Medieval Costume and How to Recreate It (Dover Fashion and Costumes) [Paperback]

Dorothy Hartley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Fashion and Costumes | Publication Date: December 2, 2003

This unique reference classifies the clothes and accessories of the 12th through the 15th centuries along social lines. Garments of every type, from the wardrobes of peasants and nobility, appear in over 200 period illustrations and patterns. Helpful advice covers: choosing fabrics, placement of seams, draping and folding garments, more. 203 black-and-white illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (December 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486429857
• ISBN-13: 978-0486429854
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Textiles & Costume

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Use with caution!, December 23, 2004

By 

Jill McAlester (Lawrence, KS) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Medieval Costume and How to Recreate It (Dover Fashion and Costumes) (Paperback)

Dorothy Hartley's book, first published in 1931, has many good things about it, and also many not-so-good things. The book does have a wealth of black-and-white illustrations reproduced from period sources, and these are outstanding. Ms. Hartley's interpretations of medieval dress, however, are not always on the mark...page 103, for example, has a drawing of a "sleeveless coat" which is actually a mis-interpretation of a fur-trimmed sideless surcote. Also confusing is the "loose side piece" in her diagram of a hunting tunic on page 57...nothing in the period illustrations would indicate a garment cut and worn that way, and it just doesn't make sense.

So...like a lot of other costume texts published in the early 20th century, don't take everything in this book for gospel truth, and double-check the details against other sources if you're looking for true authenticity.

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a good start to begin from, but the flaws tend to make it a bit strange., October 6, 2005

By 

Rebecca Huston "telynor" (On the Banks of the Hudson) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Medieval Costume and How to Recreate It (Dover Fashion and Costumes) (Paperback)

For years I've had a photocopy of this book that I've lugged around, so I was very happy to find this as a reprint edition. One of the great things about this is that the author has done her research, and tends to construct the clothing from simple shapes -- namely if you can sew a straight line, or hem, you can make these costumes. The bad part is that there are some very odd items in here -- one tunic has a flap that ties in place, and the woman's gown is constructed in a very odd way -- you 'can' do it, but the seams look very out of place. Still, the price is good for a begining reinactor, and will instill confidence to go on and make more complicated items.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Potentially useful, if you're careful how you use it, February 21, 2006

By 

Catherine Raymond (Malvern, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Medieval Costume and How to Recreate It (Dover Fashion and Costumes) (Paperback)

As other reviewers have said, Hartley's book is aimed at theatrical costumers, not reenactors. Because of that fact and because it was written long before archaeological research began to correct long-held misapprehensions about medieval costume, its advice about how a particular costume was made is often quite wrong. But Hartley's book does something I've never seen before in any book on medieval costume--it urges the reader to look at period artwork and think about what the person wearing such a costume in the artwork would have been doing and what tools he or she would have been using while doing it. This insight is, in my opinion, worth the meagre price of the book.