100 Best Costume Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best costume books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

Featuring recommendations from Bill Gates, Sheryl Sandberg, Tony Hsieh, and 11 other experts.
1
Originally published: London: MacMillan, 1985.

Pictures, descriptions and patterns of men and women's clothing from--1560-1620. While you can make the clothing, using the patterns given, be prepared for it to take a while.
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2

Alexander McQueen

Savage Beauty

Arguably the most influential, imaginative, and provocative designer of his generation, Alexander McQueen both challenged and expanded fashion conventions to express ideas about race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty examines the full breadth of the designer’s career, from the start of his fledgling label to the triumphs of his own world-renowned London house. It features his most iconic and radical designs, revealing how McQueen adapted and combined the fundamentals of Savile Row tailoring, the specialized techniques of haute couture, and... more

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3

Costume Close-Up

Clothing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790

Colonial Williamsburg owns one of the most outstanding collections of period costumes in the world, numbering almost 900 costumes and more than 2,400 accessories.There are 25 full-page patterns in inches and centimeters for women's and men's clothing and accessories accompanied by photographs. less

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4
This handbook is a guide to developing stage costumes that are personally distinctive and artistically expressive. Features include: health and safety practices in the costume shop; chapters on pattern drafting and sewing operations; and an expanded section on alterations. less

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5
This book will be of interest to anyone professionally or educationally involved in costume history as it includes many detailed drawings and studies of dresses and accessories based on research from private collections. less

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6
Bringing to life the renowned collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Lucy Johnston explores the major themes of nineteenth-century dress, revealing the richness of the period. The photographs are richly supplemented by detailed commentary and illustrations. less

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7
Dresses and their construction from 1660 to 1860.

Includes descriptions, line drawings and reproductions of historic magazines and books. The patterns for selected garments have been updated for the modern silhouette.
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8
Dresses and their construction from 1860 to 1940.

Includes line drawings, reproductions of historic magazines and books, descriptions of the fabrics used to make the chosen garments and, finally patterns to make the garments that have been updated to fit the modern silhouette.
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9

Historical Fashion in Detail

The 17th and 18th Centuries

This sumptuously illustrated book offers the first up-close view of the richness and variety of historical dress of the 17th and 18th centuries. Drawn from the Victoria and Albert Museum's world-famous collection, these garments display skills that are now lost, yet continue to inspire today's leading designers.

Much of the finery seen here is too fragile to be on permanent display, or its detail too intricate to be captured in conventional photography. Jacobean blackwork, neoclassical tambour work, exquisite stitching, and knife-sharp pleats are pictured in stunning photographs,...
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10
Clothes define people. A person's clothing, whether it's a sari, kimono, or business suit, is an essential key to his or her culture, class, personality, or even religion. The Kyoto Costume Institute recognizes the importance of understanding clothing sociologically, historically, and artistically. Founded in 1978, the KCI holds one of the world's most extensive clothing collections and has curated many exhibitions worldwide. With an emphasis on Western women's clothing, the KCI has amassed a wide range of historical garments, underwear, shoes, and fashion accessories dating from the 18th... more

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  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
12

Corsets and Crinolines

The first of Miss Waugh's important books on historic costume, "Corsets and Crinolines," set a new standard of accuracy and lively interest. Showing that the silhouette of women's dress has been in a state of continuous change, allied to economic and architectural evolution as well as changing ideas of sexual attractiveness, she itemizes three cycles in the last 400 years in which women's silhouette was blown up to the utmost limit, by artificial means, and then collapsed again to a long straight line. At these points and extremes were invariably considered absurdities and the corsets and... more

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13
You want to get into Cosplay but don’t know where to start? Allow me to guide you! In this beginner’s guide you’ll get the perfect introduction into this wonderful creative world. Learn what Cosplay is all about and make your first big steps into armor and prop creation. No previous knowledge required! less

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14
The Costumes of Burlesque: 1866-2018 is the first volume to inclusively document burlesque costume from its birth in the 1860's through the global burlesque movement in 2018. This lushly illustrated book presents the history and development of this American art form by documenting the origins, influencers, and genuine articles that created its aesthetic. Showcases of legendary performers, including Lydia Thompson, Gypsy Rose Lee, Sally Rand, Bettie Page, Kitten Natividad, and Dita Von Teese, demonstrate costume styles through the years.



This guide gives...
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15
Oversized Hardcover tells the story of how people have dressed themselves from the earliest recorded times to modern times. A definitive study featuring each epoch and region, clearly discussed so that the novice can enjoy this volume as well as the scholar. A must for any student of the arts or anyone interested in how fashion has evolved. less

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16
You can be a fashion designer and create the wardrobe of your dream with The Fashion Sketchpad.

