Customer Reviews

Victorian Fashions 1880-1890, Vol. I

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This book has long contemporary descriptions of the garments as shown in reproductions of a fashion plates. It is easily 95% little girls dresses with a few womens items interspersed. It seems to be intended as a help to people dressing dolls as a full size doll pattern is included. No other patterns are given or pictured I did not find it much help as I am working with reproducing fullsize women's clothing of the period and found only a handfull of them. Not for costumers.

Although more than half the illustrations are of little girl's or teenage girl's clothing, there are plenty of women's illustrations too. The small number of color reproductions are lovely and very useful as many costumers forget that analine dyes were new, bright, and used in color combinations that we just don't think of today. I found this a terrific addition to my collection of fashion and costume books for the bustle period. This book was really meant for making doll costumes but page after page of fashions is more than inspirational for full sized versions. There are some quickly recognizable illustrations (from other publications) but most are new to me. The glossery is very helpful too. Thumbs up to this book. So many costume books skip over the bustle period with one or two styles, but the period (1869 - 1889) had so many variations that it is nice to see a year by year discussion of style. I only wish they had made Vol. III, 1870 - 1879.