Customer Reviews

Waisted Efforts: An Illustrated Guide to Corset Making

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

 

 

This book has been in and out of print for years, and there's a reason.
While the method described is very useful for the making of corsets, it's no different from the general sloper method taught by any sewing course - the only benefit is the gridded pattern layouts. Of course, for the entire Victorian period, these are the same design sketches and gridded patterns in Nora Waugh's "Corsets and Crinolines", which is only barely credited for them. As other reviewers have said, the text is awkward and confusing, which I attribute to it being poorly translated out of the original French.

A small saving grace of this book is the massive collection of pattern diagrams and sketches for corsetry from about 1890-1910, but while these diagrams are interesting, they represent such a small period, which is so seldom reenacted, that they're mostly of scholarly interest. I might add that while they seem to have been taken from a museum sketchbook, the notes are never fully explained, leaving us to wonder what the long string of numbers and designations means.

Combine all of this with the high price, and the fact that most of the "research" is available elsewhere, and I'd reccomend the aforementioned "Corsets and Crinolines" hands-down every time.

I had really high hopes for this book, as it's been called the "corset maker's bible"
I am a designer looking to go into corsetry professionally and was under the impression that this would be more how-to and less historical prattle.
If you want a book about period styles and practical advice on how they were made back "in the day" this is a good reference. But, if you really want to see explanations and pictures of step-by-step corset construction (like how to apply boning or how to reinforce seam allowances) this book is not at all worth the price. I'm really terribly sorry.

"Kepharel" from Louisville (see review below) couldn't have expressed it better. The text is extremely awkward and badly edited; in truth, I had to stop reading the material because the grammatical errors were grating on my nerves! Almost every single sentence has misplaced commas or something else wrong with it. However, the book is filled with nice photographs and drawings of original corsets, pattern pieces, and corset construction steps. The photos also show how to make a muslin to "draw" the corset on your own body.

"Waisted Efforts" would be a nice pictorial resource for a person with prior pattern drafting and corset construction knowledge, since it doesn't offer sewing instructions. It also spans a wide time range, from the 16th century to the present. However, many of the corsets featured are re-drawn from Norah Waugh's "Corsets and Crinolines". I would suggest Norah Waugh's book instead (although she doesn't offer sewing instructions, either).

The price for "Waisted Efforts" is so much higher than its quality -- I would try to request it from the library, if you're really interested. You won't want to be surprised that you "Waisted Money".

This great book has pictures and descriptions of new and original corsets, patterns adapted form them as well as some pattern diagrams from the latter 1800s. Also, there is a great bounty of historical notes involving fashion from 17th cent. all the way up to the middle 1900s. My only dissapointment was the lack of information or patterns for the 'S' curve Edwardian era corset, but if that is of no consequence to you, overall it is a great book on making wearable and even comfortable corsets.

As another reviewer commented, I had very high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, most of those hopes were not met. First of all, I'm not convinced that this book was ever edited before publication. I'm not some grammar maven that insists on perfection, but honestly this book is difficult to read due to the abundance of fragmented sentences and the confetti of commas sprinkled in bizarre places. It's very distracting. Additionally, his diagrams are poorly organized and the photos are often pages away from the text that describes them. The other major problem I see with this book is that it doesn't provide information on the actual sewing of a corset. There is a very helpful and extensive section on pattern-drafting (from a french block), but nothing on flat-felling seams or using a ribbon to reinforce the waist or anything of the sort. The historical information given is quite interesting but the scope is limited; for example, he mentiones the importance of the S-curve corset and the Gibson Girls, but never provides a photo or pattern to support that. Bottom line: if you are looking for information about french block techniques or historical corsetting information, you might be satisfied. If you want construction techniques or a well-written text, this book will just frustrate you.

When I first purchased this book, I was amazed at the breadth of scope that it entailed. It included history, descriptions, examples, construction, and modernization techniques for the costumer. It is obvious Mr. Doyle has spent his life experimenting and preparing to write such a one-of-a-kind reference book as this. My only complaints are these: first, the illustrations and photographs are often washed out, making it difficult to see detail. Second, his construction methods start with drafting from a french block. I wish there was more draping or even straight drafting information.

This is a great resource. But keep in mind, as the author states, it ISs a resource, particularly for those in costume design. If you can read my previous sentence, you will get an idea of the sentence structure in the book. It is very "clausey" and has many commas and dashes. I actually found very few actual grammar mistakes (there are a few), but the usage is awkward - the same way the Declaration of Independence reads awkwardly.

It is a very HEAVY resource! It's presented in a technical manner and may not be of much use to sewers who can follow a commercial pattern and make basic alterations. This book is really about making a pattern yourself, in one of many designs, spanning several centuries, using traditional blocking techniques.

If you're looking to build a fashionable Victorian type corset, save yourself the money. You'll get all you need out of the Laughing Moon products, or something similar. If you're into costuming on a higher level - it's great!

This is a beautiful, in-depth, and extremely useful book, covering both the history of corsetry, as well as the practical aspects of corset construction. Deserves a place on the shelf of the fashion aficianda, the designer, the feminist, the fetishist, the cultural historian.