Spend less time struggling to draw proportional figures and more time designing gorgeous looks:
The Fashion Sketchpad is the ultimate fashion sketchbook for the aspiring designers who love to sketch clothes but don't have the skills (or the patience!) to draw proportional figures. This fashion design book is more than just a sketchpad. It has many additional features, including:

• 420 figure templates in 20 fashion-forward poses to inspire and motivate...
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17
Introducing the first official Harry Potter knitting book—a deluxe guide to creating over 25 authentic Harry Potter knits based on the iconic films.

Channel the magic of the Harry Potter films from the screen to your needles with the ultimate knitter’s guide to the Wizarding World. Featuring over 25 magical knits pictured in gorgeous full-color photography, this book includes patterns for clothing, home projects, and keepsakes pulled straight from the movies—and even includes a few iconic costume pieces as seen on-screen. With yarn suggestions based on the true colors used in the...
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18

Couture Sewing Techniques

The world of haute couture is a place where only a privileged few can ever hope to reside, right? Wrong. Fashion historian Claire B. Shaeffer opened the door to this exclusive realm in her authoritative guide to the techniques that define couture sewing. And now, the industry bible, Couture Sewing Techniques , has been revised and updated throughout -- with new photos and a chapter on specialty fabrics.

No one can unravel couture garment construction the way Shaeffer can, from the art of hand sewing to mastering edge finishes,...
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19

Harry Potter

The Character Vault

A comprehensive, full-color compendium of the key characters in all eight of the Harry Potter films, filled with never-before-seen photographs and illustrations, covering the costumes, makeup, weaponry, and behind-the-scenes story that brought each personality memorably to life on the big screen.

Harry Potter: The Character Vault offers fans a deeper look at the creative development of the characters introduced in the books and brought to life in the theatrical series. Jody Revenson brings you closer to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the students and faculty at Hogwarts, the bureaucrats...
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20
From establishing the date for your outfit, defining the wearer, and selecting garments, to measurements, patterns, materials, methods of construction, braies, shirts and smocks, cotes, doublets, kirtles, hose, surcotes, cotehardies, gowns, overkirtles, cloaks, children's clothing, headwear, and on to accessories, this is the perfect resource all in one volume. There are more than 400 line drawings and 121 patterns. less

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Don't have time to read the top Costume books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21

Woven Into the Earth

One of the century's most spectacular archaeological finds occurred in 1921, a year before Howard Carter stumbled upon Tutankhamun's tomb, when Poul Norlund recovered dozens of garments from a graveyard in the Norse settlement of Herjolfsnaes, Greenland. Preserved intact for centuries by the permafrost, these mediaeval garments display remarkable similarities to western European costumes of the time. Previously, such costumes were known only from contemporary illustrations, and the Greenland finds provided the world with a close look at how ordinary Europeans dressed in the Middle Ages.... more

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22

Textiles and Clothing, c.1150-1450 (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London)

Among the most evocative items to be discovered by archaeologists are the scraps of silk and wool and other fabrics that signal so eloquently their owner's status and concerns. Such clothing and textile finds have figured prominently in excavations of medieval sites in London in the past two decades; they have included knitting, tapestries, silk hair-nets and elaborately patterned oriental, Islamic and Italian fabrics, which reveal for the first time the wide range of cloths available to medieval Londoners; there are beautifully made buttons, and buttonholes and edgings which display superb... more

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23
The Costume Supervisor's Toolkit explores the responsibilities of a Costume Supervisor within a theatrical, opera or dance production company. Rebecca Pride provides an insight into all manner of processes, beginning with a definition of the role, and offers explanations of the timeline from the first design meetings, leading all the way up to managing fittings and final rehearsals. This how-to guide outlines best working practices, including building a team and creating a Costume Bible, whilst also providing helpful resources such as sizing guides, a list of useful addresses, and... more

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24

The Art of Manipulating Fabric

The possibilities for three-dimensional manipulation of fabric - gathering, pleating, tucking, shirring, and quilting woven materials - are seemingly endless. To describe them all would be to describe the entire history of sewing.


In "The Art of manipulating Fabric," Colette Wolff has set herself just this task, and she succeeds brilliantly. Working from the simplest possible form - a flat piece of cloth and a threaded needle - she categorizes all major dimensional techniques, show how they are related, and give examples of variations both traditional and modern. The result is...

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25
The cut and construction of linen shirts, smocks, neckwear, headwear and accessories for men and women c. 1540 - 1660: Cut and Construction ... Neck and Headwear, Etc., C. 1540-1660 No. 4

No one interested in the history of dress, from art historians to stage designers, from museum curators to teachers of fashion and costume, can function effectively without Janet Arnold's "Patterns of Fashion" series, published by Macmillan since 1964.

