Women's Costume of the Near and Middle East [Paperback]

Jennifer M. Scarce (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0700703446 | ISBN-13: 978-0700703449 | Publication Date: February 23, 1995 | Edition: Reissue

The historical and cultural richness of the Near and Middle East is reflected visually in its costume. In this book, Jennifer Scarce makes brilliant use of years or research to provide a lucid acount of the development of women's dress from the fourteenth to the early twentieth centuries. Her study of costume is set in th ebroader context of the social and economic background of the Ottoman Empire, giving the subject a new an fascinating slant.
A detailed discussion of cut and construction is accompanied by pattern layouts and numerous photographs which clearly illustrate the different styles of dress through the centuries.
Women's costume of the Near and Middle East is a hitherto sadly neglected subject. After years of original research across the world, this gap has been admirably filled by Jennifer Scarce's scholarly readable study.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This is a really pleasant book to read ... [it] fills an obvious gap and with its notes and bibliography, it is a lovely introduction to the subject.' - Bulletin of the Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East: Note and Queries

'A very well-informed and readable portrayal. With its 128 photographs Women's Costume is extremely well illustrated without becoming a "costume piece" itself.' - Rezensionen

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; Reissue edition (February 23, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700703446
• ISBN-13: 978-0700703449
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,534,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tantalizing, but Disappointing, April 21, 2005

By 

Lilinah "bibliophiliac" (San Francisco Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women's Costume of the Near and Middle East (Paperback)

I have a long standing interest in the clothing of the Near and Middle East, so this book drew my attention. Unfortunately, the title is misleading. This book is ultimately only about women's clothing of the Ottoman Empire, and doesn't even do a good job on that.

Scarce attempts to review the clothing traditions that influenced Ottoman clothing. She wanders far afield, and in my opinion, often astray, as she jumps to questionable conclusions about the connections among the disparate systems.

The section on actual Ottoman clothing ought to be the best, but there, too, Scarce trips and falls. The illustrations are often insufficiently captioned, lacking important information, so that the reader may not always realize what the true relationship of each is to the text and to other garments. Some items from specific ethnic and cultural groups living within the Ottoman Empire are presented as if they are representative of Ottoman Turkish clothing, and the relevant information, which i have found in other sources, is lacking anywhere in the book.

I have this book and use it, but only in conjunction with other books on the clothing of the various groups she draws from which include better historical details and information on the provenance of specific garments.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Middle Eastern Costume book, November 27, 2000

By 

Melissa Palmer (Olympia, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women's Costume of the Near and Middle East (Paperback)

This is a amazing book! If you are interested in reproducing authentic costumes, this is the book for you. I have used this book many times to make my own costumes. There are patterns and pictures of each piece of clothing so you can easily make your own reproduction. This is the only book you need if you want to make a Turkish costume. It is also an excellent book for a college research paper. This book is too good to pass up!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women's Costume of the Near and Middle East, January 25, 2004

By 

Margaret Richardson (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Women's Costume of the Near and Middle East (Paperback)

I think this has to be THE definitive book on the subject and now it's back in print. Sadly I paid over 100.00 for the out of print version. This book is loaded with images--paintings, sculpture, actual garments and pattern diagrams. It is extremely well referenced. I enthusiastically recommend this book.