Customer Reviews

Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is one of the best books ever written on the subject of Elizabethan Costuming. It mainly contains all of the details of Queen Elizabeth I wardrobe but it has unique points in the society that surrounded the dresses. This book helps to explain the Gloriana image that became so popular and it helps us to understand all the little details that went into the dress of the period. Detailing costumes using portraits and explaining how the fashion progressed makes this book a must for anyone interested in Renaissance Faires and the nobility. The only drawback is that very very few of the portraits and pictures are in color. I think a total of about 7 are in color the rest is in black and white. The only way to make this book more appealing and usable would be to put all of the portraits and pictures in color, but that would make the book even more expensive. After this must have book the 2nd on the shelf should be a J. Hunniset book (the lady who did all the costuming for Elizabeth R and The Six Wives of Henry the VIII produced by BBC). Next, any Janet Arnold book. Last, would be the Norris book: Tudor Costuming and Fashion (although most of this book is very outdated it is nice to look at). All of these are must haves and will make a well rounded library. Dispite the high price of the book it is worth posessing. Enjoy.

This is an excellent reference book. I would consider this a must-have for anyone who is thoroughly interested in how Elizabeth crafted her own image using clothes and jewelry. There are some interesting facts, such as Leicester giving Elizabeth a red petticoat, that are neat to know. This is an expensive book, but worth having if you want to know as much as you can about Elizabeth. The book also discusses other famous women and what they wore. If you can find this book....get it.

I've been both a professional seamstress and costumer for two decades and have portrayed Queen Elizabeth for over a decade. This is the book to consult for any information anyone might need on Elizabeth's clothing and closet.

Janet Arnold is "the man" for Elizabethan costumers; she was the one invited into tombs mid-dig to catalog and diagram all costuming finds. She has left us all some of the closest we can get to Primary Research.

One of my prized possessions; whoever wants it will have to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers after I'm gone.

I too was disappointed that so much of this was black and white as portraits of costumes translate poorly without their original colors. I also was quite disappointed that for the size and scope of this volume, no items of clothing or jewelry pictured were personally Queen Elizabeth's--although rare, I know a few items DO exist as I've seen photos of a few jewels, an embroidered petticoat, a far-too-close up photo of a bodice, and the underclothes used on her funeral effigy.

A definite lack in a book concentrating on the wardrobe of the Queen herself! I had so hoped to see examples of items worn or used by the Queen. Thank heavens I requested this from the library! Plus for being black and white, and lacking real items of the Queen, it's as heavy as a phone book!

I will say though it does give many great examples of Renaissance costume, and it's most worth a peruse for history and costume enthusiasts, but my little Rennie heart wasn't fully satisfied.

I bought this as a gift for a friend who helped a great deal with my wedding, advising me of dress styles, hair styles, fashion from this era, dances, music, food, and everything in between, as well as arranging all the flowers for the wedding! She was a godsend! When I gave her the book, her jaw dropped and she was so excited to get it... she said she had been wanting it forever. As I consider her quite knowledgeable about the subject matter of this book, and as it came highly recommended by her, I would say that it's a great book to have if this is something you are interested in as a serious hobby or more.