fascinating (mostly history, not much on construction, some on textiles): Ruane, The Empire's New Clothes: A History of the Russian Fashion Industry, 1700-1917 (2009) (deals with the transition to "Western" fashions from "traditional" dress); the chapter on fashion in Kiaer, Imagine No Possessions: The Socialist Objects of Russian Constructivism (2008); Vasiliev, Beauty in Exile: The Artists, Models, and Nobility who Fled the Russian Revolution and Influenced the World of Fashion (2001).
Imagine my thrill at 07:40 when I discovered that I have such a gem on my very own bookshelf - high time I browsed its pages again. Thanks for the recommendation! Mine was discovered second-hand, too!
I really love The Fabric of Civilization by Verginia l. Postrel. This book looks at how textile production and industry has changed and is continuing to change the wider world that we live in. It's a really fascinating look at how intrinsically and foundationally "human" textiles are as well as how human innovation has impacted textiles and how textiles have, in turn, impacted human innovation. Another I highly recommend if you like the morbid side of history is Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present by Alison Matthews David. This book looks at deadly and dangerous trends in Western fashion, particularly how their production caused injury, death, and disease to the workers who created (and still create) them and, less commonly, to the consumer. It also examines the fashion industry's impact on the environment. The imagery is as beautiful as it is horrifying, the writing as interesting as it is well researched.
I recently read and loved The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St Clair. It's not comprehensive at all but it's full of fun tidbits and - crucially - it actually includes swatches of the colours on each page! I particularly enjoyed a quote from Wassily Kandinsky on his absolute hatred of the colour green... 😅
I am an artist and most of my friends are as well. It is funny, non-artists say "green" & most artists stop you with "What shade/hue of green?" (Detest Kelly green, adore Forest Green, etc!) We need specifics ! Lol.
I am a sculptor, so not as rabid about this as painter friends, but I can't visualize the color/shade/hue if you just say "Green", & that is like saying you like 'Jazz', but not naming the artist you like. Jazz & color are endless & we need specifics ! ;)
This book seems firmly in my Venn diagram!
Kassia St Clair wrote another book, "the golden thread" iirc? That one was also good, it's about the history of textiles. Written in a PopSci narrative fashion that was pretty easy to read.
I quite like June Swann's History of footwear in Norway, Sweden and Finland it goes into much more depth than her book Shoes did for England and is nice for the focus outside of England or America.
For shoe styles and construction pre 1600 I find Stepping Through Time by Olaf Goubitz and Archaeological Footwear by Marquita Volken better than the museum of London's shoes and pattens.
Such an amazing list - some of my favs and some new reads, too! One of my favourites that's less known is "Regency Women's Dress: Techniques and Patterns 1800 - 1830" by Cassidy Percoco. Lots of great scaled patterns from extant garments showing all the wild and wacky variations in dress over the period.
Regency is my era of choice. Most people say that Regency is a good starting point like it's the gateway drug for historical costuming. I don't think it gets enough love. Percoco's book is very good but could be better since there is only a couple pages per garment. I would love to see an expanded edition of this book. I also love "Dress In the Age of Jane Austen" by Hilary Davidson. This book isn't so much about construction as about how world events influenced the fashions of the time. An overlooked book is "Jane Austen Embroidery" by Batchelor & Larkin. This book discusses ladies magazines of the time and how they influenced embellishments of the Regency era. And as a bonus it includes reprints of embroidery patterns from those magazines. I just can't get enough of Regency sewing books.
Do either of you have any more suggestions on Regency books that are focused more on the dress construction and patterns? I'd like to dive into making an outfit from the skin out, but boy are some of these books hard to find and/or expensive
@@katharinebloodgood8457 the Cassidy Percoco book does have patterns taken from extant garments. They're laid out on a grid so they can be enlarged. The construction descriptions aren't that detailed though but the book is a good starting point.
