In this book Burnston studies the 18th century costume collection from the Chester County (Pennsylvania) Historical Society. The first book to focus exclusively on an entirely American collection of 18th century clothing. Notably, the clothing examined is that of ordinary citizens, rather than the military or upper class. Over 40 original items are described and featured in top-quality photographs. Multiple views of many garments. Includes graphed patterns and meticulous construction details rendered by the author, a noted 18th century costume authority. Great for historic reenactors, interpreters and costumers.
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51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended for costumers and re-enactors,
By A Customer
This review is from: Fitting & Proper (Paperback)
This is a lovely book and a great addition to any costumer's or 18th century re-enactor's library.For women, shift, stays, several gowns, petticoats and shortgowns are shown, including one shortgown with matching petticoat, and caps. For men, there are patterns taken from coats, breeches, a lovely shirt with a frill at the neck opening, waistcoat and coat. There are also some less usual items: a calash (women's hood with a collapsible framework), two banyans (men's indoor garments, similar to a dressing-gown), a man's greatcoat with for capes over the shoulders, and pair of pattens (overshoes - you'll need blacksmithing and woodcrafting skills to make those!). There are also accessories: embroidered wallets, pockets (one made from patchwork, see back cover for a colour picture) and pinballs, stockings, apron and mitts. Another nice feature of the book is the inclusion of children's garments - there are a baby's shirt, a toddler's skirt, a gown for a 5 or 6-year old and breeches for a 4- or 5-year old boy. All patterns are drawn on a grid with 1" squares and are presented clearly and with sufficient annotations to make up the garment. The garments vary in difficulty: those items that would probably have been made at home are fairly simple (shirt, shift, banyan, petticoat, apron and maybe the caps); those made by professional dressmakers or tailors are more complicated. The clothes are mostly of Quaker provenance, which means that they are rather unadorned but, as the author puts it, "normative" for their place and time. Many of the items can be traced back to their original owners. In the appendix, the author discusses clothes inventories of the 18th century and lists some original inventories, thus giving an overview of what the wardrobe of someone living in the 18th century would have looked like. To judge from the text, the book is not aimed at a beginner but at somebody who has already done some research in this area; it assumes a certain level of expertise on part of the reader. The bibliography contains only those works that are mentioned in the book; a "further reading" list might have been a good idea. (Some tips: Two "standard" works about 18th century clothing are "_Patterns of Fashion 1: 1660-1860_ by Janet Arnold and _ The Cut and Construction of Women's Clothes_ by Norah Waugh, both with patterns taken from extant garments. A good book with drawing of clothes and many details of construction is _Costume in Detail_ by Nancy Bradfield. Also check out _Costume Close Up_ by Linda Baumgarten, which also shows historical garments from the 18th century and would be a good complement to this book.) The only real drawback is that the illustrations are b/w. Some more photos of details would also havebeen a good idea. The only colour pictures are on the cover, the back cover shows some of the pockets and wallets, the front cover two of the gowns. The mannequins that the gowns have been placed on wear no wigs and have no lower arms, which makes the picture look somewhat disturbing. But don't let this deter you from buying this book, it is very good!
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkable collection with much information to share!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Fitting & Proper (Hardcover)
Fitting & Proper details a remarkable collection of mid to late 18th century costume in the holdings of the Chester County (PA) Historical Society. Admittedly based the model presented by Janet Arnold in her acclaimed Patterns of Fashion series, Fitting & Proper provides descriptions, photographs, and scaled diagrams of a variety of clothing styles. As described in the introduction, most items carry a Quaker provenance, although in only a few instances is the original owner of any given garment known. Even so, all garments are believed to have been worn by inhabitants of Chester County, making this a welcome edition in the study of American dress. The forty-one items presented include a satisfying mix of dress for women, men, and children, and cover outerwear, undergarments, and accessories. Burnston provides a written description of each garment, including the type of fabric and colors used; details of the original yardage, such as width and thread count; name of the original owner, if known; and donor's name. Of interest to this reviewer is the information provided on alterations made to the garments at various points in time. Although color is always more useful in providing detail of the fabrics, as seen by the marvelous cover photographs, the black and white photographs are well-executed. Nearly every item is shown in both front and back view, and most are further shown in some close-up detail. In some cases, however, more detailed close-ups would have been welcome.As with other books of this nature, Fitting & Proper is not intended for the novice seamstress. Only a person with years of experience working with historic reproductions will understand the rather brief descriptions of how each garment is constructed. But for the accomplished costumer, the combination of photograph, diagram, and description is more than adequate to assist in the construction of accurate reproductions for use in living history or theater. Less experienced seamstresses will certainly benefit from the information presented, particularly in understanding the relationship of various pattern pieces, even if they choose not to take on the daunting task of reproduction. Also of interest is the appendix detailing a survey of clothing as represented in local estate inventories. The inventories present tantalizing bits of detail about clothing in determining the worth and status of both men and women. As Burnston notes, the survey illustrates "both the strengths and shortcomings of using estate inventories as a source of information on 18th century everyday clothing." Further research by others in this area will certainly be welcome. Although not intended to be a comprehensive study of 18th century costume and culture, this reviewer believes the volume would have benefited from a "suggested readings" list that would guide the novice reader to additional information on such topics as proper fit of garments, appropriate fabrics and findings, clothing construction, and general culture of the 18th century. That said, Fitting and Proper is an attractive and well-presented volume with much information to share.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
good for 18th century costumers, very good for 18th century mens clothing,
This review is from: Fitting & Proper (Paperback)
This book is interesting, but you can get essentially the same information from much better books, like Patterns of Fashion: 1660-1860 By Janet Arnold.This book contains the following patterns for women: 2 middle class robe a l'anglaise gowns a saque back gown a pair of stays 2 shortgowns an underpetticoat a quilted petticoat a cloak 4 types of hats a shift 3 types of pockets a pair of mitts an apron 2 wallets and 2 pinballs This book also contains patterns for men and a few for kids. I would definately recommend this book if you are making 18th century men's clothing, but for women's clothing...not so much. This book is good to add to your collection if you just can't get enough of the 18th century, but if you're just looking for the basic information, it's available in far better books.
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