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This book covers everything you ever wanted to know about medieval clothing, from measurements, patterns and materials to methods of construction. It has over 400 illustrations of medieval clothing, and 121 patterns for shirts and smocks, cotes, doublets, kirtles, hose, surcotes, cotehardies, gowns, overkirtles, cloaks, children's clothing, headwear, and accessories.
Current books on the subject of Medieval costume concentrate either on research (with good information on what was worn, but little on how to actually make it) or towards theatrical costume (with information on how to make the items, but dubious historical accuracy.) The Medieval Tailor's Assistant is the best of both worlds, combining solid research and detailed "how-to" information into one volume.
This book is geared more toward the novice or intermediate costumer and sewer than toward the advanced historic costume researcher. As it is not primarily a research work, it doesn't delve into original sources as much as books like Janet Arnold's "Patterns of Fashion." The research which went into it is very good, however, and it gives less experienced historic costumers a splendid place to start.
I disagreed with very little within the text and found this to be a very pleasant surprise (although I do disagree quite strongly with the modern draping methods suggested. Highly suspicious for a medieval technique in my opinion).
While I would hesitate to say that all the methods are completely accurate (how could we know this? Some things we do know were not included or were replaced with easier, more modern methods), they are certainly far superior to anything else out there for this time period and place. Well done.
I would stay away from much of the suggested reading on the left side of that page simply because once someone has reached this stage in their costuming development they have grown out of Houston etc... with the exception of Newton's Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince (this is worth the price for certain).
The Museum of London books and the book on Queen Margareta's gown on the right side of the selected reading page are worth every penny however.
I think it was worth the $... and that we are soon to see a sudden surge of truly medieval looking clothing in our living history groups and I am all for that. 100%
Many, many thanks to Sarah Thurfield for so wonderfully beginning to fill of a huge costuming void.
Cynthia / Merouda