Period Styles and Accessories
In this comprehensive book, the fascinating and often surprising story of costume and fashion in Europe is traced from the Middle Ages to the 19th century through the beautiful colour lithographs and in-depth research of the great French authority, Albert Racinet.
From the formal apparel of the Middle Ages to the fanciful women's fashions of 19th century France, it presents and describes the wide variety of costumes worn by all sections of society, male and female, rich and poor, civilian, religious and military. Additionally, the book traces original and revival styles, for example ancient Greek and Roman dress and their reappearance in the Neo-classical fashions of the 19th century.
A unique feature is the detailed coverage of accessories, such as head dresses, shawls, shoes and jewellery, with examples from antiquity to the 19th century. These illustrations, like those of the full costumes, are accompanied by a helpful, updated text. For those interested in the re-creation of period costume, a patterns section presents illustrated guidelines on the cut of some of the most important costume styles covered in the book.
This book is an invaluable source for costume designers, students of fashion and anyone interested in the history and development of European dress.
