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How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 21st Century

How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 21st Century

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-19 05:21:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lydia Edwards
  • ISBN：1350172219
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Summary

Fashion is ever-changing， and while some styles mark a dramatic departure from the past， many exhibit subtle differences from year to year that are not always easily identifiable。 With overviews of each key period and detailed illustrations for each new style， How to Read a Dress is an appealing and accessible guide to women's fashion across five centuries。 Each entry includes annotated color images of historical garments， outlining important features and highlighting how styles have developed over time， whether in shape， fabric choice， trimming， or undergarments。 Readers learn how garments were constructed and where their inspiration stemmed from at key points in history – as well as how dresses have varied in type， cut， detailing and popularity according to the occasion and the class， age and social status of the wearer。

This new edition includes additional styles to illustrate and explain the journey between one style and another; larger images to allow closer investigation of details of dress; examples of lower and working-class， as well as middle-class， clothing; and a completely new chapter covering the 1980s to 2000。 The latter demonstrates how the late 20th century firmly left the dress behind as a requirement， but retained it as a perennially popular choice and illustrates how far the traditional boundaries of 'the dress' have been pushed， and the intellectual shifts in the way women's fashion is both inspired and inspires。

With these new additions， How to Read a Dress， revised edition， presents a complete picture of 'the dress' in all its forms， across the centuries， and taking into account different sartorial and social experiences。 It is the ideal tool for anyone who has ever wanted to know their cartridge pleats from their Récamier ruffles。 Equipping the reader with all the information they need to 'read' a dress， this is the ultimate guide for students， researchers， and anyone interested in historical fashion。

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Reviews

SR ，

Very educational and excellent research catnip for anyone interested in textile use and garment construction。 The author acknowledges up-front that she only discusses Western dress （UK and western Europe， US and Canada， and the colonized regions of Australia）; that let me focus on the info being presented instead of wondering what was going on in Russia， China， India， South America 。。。 （There is at least one photograph from colonized South Africa。）My only real issue was in my choice of format - Very educational and excellent research catnip for anyone interested in textile use and garment construction。 The author acknowledges up-front that she only discusses Western dress （UK and western Europe， US and Canada， and the colonized regions of Australia）; that let me focus on the info being presented instead of wondering what was going on in Russia， China， India， South America 。。。 （There is at least one photograph from colonized South Africa。）My only real issue was in my choice of format - turns out garment analyses are a lot easier to follow if you can see the colors of the fabric。 My bad！ 。。。more

Mara ，

This was recommended to me as an overview of how fashion lines have evolved over time， and I found the organization really helpful in understanding different shapes， what they are called， and discerning what elements I might want to include in my own attempts at making clothing

Sara ，

I just looked at the pictures。

Angel Wu ，

This book did not really teach me how to 'read a dress' like the title suggests。 Half the time， I was confused with what the labels said， especially with the use of foreign words which were tossed out like random。 I might have understood it better if more pictures were included。 At the end of the book， the author used sources from only Australia and occasionally， America， which creates the lack of a complete sample size。However， the introduction at the start of every chapter was well written and This book did not really teach me how to 'read a dress' like the title suggests。 Half the time， I was confused with what the labels said， especially with the use of foreign words which were tossed out like random。 I might have understood it better if more pictures were included。 At the end of the book， the author used sources from only Australia and occasionally， America， which creates the lack of a complete sample size。However， the introduction at the start of every chapter was well written and offered a clear insight to fashion in a specific era。 。。。more

Melina Clark ，

This is an amazing book！ If you have an interest in historical fashion， of course with a focus on women's fashion， I would highly recommend it。 There are a lot of negative reviews on this book both here and on Amazon， and I think this is because people buy it with varying expectations。 This book will not teach you how to make a dress， nor will it give you an excessively detailed description of each era。 However， I think the author absolutely accomplished what she set out to do in the foreword。 S This is an amazing book！ If you have an interest in historical fashion， of course with a focus on women's fashion， I would highly recommend it。 There are a lot of negative reviews on this book both here and on Amazon， and I think this is because people buy it with varying expectations。 This book will not teach you how to make a dress， nor will it give you an excessively detailed description of each era。 However， I think the author absolutely accomplished what she set out to do in the foreword。 She provides some beautiful pictures and illustrations of numerous dresses and she gives enough historical context for the changing trends to make sense。 She also does her best to acknowledge how the rich AND the poor would've dressed in each era， which is often times ignored。 Overall， I'm really happy with this book and glad I bought it！ :） 。。。more