Since her untimely death in 1998, admirers of her work have been waiting, with increasing impatience, for the promised volume devoted...
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26

Harry Potter

the Creature Vault

Dementors and House-elves, merpeople and Chinese Fireball Dragons—these are just a few of the magical creatures and frightening monsters populating J. K. Rowling's wizarding world. Harry Potter: The Creature Vault is a fascinating look at how this menagerie was brought to life for the blockbuster Harry Potter film series. Detailed profiles of each creature include rare concept illustrations, behind-the-scenes photography, and filmmaking secrets from the Warner Bros. archive. A removable poster picturing each of the creatures and an interactive Eeylops Owl Emporium catalog... more

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27

Harry Potter

the Artifact Vault

Throughout the making of the eight Harry Potter movies, designers and craftspeople were tasked with creating fabulous chocolate-fantasy feasts, flying brooms, enchanted maps, and much more, in addition to numerous magical items necessary in a wizard’s everyday life—for example, newspapers with moving photos, vicious textbooks, and Howlers. Harry Potter: The Artifact Vault chronicles the work of the graphics department in creating vibrant and imaginative labels for potions bottles, brooms, and candy; the creation of Quidditch Quaffles, Bludgers, and Golden Snitches, lovingly crafted... more

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28
After the Civil War the upper middle class in America expanded and became increasingly style-conscious. Visiting European royalty as well as American women returning from the International Exhibition in Paris in 1867 stimulated fashion awareness — and it was in this climate that the magazine Harper's Bazar flowered. Dedicated to being "A repository of Fashion, Pleasure, and Instruction," it brought to American women inside glimpses of the very latest European and American fashions, all in carefully detailed engravings. It was much the finest source for high fashion for this period. more

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30
With the popularity of Outlander, Penny Dreadful and Game of Thrones as well as the popularity of conventions like San Diego Comic Con, fans are eager to create period gowns that emulate the characters they love. Lauren Stowell and Abby Cox, owners of the popular online store American Duchess, have teamed together to recreate four complete dresses from the 18th century. Whether readers are experienced seamstresses or are new to hand sewing, they won't want to miss this comprehensive guide.

The projects include: The English Gown, The Sacque, The Italian Gown and...
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Don't have time to read the top Costume books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
32
Kathering Strand Holkeboer offers step-by-step instructions for making a huge variety of period costumes - gowns, tunics, head-dresses, jackets, robes, breeches - from the early Egyptians to the beginning of the 20th century. less

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33
Tracing the evolution of fashion — from the early draped fabrics of ancient times to the catwalk couture of today — Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style is a stunningly illustrated guide to more than three thousand years of shifting trends and innovative developments in the world of clothing.

Containing everything you need to know about changing fashion and style — from ancient Egyptian dress to Space Age Fashion and Grunge — and information on icons like Marie Antoinette, Clara Bow, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Alexander McQueen, Fashion catalogs the history of what...
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34

Charles James

Beyond Fashion

"His work went beyond fashion and was a fine art." —a Charles James patron

Charles James, often considered to be America’s first couturier, was renowned in the 1940s and 1950s as a master at sculpting fabric for the female form and creating fashions that defined mid-century glamour. Although James had no formal training as a dressmaker, he created strikingly original and complex designs, including intricate ball gowns worn by members of high society in New York and Europe. This lavishly illustrated book offers a comprehensive study of James’ life and work, highlighting his...
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35
A comprehensive and delightful look at Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, The Burrow, Azkaban prison and all of the memorable places, both loved and feared, that brought the Harry Potter movies to life—a keepsake treasury bound in a debossed leatherette case and featuring a removable poster and interactive booklet.

Grand in its design and package, Harry Potter: Magical Places from the Films: Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Beyond offers an unprecedented look at the creative process that transformed the magical locations of the wizarding world from the page to the big screen. Inside, readers will...
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36
PERIOD COSTUME FOR STAGE & SCREEN is a comprehensive guide to creating women's dress from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

As well as being historically accurate, Jean Hunnisett's patterns have been adapted so that they can be readily made up using today's fabrics and sewing methods, and to fit the modern female figure.

The book includes scaled patterns for each costume as well as step-by-step instructions and detailed working drawings.

