The facsimile of a manual with patterns, cutting and sewing instructions for jackets, skirts, coats, capes, riding and cycling clothes. Also includes braiding designs for trim and underwear.
In her immensely readable and richly documented book, Christine Bayles Kortsch asks us to shift our understanding of late Victorian literary culture by examining its inextricable relationship with the material culture of dress and sewing. Even as the Education Acts of 1870, 1880, and 1891 extended the privilege of print literacy to greater numbers of the populace, stitching samplers continued to be a way of acculturating girls in both print literacy and what Kortsch terms "dress culture." Kortsch explores nineteenth-century women's education, sewing and needlework, mainstream fashion, alternative dress movements, working-class labor in the textile industry, and forms of social activism, showing how dual literacy in dress and print cultures linked women writers with their readers. Focusing on Victorian novels written between 1870 and 1900, Kortsch examines fiction by writers such as Olive Schreiner, Ella Hepworth Dixon, Margaret Oliphant, Sarah Grand, and Gertrude Dix, with attention to influential predecessors like Elizabeth Gaskell, Charlotte Brontë, and George Eliot. Periodicals, with their juxtaposition of journalism, fiction, and articles on dress and sewing are particularly fertile sites for exploring the close linkages between print and dress cultures. Informed by her examinations of costume collections in British and American museums, Kortsch's book broadens our view of New Woman fiction and its relationship both to dress culture and to contemporary women's fiction.
As the 20th century dawned, women began to abandon frilly fashions for sharply tailored suits. Professional tailors of the time turned to this comprehensive resource to create office outfits, riding pants, blouses, and other garments. Filled with more than 80 patterns, it's an invaluable reference for costume designers and fashion historians. 92 black-and-white illustrations.
This unique book is a wide-ranging introduction to the world of Victorian tailoring, including techniques, materials, and patterns. The author, an expert in the field, has dipped into rare 19th-century tailoring sourcebooks and re-created the authentic techniques for today's budding tailor. An introductory section includes: --A glimpse into the 19th-century tailor's shop and the people who worked there --How men's fashion subtly evolved through the decades, with illustrations and Victorian photographs --Tools of the trade, and how they were used--and which ones are still worth using today --Which cloths to use for an authentic Victorian feel, and where to obtain them --The fundamental techniques every tailor should know, from how to sit in the traditional cross-legged manner to the full range of stitches used in the Victorian era. The book then moves on to give detailed instructions on how to draft and cut your own patterns to fit your client exactly, and gives 18 patterns from different decdes, including capes, waistcoats, trousers, frock coats, lounge coats, and even a shooting jacket and breeches for the Victorian sportsman. These are followed by clear and concise step-by-step directions for making up your finished garments, illustrated with authentic period fashion plates showing the essential wardrobe of a Victorian gentleman, this book will appeal to all costume designers, dressmakers, living historians, and those with an interest in creating these beautiful handmade garments, and contains everything you need to create authentic menswear from the period.
A glorious companion volume to Historical Fashion in Detail- The 17th and 18th Centuries and Modern Fashion in Detail, this book captures the opulence and variety of nineteenth-century fashion through an authoritative text, exquisite colour photography and line drawings of the complete garments. From the delicate embroidery on neoclassical gowns to the vibrant colours of crinolines and the elegant tailoring of men's coats, the richness of the period is revealed in breathtaking detail. The garments showcased here, drawn from the V&A Museum's world famous collection, were at the height of fashion in their time. They display a remarkable range of colours, materials and construction details- from the intricate boning on women's corsets to the patterned silk of men's waistcoats. Seen in close-up for the first time and further illuminated by detailed commentary and line drawings that show the ingenuity of the underlying construction, these carefully chosen garments illustrate some of the major themes of nineteenth-century dress.
Create perfect, historically accurate Victorian menswear, from morning coats to shirts and trousers Contains detailed patterns and practical instructions adapted from original Victorian pattern-cutters’ books Covers the whole of the Victorian era, with outstanding designs from every decade A valuable sourcebook for costume designers, dressmakers and those involved in historical re-enactments, this book contains all you need to create authentic menswear from the Victorian period. Historically accurate patterns enable you to make a wide range of garments, including morning coats, waistcoats, frock coats, trousers, shirts and hunting clothes, and full instructions are given for tailoring and construction. The book is illustrated with evocative contemporary fashion plates showing the essential wardrobe of a Victorian gentleman, which demonstrate the subtle changes in style that occurred across the decades.