Cameron Toney ，

This is a beautiful book。 It is by no means an exhaustive research work， but rather acts as a springboard， letting the reader see what periods might be interesting to them。Gorgeous， with pictures of historic garments， and information showing the prevailing details and silhouettes of various historical periods。 I love it as a book to pick up and flip through， but also to see the evolution of style through history。Note， this is focused on European history， so it's by no means exhaustive， but it do This is a beautiful book。 It is by no means an exhaustive research work， but rather acts as a springboard， letting the reader see what periods might be interesting to them。Gorgeous， with pictures of historic garments， and information showing the prevailing details and silhouettes of various historical periods。 I love it as a book to pick up and flip through， but also to see the evolution of style through history。Note， this is focused on European history， so it's by no means exhaustive， but it does what it sets out to do very well。 。。。more

Sesana ，

Gives the DK treatment to historical costume。 Not the most scholarly work available， and there are definitely more heavily illustrated ones。 I liked the way the author points out certain details of the chosen dresses。 I could have done with more angles and detail shots， though， and the way the dresses are posed on headless mannequins doesn't always give a good idea of what they would have looked like on real women。 But I always enjoy seeing photos of beautiful period dress， so I was satisfied wi Gives the DK treatment to historical costume。 Not the most scholarly work available， and there are definitely more heavily illustrated ones。 I liked the way the author points out certain details of the chosen dresses。 I could have done with more angles and detail shots， though， and the way the dresses are posed on headless mannequins doesn't always give a good idea of what they would have looked like on real women。 But I always enjoy seeing photos of beautiful period dress， so I was satisfied with that aspect。 There's a companion volume for men's dress， and I'm looking forward to some really nice waistcoats in that one。 。。。more

Nicky ，

This book is a handy survey of women's fashion （mostly of dresses， but occasionally including titbits about other aspects of dress and accessorising， like necklaces and shoes） from the 16th to the 20th century。 It features full-colour photographs， carefully annotated with useful pointers as to what to notice， and introductory essays explaining the trends of each period。The annotation is very good， but the introductory paragraphs for each section are a bit less organised。 It doesn't refer to spec This book is a handy survey of women's fashion （mostly of dresses， but occasionally including titbits about other aspects of dress and accessorising， like necklaces and shoes） from the 16th to the 20th century。 It features full-colour photographs， carefully annotated with useful pointers as to what to notice， and introductory essays explaining the trends of each period。The annotation is very good， but the introductory paragraphs for each section are a bit less organised。 It doesn't refer to specific examples of dresses in that chapter， but stays totally general。。。 meaning it's hard for me -- a not especially visual person -- to link the dresses up with the trends they illustrate。 Sometimes I'd look through the dresses for a specific feature， but not really see anything that seemed to match。 In addition， sometimes the text would mention a specific photograph or illustration， but it wasn't next to the text， and there was no helpful "（figure 3）" or anything; instead it would say something like "this photograph of a gentleman。。。" Which photograph of a gentleman？Anyway， I found it really interesting， and useful， with a few flaws。 It would probably work better for someone with a visual memory！ 。。。more

Nereid ，

The book provides a basic overview of the history of the dress。 It's not a thorough research book， but it assists readers who would want to get to know the brief differences of the dresses from each era。 It's an ideal book to help me develop a rough and big picture of costume for my research paper about theatrical costume design。 The book provides a basic overview of the history of the dress。 It's not a thorough research book， but it assists readers who would want to get to know the brief differences of the dresses from each era。 It's an ideal book to help me develop a rough and big picture of costume for my research paper about theatrical costume design。 。。。more