One thing that is helpful in learning about historical sewing is to keep in mind that there aren't clearly defined lines between fashion eras. Nobody said, "Okay, everybody stop wearing this and from now on wear only that." Fashions evolve and the eras overlap somewhat. Even if a silhouette changes things like fabrics, stitches and seam finishes will stay the same for awhile. That's why it's good to have books from a previous era, in this case late 18th century. A really good book discusses how fashions evolved during the era the book is about.
Of course don't forget about all the CZcamsrs that do Regency. While not exactly primary sources they are good at teaching the basics, like what the different layers looked like. Then you know what to aim for in your own research.
Love how the puppy is like you talk a lot, you're still on my spot. So adorable .
I loved the intro scan peek at Manipulating Fabric-such a treasure trove of texture!
One I love is Patterns,Costumes and Designs by Max Tilke. I first found out about this book reading Zandrha Rhodes book about her designs and inspirations and she quoted that this book was an influence while she was studying. It took me quite a few years to try to track a copy down,with family and friends on the look out to, then I got my first pc and internet connection and not long after found a copy at a booksellers in Scotland.Got it and love it, Costumes through the ages,not much text but illustrations are really useful, never regretted buying it and on winter evenings love to sit and thumb through just for the joy of it.
This is a really comprehensive list. It’s also obvious that you genuinely love books. I’m looking forward to reading several of the titles you recommended.
For Victorian and Edwardian anything from Godey's Lady's Book and the Delineator Magazine, also the Modern Priscilla. Really, any kind of period magazine. These two are my favorites. They have such wonderful detailed descriptions. I love looking through them! A Lady of Fashion sounds wonderful! I will have to put it on my list!
I second the Godey’s books. I’ve two dozen or so original volumes. They are fascinating not only for the fashions, but for the period point of view.
I blame my collection on my husband. He came home from an estate sale bearing a nearly pristine leather bound year of 1864 Godey’s that had been shoved in a corner under the title ‘old books’. That surprise garnered him a lifetime of brownie points!
This video just made my bookish heart so happy!
Can't wait to look into some of these. 💖
I really like the Edwardian era and I have a book from 1910. Modärn sykonst -Praktisk lärobok i konsten att sy Dam- och barnkläder. It is in Swedish (I am from Sweden). It is a practical textbook in the art of sewing and making women's and some children's clothing from late Edwardian era. There are many patterns and many different techniques, and how to do/sew them.
This book together with Authentic Victorian dressmaking techniques (by Kristina Harris), and The voice of fashion -79 Turn of the century patterns with instructions and fashion plates, and its measurement system. (By Frances Grimble) you cant go wrong. And as a cherry on top Womans fashion of the early 1900s An unabridge republication of "New York fashions, 1909" - National cloak & suit co. Which is a copy of an order catalog from 1909.
Nicole I adore how detailed every one of your videos are and this one is no different 😍
Another great video. Thanks! Favorite books on my shelve: Mode & Kostuum (Rijksmuseum) and 19th-Century Fashion in Detail (V&A). Both with lots of detail photo's, which I love!!
I should have taken notes!!! I will have to rewatch it. Thanks for the recommendations. I love having books as reference.
This is such a nice list of books to look into! There are definitely a few I'm going to have to look out for. 💕
I’m not sure if you own it already but The Fabric of Civilization. Such a good book! Textile history of course.
Nicole, you are one of favorite enablers. I just snagged "Costume Close Up" off of Abebooks. The vintage tailoring book will probably be next.
I love this video, and the comment section! I'm a complete newbie, I'm about to inherit my mom's old sewing machine soon and I can't wait to get started re-learning to sew! And I've got a whole new bookcase desperately in need of books 😏
Thank you for sharing your love of books with us, very inspiring and informative, I'm hoping our library reopens soon.💖
Great list! Thank you so much for the content!
Many years ago, I watched a documentary about the Trojan War. It was addressing the cause of the war and suggested that the kidnapping was related to the production of linen, which was a woman’s task. You can never go wrong with a sleepy puppers.