Patterns are also included for all the correctly shaped corsets, crinolines, bustles and petticoats which...
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37

Chanel

The Vocabulary of Style

A luxurious book that showcases the spirit and essence of Chanel's iconic style through the medium of fashion photography

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (1883-1971) was undoubtedly the most influential fashion designer of the 20th century. Her clothes and accessories have remained perennially chic, and her legendary fashion house continues to exert a powerful sway over today's designers. Jérôme Gautier tells the story of Chanel's iconic style through hundreds of images, many taken by the leading lights of fashion photography, including Richard Avedon, Gilles Bensimon,...
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38

Costume and Fashion

A Concise History

From the momentous invention of the needle some 40,000 years ago to the development of blue denim; from Neolithic weavers to the biggest names in the fashion industry today—this classic guide covers the landmarks of costume history, the forms and materials used through the ages, as well as the underlying motives of fashion and the ways in which clothes have been used to protect, to express identity, and to attract or to influence others. The concluding chapter by Amy de la Haye, covering the second half of the twentieth century, has now been updated by Andrew Tucker. He discusses the... more

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39
Take your quilting to the next level! Best-selling author Angela Walters shares 70+ all-new free-motion designs and variations to fit a variety of shapes, plus background fillers and borders. Tackle your quilt top one bite at a time with step-by-step illustrations and detail photos, plus a visual index. Then see how they all go together with inspiring full-page quilts from the master herself. For use with your longarm, midarm, or home sewing machine. less

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40
The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting is the ultimate reference for fitting test garments and transferring accurate adjustments to patterns.

No matter what size or shape you are, wearing garments that fit perfectly makes you look and feel better. Rather than making commonly accepted changes to a commercial pattern, the method presented in this guide focuses on the way a test garment fits the body. The fabric is manipulated to improve the fit, and then those specific changes are made to the pattern. The result: patterns that fit perfectly!

With...
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Don't have time to read the top Costume books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
41
Italian and English texts, including: Eleonora di Toledo: Duchess of Tuscany in history and legend; Eleonora's style; Costume in the Medici ceremonies; The clothes that have survived; The individual garments; Tailors and embroiderers; Florentine textile production; The wardrobe of Eleonora di Toledo. less

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42

First Time Sewing

Step-by-Step Basics and Easy Projects

Learning how to sew has never been simpler! Enjoy this beginner's guide that takes you by the hand like a personal instructor and teaches you how to sew using hand stiches as well as sewing machines. Filled with detailed descriptions of materials and tools, the easy step-by-step instructions for all the basic sewing techniques will have you creating projects like aprons, pillows, and even pants and shorts in no time. Five simple projects will introduce sewing skills like hems, seams, balancing tension, and how to use a pattern; skills you will use often as you continue to learn.With First... more

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43
There was something very special and beautiful about women in the early- to mid-20th century. The way they dressed was elegant and the way they wore their hair was feminine. This book shows how to create so many of those hairstyles by taking hairstyles from the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s and breaking them down into simple, easy-to-follow instructions. It uses brand new photographs and detailed directions. Not only a manual, it is also fun to read. The Finished Styles chapter of the book contains coffee table book quality images of models with their finished hairstyles. Sprinkled in... more

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44
"Every detail matters, whether you are telling a story or creating a collection or starting a revolution. Fashioning Fashion takes you through fashion and time with the sumptuous variety of an extraordinary collection. I promise, it cannot fail to inspire you."
-From the preface by John Galliano

The creation of eighteenth and nineteenth century fashion moved at a much slower tempo than the lightning-speed pace of contemporary fashion, so great attention was paid to the smallest detail. Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915 celebrates...
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45

Spider-Man

Birth of Venom

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #252-259, #300 and #315-317, Web Of Spider-Man (1985) #1 and material from Secret Wars #8, Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #298-299, Fantastic Four #274, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #25.

The Beyonder's Battleworld might seem a strange place to get new threads, but it's Spider-Man who becomes unraveled when his shape-changing costume attempts to darken his life as well as his fashion sense! But ridding himself of his riotous raiment proves an even greater mistake when its alien enmity bonds with mortal madness to form our hero's most dedicated decimator!...
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46

The Corset

A Cultural History

The corset is probably the most controversial garment in the history of fashion. Although regarded as an essential element of fashionable dress from the Renaissance into the twentieth century, the corset was also frequently condemned as an instrument of torture and the cause of ill health. Why did women continue to don steel and whalebone corsets for four hundred years? And why did they finally stop? This lavishly illustrated book offers fascinating and often surprising answers to these questions. Valerie Steele, one of the world’s most respected fashion historians, explores the cultural... more

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47

Underwear

Fashion in Detail

Get intimately acquainted with the V&A’s world-renowned collection of undergarments in this eye-opening visual history. From camisoles to corsets, basques to boudoir caps, Underwear: Fashion in Detail traces the peculiar evolution of underwear. Revealing photographs highlight close-up details in the garments, while intricate line drawings show their masterly construc­tion. A wide range of designs is represented, from rare 16th-century examples to Dior’s curvaceous New Look, to Calvin Klein’s notorious briefs. less

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48
The authoritative guide to cosplay written by a legend in the community, and packed with step-by-step advice and fascinating investigations into every aspect of the art.
 
