Costume: 1066-1990s (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An expanded and updated edition of this collection of drawings which ranges over ten centuries of English historical costume. Designed for quick reference, the book is divided into the reigns of the monarchs, with notes to pinpoint specific features such as fabric, decoration, accessories and cut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 135 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; Rev edition (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500277915
• ISBN-13: 978-0500277911
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #495,661 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too ambitious, December 2, 1998

By A Customer

Part of the difficulty of this book is that it tries to do so many periods--and does none of them well. The drawings convey the incorrect impression that basic silhouettes changed little over 900 years, and they seem to be based on other costume books, rather than on actual contemporary portrayas of dress, and so compound the errors of these earlier books, sometimes combining elements of dress which were never seen together in actual fact. There is no attempt to site sources for the costumes, so it cannot be used as a springboard for further research. The only real use I can see for it is perhaps for theatre designers wanting an overall impression of how the clothes of a particular period looked, and even then, there are much better books for almost every period in print.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An overview, May 28, 2006

By	Kerri (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

I recently did a design project with the late 1800's as my inspiration. I found that because this book covers so many time periods, that it only really gives a brief overview of the time periods. I used other books and came across details that were repetatively seen, yet not included in this book. This book is good in that it does compile all of the time periods into one book and can give the reader a basic idea on what the styles were, but it shouldn't be relied on as an all-encompassing resource.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a money waster, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

I hate to say this about any book, but the lack of cross references, the out of proportion sketches, and the lack of in depth information make this an absolute money waster. There are considerably better books even for the first time enthusiast with little cash.