Bryn （Plus Others） ，

This really is what it says in the title -- a book about how to 'read' a dress to understand what period （or periods） it is from and a little about what the wearer would be communicating by wearing it。 I would have liked more depth and more nuance for the second part of this; there are moments when Edwards falls back on 'femininity' as though this is an obvious quality & desirable goal for all women， rather than a constructed idea that relies on place & time & class， and I found that really anno This really is what it says in the title -- a book about how to 'read' a dress to understand what period （or periods） it is from and a little about what the wearer would be communicating by wearing it。 I would have liked more depth and more nuance for the second part of this; there are moments when Edwards falls back on 'femininity' as though this is an obvious quality & desirable goal for all women， rather than a constructed idea that relies on place & time & class， and I found that really annoying。 Despite those lapses， though， there is a lot of really good concrete information in here about dress construction and sewing techniques and how all of this changed over time， and I think I'd need to read it repeatedly and take a lot of notes to really absorb all the information -- but that's not a necessity， it's also a fun book to read over time and look at the clothes and think about all the changes that are in them。 。。。more

Miriam Brookler ，

There was a lot of good information， but the way it was presented didn't make much sense to me。 The whole book alternates between sections describing changes in clothing and annotated images of dresses， but since each section covers more than a few years， the images read like an appendix to each chapter instead of the main event。 Also， there were minor formatting/proofreading issues: some typos， referring to 'this photograph' when the photograph they mean is on the previous page （not visible wit There was a lot of good information， but the way it was presented didn't make much sense to me。 The whole book alternates between sections describing changes in clothing and annotated images of dresses， but since each section covers more than a few years， the images read like an appendix to each chapter instead of the main event。 Also， there were minor formatting/proofreading issues: some typos， referring to 'this photograph' when the photograph they mean is on the previous page （not visible without flipping back）， etc。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

Fascinating walk through the history of dresses， with big color plates。 Really， I wish it had been longer - I would have loved even more in depth info， both on the political currents changing the fashion and on the fashion itself。 The back promised to show the difference between cartridge pleats and Recamier ruffles， and while both terms get used， it never actually explains anything。 Each dress only gets one photo， when the discussion really needs multiple， and diagrams of the internal architect Fascinating walk through the history of dresses， with big color plates。 Really， I wish it had been longer - I would have loved even more in depth info， both on the political currents changing the fashion and on the fashion itself。 The back promised to show the difference between cartridge pleats and Recamier ruffles， and while both terms get used， it never actually explains anything。 Each dress only gets one photo， when the discussion really needs multiple， and diagrams of the internal architecture。 It's not that the info was bad; it was that it was good enough I just wanted more。Oh， also， the copyediting is abysmal。 。。。more

H ，

Oh， this book！ I liked it and I really did not。 The things I liked was the wide historical range of garments and the explanations of the details in historical context。The reasons not to like: the small font， few to no close-up pictures of details that they talk about， one dress per page and the image is only about 8 inches tall。 How can you see all of the detailing， drapery， and craftmanship of an ensemble like that？ The captions can be a bit confusing to a non-costume archivist regardless of th Oh， this book！ I liked it and I really did not。 The things I liked was the wide historical range of garments and the explanations of the details in historical context。The reasons not to like: the small font， few to no close-up pictures of details that they talk about， one dress per page and the image is only about 8 inches tall。 How can you see all of the detailing， drapery， and craftmanship of an ensemble like that？ The captions can be a bit confusing to a non-costume archivist regardless of the glossary in the back。 。。。more

chad chrysanthemum ，

I'd echo a lot of what other reviewers have said - I think a few more dresses could've been added to better show the breadth of each decade， as well as to ensure that she hits all of the key transitions in style。 I also would've liked a bit more explanation for the WHY of these styles， because many of them are totally wild and I want to know why anyone would want to wear a ruff so big that they needed a wire support apparatus。 （Also， the copyediting needs to be improved there were several typos） I'd echo a lot of what other reviewers have said - I think a few more dresses could've been added to better show the breadth of each decade， as well as to ensure that she hits all of the key transitions in style。 I also would've liked a bit more explanation for the WHY of these styles， because many of them are totally wild and I want to know why anyone would want to wear a ruff so big that they needed a wire support apparatus。 （Also， the copyediting needs to be improved there were several typos）。 That being said， I really really enjoyed this book and I think that it's a useful and interesting resource as an introduction to fashion through the latter half of the millennium。 Many of the dresses are totally beautiful， and I might try reading more about periods other than 1810-1870。 。。。more