Cosplay—a portmanteau combining "costume" and "play"—has become one of the hottest trends in fandom . . . and Yaya Han is its shining superstar. In this guide to cosplaying, Han narrates her 20-year journey from newbie fan to entrepreneur with a household name in geekdom, revealing her self-taught methods for embodying a character and her experiences in the community. Each chapter is information-packed...
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49

The Tudor Child

Clothing and Culture 1485 to 1625

210 color illustrations, 126 detailed illustrations, 53 patterns. The book is illustrated with sumptuous reproductions of paintings from museum collections, specially commissioned photographs of reconstructed, and detailed drawings and diagrams showing styles appropriate to different ranks and eras from 1485 to 1625. less

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50
This title features the patterns, techniques and history of over 20 historically correct corsets, ranging from the 1750s to 1950, from boned corsets, ribbon corsets and basques to the more recent 1949 satin corsets. less

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Don't have time to read the top Costume books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
51
This innovative and breathtakingly detailed book from the V&A presents dress patterns, construction details, embroidery, and making instructions (including a knitting pattern and lacemaking) for 15 garments and accessories from a 17th-century British woman's wardrobe. Step-by-step drawings of the construction sequence and scale patterns for each garment enable readers to accurately reconstruct them. There are scale diagrams for making linen and metal thread laces, silk braids, and embroidery designs. Multiple photographs, close-up construction details, and X-ray photography reveal the... more

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52

Curious George Goes to a Costume Party

George and the man with the yellow hat arrive at a Halloween party—but they aren’t wearing costumes. No matter—there are plenty in an old trunk upstairs, and soon George is trying on all kinds of outfits. But when he wants to look in the mirror, George finds he has to jump on the bed. Downstairs, the partygoers begin to hear noises. Then the lights go out and they hear a crash! Uh-oh. Did someone say the word ghost? less

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53
The definitive guide to designing and knitting in the Irish Aran tradition, this highly sought after book returns to print after a decade's absence in a revised and expanded version. The author of many knitting classics, Alice Starmore is internationally renowned as a knitwear designer and an expert on knitting technique. In this guide, she presents a fascinating history of Aran knitting and an analysis of the traditional style, in addition to a complete workshop in technique, pattern, and design.
"Highly recommended" by Library Journal, this volume offers step-by-step...
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54
In the course of her career as an internationally recognized authority on knitting design and instruction, Alice Starmore has acquired a remarkable collection of charted designs for color knitting. This treasury features a choice selection of her source material, arranged into four parts: (1) Traditional patterns from Europe, Russia, and South America (2) Adaptations from textiles and other art, including Japanese porcelain and Celtic metalwork (3) Alice Starmore's own geometric and nature-inspired originals (4) Practical instructions that explain how to incorporate these motifs into unique... more

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55

Seventeenth-Century Women's Dress Patterns

Book 2

Book Two in the V&A’s groundbreaking new series presents 17 patterns for garments and accessories from a 17th-century woman’s wardrobe. It includes patterns for a loose gown, a jacket, a pair of stays and a boned bodice, ivory and wooden busks, shoes, a hat, a stomacher, linen bands and supporters, a bag, and a knife case. It also features a description of the stay-making process. Full step-by-step drawings of the construction sequence are given for each garment to enable the reader to accurately reconstruct them. There are scale patterns and diagrams for making linen and metal thread... more

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56
From disposable bauble to collectible art form!

Stylish and beautiful, vintage costume jewelry ignites the passions of collectors and fashionistas alike. Originally created as an inexpensive accessory to be worn and then discarded, costume jewelry is now considered an art form worth many times its original purchase price!

Warman's Costume Jewelry sparkles with wearable art creating during the past 100 years, spanning the Victorian era through the early part of the 21st century. Dazzling jewelry images, histories, profiles, and current market values are presented...
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57
Each period in the history of costume has produced its own characteristic line and silhouette, derived from a cut and construction which varies considerably from age to age. Here are patterns taken from actual dresses, many of them rare museum specimens, illustrated by sketches of the dresses. There are notes on the production of women's dress, with references to early technical books and journals, together with diagrams from some of them. Numerous illustrations show the dresses as worn complete with their hairstyles, jewelry, decorations and accessories. less

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58

Patternmaking for Fashion Design

Same Content as US Edition in Different Softcover Design less

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59
The perfect resource for fashion students and designers

"The perfect handbook for fashion students everywhere, Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book 2e, presents over 120 swatches of fabrics so that one can not only appreciate their aesthetic appeal, but also familiarise themselves with each one's structure, feel and weight. The book also details information on fibers, basic construction of fabrics, weights, construction, and weave comparison, so you'll be a textile expert in no time!" HungerTV

This easily navigable resource provides 125 swatches of...
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60
The full visual panoply of Star Wars regalia is on display - everything from military gear to royal robes to Jedi and Sith costumes are shown from pre-production sketches to artist's renderings to the final filmed version. Actors, including Natalie Portman and Samuel L. Jackson, provide commentary on their experiences during filming, while stunning photographs present the costumes in intimate detail. less

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Don't have time to read the top Costume books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
61

Paintings of upper-class men and women tell an important part of the history of costumes, but surviving garments themselves reveal even more. Every crease, stitch, and stain in a piece of clothing supplies information about its wearer and its era. This stunning book features 18th- and early-19th-century garments from the premier collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Illustrated with more than 300 color photographs, including many details and back views, the book treats not only elegant, high-style clothing in colonial America but also garments for everyday and work, the...

