Customer Reviews

The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France, 1750-1820

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Art of Dress is essential in its information about the evolution of men's and women's clothing from 1750 to 1820. I bought this book in helping me to research the empire style dress of 1790s and early 1800s. It has helped me in my researching and placing me within the world of fashion during the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The fashion trends of underdress and overdress as well as hairstyles and clothing are shown in excess in this fabulous book. There are marvelous pictures of royalty of France (Empress Josephine Bonaparte) and her sisters. It is a definite 10 in my book!

I have so many costume history books that I have a hard time remembering which is which. This one stands out. It's one of my favorites. The photos are fabulous. The book shows not only high fashion of the time, it also has a whole chapter on fancy dress, or masquerade costumes from the period. Here are reproductions of paintings like the one by Gainsborough of the Hon. Frances Duncombe, a beautiful lady all done up in an 18th century version of 16th century costume. All I can say is it's a great book with images that you will not find anywhere else.

The Art of Dress uses paintings from the period 1750 to 1820 to place period examples of clothing before the reader's eyes. Fashions from Rocco splendor through the Directorate's simple classicism are paraded before our eyes in exquisite reproductions of numerous paintings. The text of the book provides an informed overview of the period with enough detail to bring the time alive. My only complaint is that a very little more detail would have better conveyed the changes and vogues in fashion during this exciting and varied period in fashion history. This is an excellent book that narrowly misses setting a benchmark.

I'm a college student studying 18th century costume, and this book is my bible. The text is straightforward and the illustrations are good: every time I read it I learn something new. As for accuracy, I have never read anything by Aileen Ribiero that I have seen, in my research, to be false. This is definitely the best book out there.