Making Working Women's Costume gives a unique account of the clothes of ordinary women from the mid-fifteenth century to the early twentieth century. As well as introducing the historical periods, it gives patterns for a range of typical garments that women of the poorer classes would have worn. Organized by century, it draws on historical sources and finds, paintings and photographs to recreate the clothes of these under-celebrated women. It includes useful information about equipment for present-day use, calculting curves, taking measurements and sewing techniques not in current use, and patterns for late medieval clothes, such as smocks and gowns, are developed from ancient T-shaped garments and can be marked out on the fabric with given measurements. Garments for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, including bodices, waistcoats and skirts, are drawn on grids. Proportionate cutting is used for the clothes of the later nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such as nurse's uniforms and cotton frocks, with options to add a range of features. Written for costume students, teachers and re-enactors, this book will be an invaluable source for everyone seeking to recreate and wear the clothes of these under-celebrated women. Illustrated with 43 colour illustrations and 81 patterns.

Edwardian fashions for women were characterized by the S-shaped silhouette, embellished with lace, tucks, ruffles, tassels, frills and flounces. This essential book includes eleven detailed projects, which form a capsule collection of clothing and accessories that might have been worn by an Edwardian governess, a woman travelling on an ocean liner, a campaigning suffragette, or a wife overseeing a busy household in a large country house. It explains making sequences in full and advises in detail on how to give the garments a fine, authentic finish. Eleven detailed projects are included, based on the dress collections at Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove, and Worthing Museum and Art Gallery. Each project includes a detailed description of the original garment, with an accompanying illustration alongside photographs of the original pieces, and scaled patterns are included for all projects with a list of materials and equipment required. Includes step-by-step instructions with information about the original techniques used and close-up photographs of the making process, with further chapters on tools and equipment, fabrics, measurements and sizes, and how to wear Edwardian fashion with ideas on creating new outfits from the featured projects. Also includes advice on how to adapt garments to make them suitable for both wealthy, leisured women, and for their poorer counterparts. Aimed at costume makers, museums and re-enactors and beautifully illustrated with 200 colour photographs.

The distinctive style of the Regency period is a source of endless fascination for fashion academics and historians, living historians, re-enactors and costume designers for stage and screen. Author and fashion historian Cassidy Percoco has delved into little-known museum hoards to create a stunning collection of 26 garments, many with clear provenance tied to a specific location, which have never before been published and never – or very rarely – displayed. Most of the garments have an aspect in their construction that has not been previously documented, from a style of skirt trim to the method of gown closure. This practical guide begins with a general history of the early 19th-century women's dress. This is followed by 26 patterns of gowns, spencers, chemises, and corsets, each with an illustration of the finished piece and description of its construction. This must-have guide is an essential reference for anyone interested in the fashions or the history of the period, or for anyone wishing to recreate their own beautiful Regency clothing.

Costume designer Alison Freer’s styling kit is a magical bag of tricks, built to solve every single wardrobe malfunction on earth. TV and film productions wait for nothing, so her solutions have to work fast. In How to Get Dressed, Alison distills her secrets into a fun, comprehensive style guide focused on rethinking your wardrobe like a fashion expert and making what’s in your closet work for you. She provides real-world advice about everything style-related, including: • Making every garment you own fit better • Mastering closet organization • The undergarments you actually need • The scoop on tailors and which alterations are worth it • Shopping thrift and vintage like a rockstar Instead of repeating boring style “rules,” Alison breaks the rules and gets real about everything from bras to how to deal with inevitable fashion disasters. Including helpful information such as how to skip ironing and the dry cleaners, remove every stain under the sun, and help clueless men get their sartorial acts together, How to Get Dressed has hundreds of insider tips from Alison’s arsenal of tools and expertise.

Finely detailed illustrations of 32 complete costumes, shown in color and black-and-white — from exquisitely embroidered, full-skirted dresses circa 1700 to a magnificent silk dress with an extended bustle and pleated overskirt (1880).

Practical, informative guidebook shows how to create everything from short tunics worn by Saxon men in the fifth century to a lady's bustle dress of the late 1800s. 81 illustrations.

The Georgian and Regency period was a time of extremes in clothing, from the heights of the extravagant and decorative headdresses to the widths of the panniers. These garments were supported by a wide range of padding, boning, frills and flounces to create shape and texture. This essential book will guide you through the exciting fashions of the time. Suitable for experts and novices alike, it is filled with practical projects ranging from grand gowns to dainty bonnets, all presented with clarity and insight. There are ten detailed patterns, dating from 1710 to 1820 with five suggested variations to show how the patterns can be adapted; eight patterns for contemporary undergarments and seven patterns for accessories. Step-by-step instructions and photographs show how to construct the patterns and lavish photographs illustrate the finished designs. With general advice on the period, the role women played in it and the fashions of the day, this book will be of great interest to stage and screen designers, museums and heritage sites, costume players, re-enactors and design students. Lavishly illustated with 309 colour images and step-by-step instructions to show how to construct the patterns.