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62
Have you been trying to think of a way to conquer your local comic convention through cosplay? Do you gaze with envious eyes upon the fan-made suits of armored awesomeness strolling around every year on Halloween? Do you have a spot on your wall, bookshelf, or desk that desperately needs to be filled with a screen-accurate replica of your favorite science-fiction or fantasy weapon? If so, look no further. We've got just the book for you!

In this book, master prop maker Shawn Thorsson uses his unique blend of humor and insight to turn years of painful experience into detailed...
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63

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac

"One of America's most ingenious and creative knitters." — Barbara G. Walker, author of Treasury of Knitting Patterns.
Elizabeth Zimmerman once wrote, "So please bear with me, and put up with my opinionated, nay, sometimes cantankerous attitude. I feel strongly about knitting." Perhaps her passionate opinions, as well as her love of wool craft and her delightful style, hark back to her English upbringing or long residence in the Wisconsin woods; in any case, the "Busy Knitter," as she calls herself, is one of the most charming and informative, as well as "un"ventive (her word)...
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64
Written by expert shibori teacher Jane Callender, this beautiful, practical book is packed with both traditional and inventive stitch-resist techniques, a complete dyeing guide and an inspirational gallery of Jane's work.

This book contains all the information a beginner will need to get started - including tips on dyeing in small spaces and a guide to all the health and safety considerations - but is also packed with innovative techniques and inspiring designs that will appeal to the experienced textile artist too.

The book is broken into three sections. The first shows...
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65
Think of a corset as a blank canvas.

Linda Sparks' The Basics of Corset Building: A Handbook for Beginners is a comprehensive guide to building your first corset, including:

Section One: Tools and Materials for Corset Building
Discusses the tools you'll need, plus types of steel, plastic, and textiles.

Section Two: Building a Corset
Everything you need to know about working with bones and busks, setting grommets and eyelets, and creating a beautifully finished corset.

Section Three: Construction Techniques
Covers all the steps,...
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66

Hollywood and History

Costume Design in Film

67
Foamsmith: How to Create Foam Armor Costumes helps you create stunning, comfortable pieces of costume armor as painlessly and cheaply as possible. Learn everything you need to fabricate, paint, and wear your stunning foam armor creations. You'll be introduced to basic tools to work with EVA foam floormats. Then, you'll learn how to make armor templates and combine the foam pieces together. Go over painting techniques and how to add straps to your armor. Also, learn how to add lights to your amazing costume! less

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68
Celebrate the imagination, passion, and attention to detail invested in each Disney costume within this gorgeous coffee table book! The elegant and adventurous array of dresses, uniforms, and other attire is a feast for the eyes and a fascinating examination of pure craft and of the brilliant, creative minds behind it. The collection begins with a summation of the costumes created for Disney animation, early live action, and television, along with show wardrobes sported at the Disney Parks by Audio-Animatronics figures and Cast Members. The next section details a timeless case study:... more

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69
Written by an industry venteran with 40 years of experience, this book is the new edition of Costume Design less

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70
This book traces the evolution of the style of men's dress through a sequence of diagrams accurately scaled down from patterns of actual garments, many of them rare museum specimens. The plates have been selected with the same purpose. Some are photographs of suits for which diagrams have also been given; others, reproduced from paintings and old prints, show the costume complete with its accessories. Quotations from contemporary sources--from diaries, travelers' accounts and tailors' bills--supplement Norah Waugh's text with comments on fashion and lively eyewitness descriptions. less

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71

Period Costume for Stage & Screen

This reference for costume designers contains 38 scaleable patterns and instructions for constructing selected types of historical outdoor garments for women. Coverage includes taking measurements, types of fabrics, sewing techniques, fitting, and harnessing the garment to the actor. The text is acc less

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72
It's the trip of a lifetime--a textile-based tour of colorful Rajasthan, India featuring more than 200 lush photographs depicting everday life in one of the most vibrant rregions in the world.