A sort of niche and elusive book I've been wanting to get my hands on for quite a while now is 'Dress in Ireland' by Mairead Dunlevy. I had the same thought about the 17th century in detail books, it would be amazing for the series to expand into other eras. After the detail in POF5 I'm excited for the new POF editions though as they seem to be going more in that direction
I highly recommend The Golden Thread: how fabric changed history. I actually had to push to get through Women's Work. I listened to it as book on audio and the formatting, and jumping around in subject was a bit difficult.
So much information! Than you for sharing!❤️✨
Thanks for this great list of book recommendations! I haven't read a book in many years but "Women's Work" really fascinates me so I'll have to give it a good read soon!
I really love the book First Textiles: The Beginnings of Textile Manufacture in Europe and the Mediterranian. It's broad enough but still packed with a lot of information as well!
I love your Goldsmith book in your intro! 💜
I always love book recommendations :) also this came at a very good time to help with my uni research!
I checked that tailoring book out of the library just before the library shutdown last year. I had it so long, my kids started getting interested in it.
These are the types of books I could pour over for hours...always wondered how history teachers could ignore this wonderful stuff and teach about boring names and dates! I also lucked into a bunch of 1930's-1940's sewing, mending, and household hints books that often talked about historic styles and fashions even how to remodel an old dress, including old textile names.
Thank you for highlighting the world of literary art. What a pleasure! Also, I love your hair. #Goals
Such a wealth of information, thanks for sharing.
My reading list just exploded. Thank you! One of the revelations that still blows my mind is the length of time it took to make an article of clothing. No wonder we see references to new clothes only at certain points in the year. Wow!
I love Elizabeth Wayland Barber books! They are all so amazing! And if anyone is interested, there are also audio books of her books!
Love the sleeping puppy dog in the background 💕
If you can get your hands on them (it is a PAIN IN THE BUTT and not a cheap book). Woven Into the Earth by Else Østergård and Medieval Garments Reconstructed: Norse Clothing Patterns by Lilli Fransen, Anna Nørgaard and Else Østergård. They are about a find of Norse garments from the 1920s in Herjolfnes in Greenland. The second book has patterns taken from some of the garments, the first book talks about the fiber and the construction. Morgan Donner made a dress based off a pattern in these books. It kinda reads like a textbook but oh it is fascinating and I was geeking out the entire time. I may have run around the house shrieking with joy when these came in the mail (thankfully my family is used to my weird).
The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660-1900 by Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux. Oh this was so so good. The book talks about construction, ornamentation, and how they were regularly used. This book inspired me to make an 18th century pocket (I bought a pattern though, drafting patterns scares me).
Thank you Nicole for another informative wonderful video.
One of my favorite books about textiles is “SILK “ by Jacques Anquetil. It’s a great source to learn all there is to know about the origins, weaving, technology, use and a lot more…. With lots of great photos ☺️
I truly recommend it!
'Silk' is a stunningly beautiful books as well as informative!
What a great list of recommendations!
One of my most recent, and most beloved additions to my library is Max Tilke's Costume Patterns and Designs. It is an amazing resource of drawn illustrations of original folk costume from the turn of the century, positively invaluable with the level of detail he goes to in laying out seemingly complicated cuts, and describing them, while relating them to their ancient historical counterparts.
Natural Dyes: Sources, Traditions, Technology & Science by Dominique Cardon is one of my favorites and I have no regrets about the rather high price I paid for it. In a similar vein, The Art and Science of Natural Dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results
by Joy Boutrup makes a nice complement.
wow, that sounds REALLY up my alley. thank you for the recommendation !
