Instant Period Costumes: How to Make Classic Costumes from Cast-Off Clothing [Paperback]

Barb Rogers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001

Why spend a small fortune to rent expensive period costumes when you can create them yourself for less than a day's rental price? Make them the easy way from cast-offs without sewing! Included in this book are over 100 ingenious costume designs with photographs and diagrams for many period characters from Egyptian, Greek and Roman all the way to Punk. These conversion costuming ideas will save you time, money and deadline disasters and give you precisely the costume you want.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brab Rogers is the founder and former owner of Broadway Bazaar Costumes, a popular and growing costume shop in Matoon, Illinois.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Meriwether Publishing; 1st edition (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566080703
• ISBN-13: 978-1566080705
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #767,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If "period" equals "fantasy", November 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Instant Period Costumes: How to Make Classic Costumes from Cast-Off Clothing (Paperback)

This is NOT a guide to constructing period costumes -- her identification of the "periods" is more fantasy than fact -- but it does have clever ideas for fast and inexpensive costumes. This might make a good starting place for a costuming newbie who's overwhelmed at having to put together a whole show in just a few weeks. Experienced costumers can skip this book, since you've probably already come up with these ideas on your own.
A word of warning: the author frequently dyes the second-hand clothing she uses, but you could probably skip that step in many of the examples (I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone who would let me use their washing machine to dye a wedding dress blue...!). It's the tips on combining parts of different garments that most people will find helpful.
My main problem with this book is the title; if you just omit the word "period" then you've got a good idea of what this book IS good for. It would be useful for school musicals, masquerade parties, parades, Halloween, etc. but don't expect to costume a decent production of Shakespeare with the aid of this book. Kiss Me, Kate -- yes; Taming of the Shrew -- no.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely no sewing is required!, August 8, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Instant Period Costumes: How to Make Classic Costumes from Cast-Off Clothing (Paperback)

Anyone who has done costume work for theater knows how difficult create believeable outfits quickly, and how expensive it can be to rent any costume. Instant Period Costumes: How To Make Classic Costumes From Cast-Off Clothing is the pefect solution to the costume worker's dilemma, for Barb Rogers has designs for inexpensively assembling over 100 period piece costumes, complete with photos and diagrams. The instructions are so easy to follow that absolutely no sewing is required! With chapters that describe costumes for the Gothic, Renaissance, Elizabethan, Restoration, Bustle, Turn-of-the-Century, World War I, '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s periods and more, Instant Period Costumes is highly recommended not only for theater costume workers, but also anyone looking to put together an excellent Halloween or masquerade ball costume with a minimum of cost and hassle!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant Period Costumes, May 17, 2002

By 

Stephanie FitzSimons (Bartlett, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Instant Period Costumes: How to Make Classic Costumes from Cast-Off Clothing (Paperback)

This is a fabulous book!!! Great for sewers and non-sewers alike. I will definitely buy it for my collection and have already started to aquire cast off clothing for usagein new costumes. Barb Rogers makes each costume seem so easy to make and really takes the threat out of costuming. GREAT IDEAS!!!! good pictures, wish they were all in color!!...