Patterns of India is a visual experience that offers intimate insights into the diverse and richly hued Western Indian culture. Color is the thread that binds the vast country together, defining every aspect of life from religion and politics to food and dress. Organized by the five dominant colors royal blue, sandstone, marigold, ivory, and rose, this book explores how deeply...
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74

All textiles begin with a twist. From colourful 30,000-year old threads found on the floor of a Georgian cave to what the linen wrappings of Tutankhamun's mummy actually meant; from the Silk Roads to the woollen sails that helped the Vikings reach America 700 years before Columbus; from the lace ruffs that infuriated the puritans to the Indian calicoes and chintzes that powered the Industrial Revolution, our continuing reinvention of cloth tells fascinating stories of human ingenuity.

When we talk of lives hanging by a thread, being interwoven, or part of the social fabric, we are...

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75

FRUiTS

This is a collection of 45 Tokyo street fashion portraits from Japan's premier fanzine. Fruits was established in 1994, by photographer Shoich Aoki, initially as a project to document the growing explosion in street fashion within the suburbs of Tokyo. The magazine has since grown to cult status and is now avidly followed by thousands of Japanese teenagers who also use the magazine as an opportunity to check out the latest styles and trends. The average age of the kids featured in the magazine is between 12 and 18 years and the clothes they wear are a mixture of high fashion - Vivienne... more

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76
Learn all about fashion's trailblazers and trendsetters in this boldly illustrated, definitive guide that charts style from the late 19th century to the modern day.

From the extravagance of Ancient Egypt, through the legendary houses of Chanel and Dior, to today's catwalk sensations, this gorgeous, carefully curated collection shows how fashion reflects people and places, and captures the times in which they lived.

Packed with a dazzling combination of original fashion plates, archive images, and commissioned photography, Fashion takes you on a fabulous...
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78

Dangerous Liaisons

Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century

During the reigns of Louis XV (1723-74) and Louis XVI (1774-92), fashion and furniture were not simply meant to be beautiful but were also intended to arouse, attract, and seduce.  Published in response to the critically acclaimed and hugely popular exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum in the fall of 2004, Dangerous Liaisons focuses on fashion and its interplay with the paintings, furniture, and decorative arts of eighteenth-century France. Featuring beautiful color photographs of the exhibition’s installation, details of the garments, and supplementary historical material, the... more

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80
The vast wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth I is legendary: in her own time some of the richly embroidered gowns were displayed with other treasures to dazzle the eyes of foreign visitors to the Tower of London. The quantity of clothes recorded in the inventories taken in 1600 would seem to suggest sheer vanity, but a survey of work carried out in the Wardrobe of Robes throughout the reign reveals a different picture. It is one of careful organisation and economy. This copiously annotated work is illustrated with photographs of portraits, miniatures, tomb sculptures, engravings, woven textiles and... more

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81

Fresh Fruits

Presented in an identical format to Phaidon's previous Fruits, published in 2001, Fruits Too is a collection of Tokyo teenage street fashion portraits selected from Japan's premier street fanzine of the same title. Published every month by Shoichi Aoki, who is also the sole photographer for the magazine, Fruits was established in 1994 as a project to document the growing explosion in street fashion within the suburbs of Tokyo. Over the last decade the magazine has grown to cult status and is now avidly followed by thousands of Japanese teenagers who also use the magazine as an opportunity to... more

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82
If you focus on pattern, from texture and color to furniture and textiles, everything else will fall into place.
 
Pattern is the strongest element in any room. In Living with Pattern, Rebecca Atwood demystifies how to use that element, a design concept that often confounds and confuses, demonstrating how to seamlessly mix and layer prints throughout a house. She covers pattern usage you probably already have, such as on your duvet cover or in the living room rug, and she also reveals the unexpected places you might not have thought to add it: bathroom tiles, an...
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83
Sometimes less is more—and quality is more important than quantity. That's true in textile art too, and this much-needed guide brings a meaningful, thoughtful, and sustainable approach to stitchery. See how to slow down and experience more joy in your craft by trying simple techniques based on traditional practice, reusing and reinventing materials, and limiting equipment. Richly illustrated throughout, this inspirational book will connect with those who seek a new way of working—whether it's starting a stitch journal or joining a community of like-minded artists. less

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84
These deal with every aspect of the tailoring and clothing trade. Extremely well illustrated with photographs and many helpful diagrams and detailed instructions for the design and construction of various garments. The contents of Volume 1 include: Tailoring as a Vocation - Gentlemen's Garment Cutting - Trouser Cutting - Vest Cutting - Measures and Measuring - Coat Cutting - Over Garments - Cutting for Corpulent Figures - Trying On - Manipulation - Anatomy for Tailors - Measuring for Ladies Garments - Skirt Cutting - Coat Cutting - Breeches Cutting - Colour and Clothes - Juvenile Garments -... more

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85
For the wealthy, the 18th century was a period of decadent splendour, and their clothing was no exception - sumptuous fabrics were embellished with lavish, ornate embroidery. In this book, Gail Marsh looks at some of the techniques and tools that embroiderers of the day used to create their stunning items of clothing. less

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86
The Queen’s Servants paints a vivid picture of the styles of dress worn at Henry VII’s and Henry VIII’s courts, using evidence from royal warrants and account books in The National Archive. Purchases by the Great Wardrobe for the ladies of gentle birth who attended the queens and their children are clues to the appropriate appearance of a woman in close contact with the royal family.

