Customer Reviews

Historic Costume for the Stage

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This was the textbook for my college History of Costume class. I majored in fashion design, subsequently went on to become a theatre costume designer, and for every costume, every show I have ever designed, this book was the initial source. I have NEVER seen a better overall costume reference. A must for anyone with a fascination for human apparel.

For all the costume books out there- glitzy,gorgeous, full color photos & all- this book is the bedrock for all of them & for any aspiring- or working!- designer this is the foundation of your library. I am offering it as a text for my History of Costume class, as its clearheaded descriptions of historic garments & life are the basis of my lectures anyway; my students mught lose my handouts but it's too great a book to lose!

This was the text book for my history of costume and other classes at University. It, along with it's brief but incredibly helpful pattern book are my first stop whenever creating an historical costume. I have walls of books on the subject but this is, for me, definitive. Dear Lucy, her research is impeccable, her hints on construction are invaluable and the illustrations are informative. I was a professional theatrical costume designer and maker for years and I have always kept this one for my best reference. It is followed, but not supplanted by the Janet Arnold books. These experts knew the extant garments of these periods and were respected by people in their own fields as well as the museum curators, etc. Get this one by all means!

This was the main text for the costume history, costume design and construction courses at my University. Unfortunately the author passed away about a year later, but the book should never go out of print. Since it deals with historical fact, it doesn't get outdated. It is clear, concise and correct. The thing that gets left out and forgotten is there is a priceless companion book of the actual PATTERNS for some of the garments in the main text. I have one (snicker), and I am keeping it!! It was the first I know of that anyone did this. The Janet Arnold books that followed much later extended the idea, but Ms. Barton was first, and no one else has diagrammed these garments. My advice is "Start Here" and use other texts for variations. It has served me well in a long career in costuming, especially in achieving period accuracy. Ms. Barton is still respected for her work on both sides of the Atlantic.

Even with the updates, this remains a monument to mis-information. In 1938 much of what Barton wrote was widely believed to be true, but in the last 70 years so much research has been done that no one should rely on Barton's work for anything! I know that theatre programs still use this text (I had it in 1969 at the University of Oklahoma) but even people at community theatres and high school theatre programs can do better in an hour or two of looking at period paintings online at the Web Gallery of Art or ArtCyclopedia than they ever can get by using Barton's work.