Customer Reviews

High Style: Masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

5 star:		(25)
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This book has got to be one of the best photographic costume history books ever! Snatch this one while you can!
The section on Charles James is alone worth it, since it is next to impossible to find great photos of his work.
I wish more Costume history books were like this with actual full color photos. And the photos are big, not tiny stamp-sized images that make your head hurt.
If you're like me, you hate to invest money to get a book filled with crappy line drawings.
This is what I want in a fashion book. The actual photos are in full color, with front and back shots.

If you never had a chance to visit the Brooklyn Museum during one of their fashion exhibits (I made the epic journey there twice, only to find the FASHION exhibits closed for one reason or another) or you missed out on their book, "Worth, Pingat and Doucet", this book's for you.

The author doesn't just recite the garment details, she talks about the designers shown here, long forgotten as well as the better known. Valentina is here, for instance. Examples from Charles James that I had not seen before. Many others! Not a few of these garments came from well known socialites. Lavish full length studies in glorious color. For me, it was worth both the expense and the wait to get this. Wonderful examples shown, something for everyone! Details you can SEE. By the way, some of the garments seen here have had pattern graphs taken from them in Blanche Payne's "History of Costume", the older edition.

Sadly, the Brooklyn Museum simply doesn't have the resources to keep these clothes or mount any exhibits. This explains why there was nothing to see when I went in the past. Rather like Snowshill Manor's excellent collection (some of which were graphed by J. Arnold); the clothing has now moved elsewhere and seen seldom. Barnard Castle in Britain was another museum that auctioned their costume collection off completely.

Having said that, the Brooklyn Museum is a fine one with many other treasures to see, should you make the journey. Buy the book now, before it's out of print and you have to mortgage your house to buy a copy.

If you've read my other reviews, you know I don't typically write something this succinct (guess the book literally took my breath away!):

Anyone who enjoys costume history has to love this book! Absolutely fabulous; the fashion, the history, and the book design. I'm grateful it was published!

Had this book in my Amazon cart before I saw this exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. After I saw the exhibit, I had to get this book. This book has great pictures and all of the costumes that were exhibited, including an "inside" look at the construction of some of the dresses, which you could not do at the Museum. The dresses were exciting and the book is too.

If you are a designer, stylist, or just fashion enthusiast -this book is full of inspiration and beauty. I especially love envisioning how I can incorporate some of the details of these garments into modern apparel I am making. A ruffle, pleating technique, color combination - this book is a gem.

Eye candy for anyone who likes/wants to study costume history in women's' apparel. The book contains apparel from the 18th to 20th century. Beautiful color pictures depict the gowns front and back. It introduced me to designers I was not familiar with (Charles James). The books is well worth the price, get it before it goes out of print and becomes impossible to find or you have to take out a loan to afford it.

This book is truly an amazing book. Very detailed and the photograhs are beautiful. Don't miss this one.

If you are seeking a vintage couture resource that is complete, informative, with great photos, this would be the one for you. It is similar in feeling to the Kyoto Costume Institute book with fantastic photos and descriptions of the best of the best. I managed to see both the Brooklyn Musuem Exhibit AND the Metropolitan Museum exhibit in one weekend. These were some of the most amazing garments that one will be able to see. Most will agree that the Brooklyn Museum exhibit was laid out better and easier to see than the Met's, but they did make a nice sister exhibit. Most of the garments here are from the Brooklyn Museum with a few add ins from the collection and a few deletions from the original exhibit. But for the most part, it is pretty complete. This is a great tool for the vintage couture collector and quite an education on most of the leading designers and a few that have long become forgotten, especially the American Designers. That is the most interesting part. The Women American designers were quite informative including Eta Hentz, Bonnie Cashin, and of course, Clare McCardell. The Worth and the Charles James collections are some of the finest and perfect examples of their couture that is in existence today. That alone makes it worth purchasing this resource.
The Book is not too big and not too small. The price is right and the glossy photos and finish of the book is amazing. I recommend this book highly!

This is an amazing book to read and just soak in the pictures. I almost never write a review, but when a book is this outstanding, you want others to see it.

It is a very thick book and quite chic. It shows a lot of detail of clothes, and finesse in fashion design.

Highly recommended.