Customer Reviews

Asian Costumes and Textiles: From the Bosphorus to Fujiama

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This beautiful, large, coffee table type book is full of gorgeous color photography. There are tunics from Syria, embroidered veils from the Ottoman Empire, incredibly complex gowns from Afganistan, and wedding saris from India. The chapter on the Far East starts with a large color photo of a peasant's palm fiber rain costume while the next pages are full color photos of Manchurian court dress. The juxtaposition of the two is extrordinary. While there is a whole chapter on South East Asia, with some beautiful textiles from the region, I was dissapointed to find nothing in this book from Vietnam. I also wish some of the costumes could have been modeled on mannequins or people. It's hard to tell exactly what you're looking at in some of the photos, and if you're not familiar with the styles of the clothing, it's often difficult to envision how the pieces are worn.

This book is a stunner! It contains gorgeous photos of many different items of apparel, including dresses, slippers, purses, coats, sashes, vests, scarves, fans, tunics, hats, robes, saris, trousers, blouses, kimonos, and more. Fabrics include silk, linen, cotton, wool, and even tree bark and palm fiber. Most items are from the 19th century, though a few are from the 18th and early 20th centuries, and all appear to be in excellent condition. The costumes thenselves are very beautiful, with designs ranging from simple to extremely detailed, and colors from pale white to vibrant reds, golds, and blues. The photography is spectacular. Often the item is shown draped artfully over an invisible stand, giving a three-dimensional view. There are many full-page close-ups of intricate designs and embroideries. Items on facing pages are in similar or complementary colors. Backgrounds set off the costumes effectively. All in all, a lovely book. Highly recommended.