Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd [Hardcover]

Janet Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

The vast wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth I is legendary: in her own time some of the richly embroidered gowns were displayed with other treasures to dazzle the eyes of foreign visitors to the Tower of London. The quantity of clothes recorded in the inventories taken in 1600 would seem to suggest sheer vanity, but a survey of work carried out in the Wardrobe of Robes throughout the reign reveals a different picture. It is one of careful organization and economy. This work on the wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth I is illustrated with photographs of portraits, minatures, tomb sculptures, engravings, woven textiles and embroiders. Two indexes are provided: the first of paintings, persons, places and events; the second offering information on fashionable dress and accessories.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Quite Specific Media Group Ltd (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0901286206
• ISBN-13: 978-0901286208
• Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 10.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,255,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really great book but....there are a few issues, August 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (Hardcover)

For years I heard how this was _the_ book to buy if you were into Elizabethan costuming and wanted authentic items that could be documented. The book is good for that, and I enjoyed the style that Ms.Arnold wrote it in.

But I have two major gripes with the book-both regarding the quality of graphics and images in it.

First off-in the whole book there are only about 5 pages in color. The rest of it-including hundreds of portraits, examples of extant clothing pieces and pieces of embroidery were all in black and white. I complain about that because, with so many of the portraits quoted as examples it would help if they could be seen clearly. (Many of them are too dark to have reproduced well, and a few are quite horrible.) And the photographs....

If they could reprint this book and possibly include more color plates it would be a much much more valuable resource. As it stands now, it is a good source, but not all that I could have hoped for. Instead I have begun a search for color reproductions of the portraits cited in the book. A long tedious job but one that I think over all will make it a much more solid resource for my needs.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Such An Amazing Resource!, February 11, 2002

By 

S. Goodman (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (Hardcover)

For the historical costumer focused on 16th century clothing, this is the "bible" hands down. Big, expensive, and filled with the usual detail that is the hallmark of Janet Arnold, this is one very worthwhile investment for the serious costumer. This book has one tiny drawback, in that it focuses entirely on women's fashion in the 16th century as viewed through the wardrobe accounts of Queen Elizabeth I and some of her contemporaries. Therefore, it has nothing to say on the topic of men's clothing, which is an unfortunately neglected aspect of 16th century research.

Much of Janet Arnold's most important contributions to the costuming community are addressed in this book, making it extremely valuable. She presents each section with satisfying detail, raising very few questions that remain unanswered. The photographs accompanying the text are also invaluable, as many of them are not available in other books or to the general public for viewing. If only there were more color images...

If you can afford the book, you won't regret buying it.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best source for the Wardrobe of Elizabeth 1st, May 13, 2000

By 

K. Maxwell "katmax1" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd (Hardcover)

This book is amazing. Huge, and packed full of information. An essential refernce work if you are seriously considering doing anything with elizabethan fashion. The author has poured years of scholarship into this work and it shows. It's not really a coffee table picture book. Instead it is full of carefully culled facts for the serious student or anybody curious about 'real' English Tudor costume.