That is one sleepy puppo. I have a couple of these books. A few months ago, I found a page from a book on Pinterest. Fortunately, they listed the book it had been taken from: The National Cutter Book of Diagrams, Goldsberry, Doran & Nelson. I went on a mad scramble to see if I could locate a copy because I desperately want this skirt. Amazon kindly informed me that the book was safely nestled in amongst my larger, fatter, more colorful sewing books, and had been for years. (The skirt, by the way, is the Misses' Walking Costume.) Sometimes you just don't know what you've got until someone else points it out. I could go for a few more book recommendation videos, by the way, please.
Thanks for making this video. Lots of interesting reads from both yourself and other subscribers. This close to Xmas though. A positive, we now know what to ask for. A negative, if only we didn't have to spend so much on others. Lol
my most recent fashion history purchase was Dressed by Claire Regnault. It's about the dress history in Aotearoa New Zealand from 1840-1910 and was created by the senior curator at Te Papa museum, where a lot of the garments and accessories are located. It has some really interesting stories behind the garments too, and is a really cool book to have when it comes to learning about how women dressed in Aotearoa during that time period.
so many books! had to create a separate wishlist on amazon just for books! (already had like 20+ assorted books that needed to be organized anyway in my wishlist lol)
i love books. i need more books....and i would totally be the woman back in the day with a book budget.
So helpful, thanks!!
Incredible guide, thank you! I almost didn’t click on the video but I should’ve known that Nicole would go beyond!!
For beginners into historical sewing After a Fashion talks about taking commercial patterns and using them to make more accurate historical garments
Thank you for this video-it is much appreciated!
I now have six more books on my historical research book wish list. I write historical fiction set in New Mexico in the 1800s, so these are great for the American influence in the region. And maybe 5000 Years of Textiles will help fill in some gaps..... Thank you!
I'd like to get the books Woven into the Earth and Medieval Garments Reconstructed; they're supposed to be incredibly detailed surveys of the Hedeby medieval textile finds! But I do want to get PoF 4 and 5 first...
thank you for the book list, never enough book shelves!
I have been struggling with trying to find Information on Islamic Dress through the years. My goal is to educate people on the history of Islamic dress from the time of its beginning to current. I also want to encompass how woman would dress if they immigrated to England during the Victorian and Edwardian time as well as North America. Any other books you would recommend for this goal??
This is an old comment I know, but for islamic dress a good overview is Arab Dress a Short History: From the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times by Yedida stillman. It does focus on the Arab world (so no discussions of other regions like persia/central asia/india) and it's a general overview, but it could be a good start? Also i found it online as a pdf. There are definitely more specific books out there that I want to read, that focus eg entirely on ottoman textiles or court dress or regional folk dress but I haven't read them! For recent folk dress there are online museum exhibitions like Mansoojat for Saudi clothing or Tiraz widad kawar home for arab dress for Palestinian clothing.
Costume-Close Up is also my first historical book! And I LOVE it
I want "Women's work" so much! This video was fantastic!
OMG Wow, what a wonderful resource! thank you, thank you, thank you.
I hope to someday achieve the level of not bothered that the dog is at.
A Perfect Red by Amy Butler Greenfield is a fascinating history of cochineal dye.
Woman's Work, thanks!. Just bought the Kindle version. Space for physical books is limited, but at least it can live on my virtual book shelf!
"Fashion and its social agendas" by Diana Crane is also an interesting read
I read four of Elizabeth Wayland Barber's books back around 2013 (which included "Women's Work") - absolutely fascinating.
I always love the things I learn here!
I’m adding so many of these to my reading/buying list! I’d heard of Women’s Work before but it slipped my mind before I could get my hands on a copy.
A personal favorite of mine is “Lions of Fashion: Male Fashion in the c16th, c17th and c18th” by Lena Rangstrom
It’s not highly technical but it pulls from the Swedish Royal armory’s collection of extant garments primarily from the 1620’s-1660’s and it’s such a wild time for menswear! It’s really fun to see the incredible range of pieces they’ve preserved.
It seems like it’s pretty expensive on Amazon but I got mine on sale at the Swedish armory for about 20€ sooooo if anyone in Sweden wants to set up a shopping service this is a good one to go for!