Amanda ，

4。5 starsI really loved the concept and execution of this book！ As an historical costume enthusiast， this book is rather a dream come true。 I appreciated the in-depth discussion of each fashion period at the start of each chapter which made a nice complement to the individual examples。 I was enamored with the way each dress' details were broken down （see the example on the cover of the book） while surrounding the picture of the dress。 It was such a unique way of describing a dress。 I also apprec 4。5 starsI really loved the concept and execution of this book！ As an historical costume enthusiast， this book is rather a dream come true。 I appreciated the in-depth discussion of each fashion period at the start of each chapter which made a nice complement to the individual examples。 I was enamored with the way each dress' details were broken down （see the example on the cover of the book） while surrounding the picture of the dress。 It was such a unique way of describing a dress。 I also appreciated the long fashion time frame included in this book。 It gives the reader a better appreciation of how fashion has changed while still incorporating old styles。 My only complaint is that some sections had hardly any picture examples even though that time period had plenty of surviving dresses （the 1940s period was one example of this）。 I just wish more pictures had been included。 。。。more

Amy Jo ，

A good introduction to dress trends throughout the relatively recent centuries。 The copy and editing is a bit messy at times。 I really do not understand why some dresses are given better spread pages and some trends in dress did not even get a page。 Showing some backs of dresses without the fronts or vice versa also seemed really arbitrary in a bad way at times。 Also， as some people probably have already mentioned， the contrast for some of the darker colored dress images were not worth the effor A good introduction to dress trends throughout the relatively recent centuries。 The copy and editing is a bit messy at times。 I really do not understand why some dresses are given better spread pages and some trends in dress did not even get a page。 Showing some backs of dresses without the fronts or vice versa also seemed really arbitrary in a bad way at times。 Also， as some people probably have already mentioned， the contrast for some of the darker colored dress images were not worth the effort; the details are not discernable even with markings listing what it is。 I know it is important to use what is available， but it was a bit surprising when some decades got dresses only from the Australian collection/society。 I know it would have followed the trends like most other Western countries， but more variety in the country of the extant examples if it was possible would have been nice。The glossary of terms featured terms/trends that I am 75 percent sure were not always mentioned in the principle text。 I am a visual person， so that was a bit of a let down especially since I read all of the numerous annotations surrounding the dress images。There is good stuff！ I feel a smidge bit more confident with identifying the more recognizable trends that denote time periods and key decades of change in clothing。 Although I am already forgetting what deepness of the point of a bodice belongs to which decade， I know more than I did before， which is always a net positive。 I actually saw a leg of mutton sleeve design that I liked， so progress。Good concept。 Decent execution for a wider audience。 。。。more

Charles ，

From reading some more negative reviews， seems like the best thing you could do for yourself to enjoy this book would be to set your expectations - not low， but like， moderate。 Any book that purports to be about changing fashion across five centuries （let alone the broad expanse of European fashion） is either going to be enormous or massively simplified; this book is the latter。 It's not an exhaustive resource， but it is a pretty good introduction to basic trends and silhouettes that typified di From reading some more negative reviews， seems like the best thing you could do for yourself to enjoy this book would be to set your expectations - not low， but like， moderate。 Any book that purports to be about changing fashion across five centuries （let alone the broad expanse of European fashion） is either going to be enormous or massively simplified; this book is the latter。 It's not an exhaustive resource， but it is a pretty good introduction to basic trends and silhouettes that typified different eras。 I wouldn't give this to a hardcore historical costuming enthusiast， but would I recommend it to someone with a passing interest in fashion history who doesn't know a huge amount already？ Sure。 。。。more

Nezka ，

This pictorial timeline of costume is focused on western Europe and the US and Australia， with textiles from excellent museum collections used whenever possible but images are dark and unfortunately not many detail shots to show construction。

