English Women's Clothing in the Nineteenth Century: A Comprehensive Guide with 1,117 Illustrations (

Absolutely the best resource for women's clothing in the 19th century. Includes photos and line drawings of actual clothes (all B&W in this edition, unfortunately). Most importanly, gives details on every aspect of clothingfrom fabrics, trmis, shoes, under garments to hats, fans, and coats year-by-year. Also lists changes in each year's fashions. A must-have for those interested in Regency and/or Victorian eras, especially! It's my cosutme Bible!

Cunnington's year-by-year survey of fashionable English women's costume in the 19th century is replete with detail. The only flaw is the absence of color photographs, hampering the historian or recreationist who is attempting to ascertain the exact hue of "Solferino" or "Isabella". In addition, if you need a general reference for 19th century costume, or are interested in the attire of persons of the lower orders, you will have to look elsewhere.

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While this book was originally published in the 1930's, it has stood the test of time to become a definitive reference on the subject of 19th-century women's fashion, from the beginning of the Napoleonic/Regency era right into the early years of the Edwardian period. The text is exhaustive, delving into the smallest details (which can sometimes be the most important) of every feature of feminine costume from year to year, and features extensive sidebars on such things as underclothes and headgear. Since I run a website devoted to glove fashion and history, I particularly appreciated the attention given to gloves (which were so much a key indeed, mandatory accessory of women's clothing throughout the century that women would often even go to bed wearing gloves!). The hundreds of illustrations are a mix of first-class original work and authentic period illustrations. Since this is a reprint, there are no color illustrations (which are mentioned in the text), but this is a minor flaw. Anyone who has any interest at all in 19th-century women's clothing needs to make this book a basic part of their reference library.

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This book covers costume by detailing each decade of the nineteenth century. You'll see examples of dresses, hats, fichus, mantles (jackets), trimmings, and undergarments. If you need very specific detailing of undergarments or sewing techniques, this book is general in nature and doesn't always give examples of every part of a woman's attire for each decade. Some decades emphasize particular parts of a woman's dress. But, in each decade, you'll see examples of the silhouette and popular dress styles. You can also find the contemporary price of yardage or accessories like stockings or gloves.

In short, this is a handy reference, particularly when you have a quick question or if you want to see the difference in style from the 1840's versus the 1860's. It's great for me as a historical romance writer because I can quickly get a sense of the costume and layers of the garments. My only issue is that there is not enough detail about the intricacies of women's undergarments in the nineteenth century. There are illustrations of bustles and crinolines and corsets, but during the Victorian period, there were so many layers to women's underclothes that it can be confusing as a writer to remember all of the details.

So, I would say that this book is a terrific place to start historical research because it explains each type of garment rather than just shows pictures or illustrations as some historical costume books do. But, if you need to research a particular undergarment or accessory, you may wish to supplement this book with other resources to get the finer details.

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This is an excellent book to give an accurate picture of clothing worn in the 19th century for a variety of occasions. Also very useful is the information on fabrics used, hat styles, hairstyles, etc. Easy to find the information for different decades. This is an excellent book for individuals trying to create authentic reproduction Victorian fashions.

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