"But Mom, books are yummy!" (Princess Piper - pictured - agrees!)
Thanks for the recommendations and the explanations about they books you've mentioned. "Elephant's Breath and London Smoke" is available on Kindle Unlimited for anyone who gets that service. I've only just started reading these, so offering them as recommended is premature, but of possible interest are "The History of Underclothes" by C. Willett and Phillis Cunnington (Dover Publications Inc., New York City, NY, 1992), which is supposed to discuss the importance of undergarments for shape and utility from the medieval period through 1939, and more focused on a single item with discussion broadened into women's studies, "The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives" by Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux (Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2019). I purchased both in paper from Amazon.
Very niche but Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince by Stella Mary Newton is a great book using royal inventories from the period.
Elizabeth Wayland Barber has many more fascinating books out, including folk costumes from south eastern Europe a very drool worthy inspirational book. She also does folk dance and did research on that and the costumes associated with it.
ahhhhhhhhhh you mentioned the seventeenth century dresses ones!!! the x rays, the closeups, the assembly details, the shots of the worn spots. I love them so much and I wish there were books just like them for everything else
I'm definitely getting a lot of the ones you recommended! if you ever do a video recommending books not focused on europe or north america I would love to watch it, or know of any good lists like that? like I somehow bought a copy of Japanese Immigrant Clothing in Hawaii, 1885-1941 and it is just so mindbendingly specific and practical and fascinating, even if it's not overly illustrated.
so far as other books go, you might have already seen Embellishments: Constructing Victorian Detail, but if you haven't you might find it interesting, especially with the recreations you do. lots of peculiar details.
I can see myself doing a few trips to charity bookshops. They always have this sort of stuff at very small prices.
No, I don't sew but I make a lot of research for my paintings and stories :-)
Thanks for the video!
As usual Ms Rudolf gives great inspiration .This time with her books.For the beginners my recommendation is get the name of the books and get them from your Library!!!.That is the cheapest way to read these massive costly books!!!
Another specific one that I have is "made in Norwhich - 700 years of textile heritage" by Thelma Morris. It talks about the link to the Low Countries from that time, the history of the textile industry in Norwhich (UK), some of the tradesman marks etc etc. It has some lovely images. Wages, loom rent costs, a list of manufacturers and cloths known to be made in the area at the time and who did what and where as well as some of the dates attached to different fabrics. Its obviously very Niche but definitely interesting! Its only 112 pages, so doesnt take up that much space either
I recommend Color by Victoria Finlay. It is a survey of pigments and dyes; the book goes into the sources and symbolism behind individual colors as well as color categories from around the world and throughout history. It’s not comprehensive with such a wide scope. It’s more travel journal than academic in style, but the research is really solid, and it’s a very enjoyable read. My copy is highlighted and dog-eared from me referencing it.
I am happy (or sad, depends on the point of view) to say I got already almost all the books in your list. For tudors era I advice also Tudors, Tudor Textiles and Elizabeth wardrobe.
The Golden Thread by Kassia St. Clair is a good one if your looking for a broad time frame. It covers how different textiles have impacted human history.
My go to is actually the MOST BASIC sewing manual that I have. It literally starts with "this is how you start a sewing machine". I count myself an avaridge seamstress, but sometimes I need to be reminded of the most essential, basic points. Which is why I always recommend a general, basic, sewing manual for a beginner to start building their knowledge upon.
do I even know how to sew? no
do I still love fashion history? definitely
am I excited to see my specific fashion hobby in a history and theory book at 22:04?! HELL YEAH
I'm a artist painting and drawing are my creative outlet. I like books on art history, color theory, color meaning and technique . So I understand your love of reference books. I like to watch all your community of sewing vloges. Even though it's not my area , I have learned a lot from everyone. I apply and adapt it to my Art life. Thanks for your perspective.👩🎨