Nicole Bosse ，

Beautifully curated pictorial review of historical women's fashion。A couple of criticisms:The book spent nearly 100 pages outlining the ever changing fashion of the late 18th and 19th centuries， but rushed through earlier and later decades， dedicating just a few pages to each。 Often， stylistic features of specific garments were mentioned， when the corresponding pictures did not display them （eg， the write up would describe a specific neckline， on a dress that was shown only from behind）If the au Beautifully curated pictorial review of historical women's fashion。A couple of criticisms:The book spent nearly 100 pages outlining the ever changing fashion of the late 18th and 19th centuries， but rushed through earlier and later decades， dedicating just a few pages to each。 Often， stylistic features of specific garments were mentioned， when the corresponding pictures did not display them （eg， the write up would describe a specific neckline， on a dress that was shown only from behind）If the author wrote a more in depth book about 19th century fashion， I would definitely purchase and read it， as it is obvious this is the century which sparks her passion。As it stands， "How to Read a Dress" should not be looked at as an evenly weighted guide to identifying fashion from 5 centuries， though it is a nice reference piece overall。 。。。more

Becky ，

Scrumptilious

Dorothea ，

Relativ oberflächlich， wenig Beispiele， teilweise auch unpassende Beispiele。 Kleider werden entweder von vorne oder hinten gezeigt， aber nicht von beiden Seiten。 Teilweise gibt es nur winzige Bilder。

Alejandra ，

It is definitely very good to start understanding historical fashion。 I knew many of the things you mentioned， but it was very useful to better accommodate my ideas and understand various things。 But it only explains to you in detail the outfits once finished， with accessories and such things。 It does not explain step by step how is the way to dress like 。。。 First the chemise， then the Spanish farthingale， kirtle etc 。。。 And there are only images of the complete outfits。 I love the examples anyw It is definitely very good to start understanding historical fashion。 I knew many of the things you mentioned， but it was very useful to better accommodate my ideas and understand various things。 But it only explains to you in detail the outfits once finished， with accessories and such things。 It does not explain step by step how is the way to dress like 。。。 First the chemise， then the Spanish farthingale， kirtle etc 。。。 And there are only images of the complete outfits。 I love the examples anyway， by the start of the '1920s' part i was a little boring beacuse i don't like the 20th century fashion so much as i love the past centuries。 But anyway is so good。 （And also sorry if my english is too bad in this review😂😂 long time ago since the last time i write in english） 。。。more

Isabella Ruth ，

Immensely helpful！！ Just keep in mind—these are fashions that would have been worn in Europe/America/Australia， and by richer people， nobility， aristocracy， etc。 Also， it is only on female fashion。 But， if you are looking for helpful information， this book is for you！ I especially love the art references and histories included。

Irene Adler ，

This book is wonderful - so much information and excellent photographs。 My only criticism is the small size of the book。 This made the details difficult to see， especially for the inset historical paintings， and the font was tiny to fit it on the page。

Sarah ，

Broad span of styles covered with incredible examples。 However， only one view is given for each garment， when front and back view would be helpful in many cases。 Also， I wish undergarments were included as well。

Kate ，

Incredibly fascinating with awesome annotated photographs！

Nic ，

Great photos and nice descriptions and explanations of the styles and materials。

C。A。 ，

Great pictures from collection of dress from the US， Europe， and Australia， but the chapters were a bit technical for a novice like me。 Still， both beautiful to look at and education， making it a great book for fashion lovers

Sophie Turner ，

This book is great for describing the evolution of fashion and showing it in detail with surviving dresses。 I didn't always feel that the dresses shown were the best exemplars of their period but understand the author probably had to make do with what was available。 It does get into a fair degree of detail on dress construction which may not be for those who don't have sewing skills （myself included） but you can understand most of it without any of that background。 This book is great for describing the evolution of fashion and showing it in detail with surviving dresses。 I didn't always feel that the dresses shown were the best exemplars of their period but understand the author probably had to make do with what was available。 It does get into a fair degree of detail on dress construction which may not be for those who don't have sewing skills （myself included） but you can understand most of it without any of that background。 。。。more

Ella ，

Read for THE 154: Reading Dress。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 21st Century

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 21st Century&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 21st Century&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0