Based on Caroline Johnson’s transcriptions and translations of more than 200 hand-written pages of the original Latin and English documents dating from 1485 to 1520, the book reveals a wealth of...
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87
This book will show you how to extract dye from wild plants, garden herbs, kitchen waste, as well as fruit and vegetables that you can buy from the supermarket. Dye your own fabric, yarn and clothing whilst using soya milk to bind the colours. There is colour potential all around us just waiting to be unlocked!

I share my methods with you, step-by-step. The pages are bursting with photos of the dyeing process as well as photos of fabric and yarn samples from lots of different plants.

Perhaps you already dye with plants using conventional mordants such as alum and would...
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88
Beginning and experienced collectors and even dealers sometimes have difficulty distinguishing a valuable piece of costume jewelry from less valuable jewelry. Two brooches, both signed by the same designer, can have vastly different values. This book provides beginning collectors with friendly one-on-one advice on how to begin a collection and how to recognize good quality costume jewelry. Background information for almost 130 different manufacturers, including the author's recommendations on which pieces from each designer are the most collectible, are provided. Over 200 new photos have been... more

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89

The History of Underclothes

". . . thoroughness and most impressive scholarship . . . much entertaining detail and . . . pleasant humour." — The Times Literary Supplement (London)
Underwear — practical garments with a utilitarian function or body coverings that serve an erotic purpose? As this fascinating and intelligently written study shows, the role played by underclothing over the last several centuries has been a varied one.
In a well-documented, profusely illustrated volume combining impressive scholarship with an entertaining, often humorous style, two distinguished clothing historians consider...
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90
Milady Standard Nail Technology, 7th Edition is packed with new and updated information on several important topics including infection control, manicuring, pedicuring, chemistry, UV gels, and the salon business. Brand new procedural photography enhances step-by-step instructions. Also included, is a new "Why Study?" section at the beginning of each chapter, outlining the importance of understanding the concepts presented. Chapter objectives have also been revised to provide measureable, outcomes-based goals that can later be assessed using the end-of-chapter review questions. This latest... more

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Don't have time to read the top Costume books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
91
The nineteenth century was a period of continuous change for women's clothing in England. The growing prosperity of the merchant class meant an ever-larger number of women for whom "dress" was a principal function in life, while the increasing availability of lower-priced ready-made garments enabled women of moderate means to purchase the fashions of the day. In addition, the development of the railways spurred the spread of new goods, while the removal of the tax on papers in 1854 produced an abundance of fashion magazines at cheap prices, bringing news of the latest styles to the... more

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93
Foam Patterning and Construction Techniques: Turning 2D Designs into 3D Shapes explains how to create your theatrical prop, puppet, or costume design using the unique and tricky medium of foam. Step-by-step instructions, photographs, and explanations illustrate how to translate your design from paper to reality by creating custom "skin" patterns, followed by creation of a foam mockup. The book details how to bring your project to life with varied finishing techniques, including using fur and fabric coverings and dying and painting foam. Numerous supplies, tools, and safety procedures... more

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95
Packed with professional techniques and tips, The Dressmaker’s Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques takes the mystery out of the sewing and fi nishing techniques that many dressmakers assume are either extremely diffi cult or are only for professional fashion designers.

Fashion designer and expert sewist Lynda Maynard tackles each professional technique with clear instructions in simple step-by-step stages. Once these skills are understood, sewists will embrace their dressmaking projects with more confidence and the ability to create chic, refined looks. The Dressmaker’s...
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96

Couture Sewing

Tailoring Techniques

If you want your notched collars to lie smoothly, like Ellen Tracy's, or your buttonholes finished to custom-tailored perfection, or your interfaced hems to have the impeccable look of Chanel, this is the book to have.

 

Tailoring presents sewing methods used in the European ateliers of Paris, Rome, and London. Via the DVD, Shaeffer will instruct readers in essential techniques such as making a bound buttonhole, converting darts to ease, creating a patch pocket, interfacing a hem,  hand-stitching a fly zipper, and fitting sleeves. Where there is a trick or...
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97

Chanel

Self-inventor extraordinaire, Gabrielle Coco Chanel revolutionized the lifestyle of her time by inventing a modern concept of luxury. She set her stamp on the 20th century, promoting a new feminine silhouette both sophisticated and discreet. This modern attitude of understated luxe thrives today thanks to the creative talents of Karl Lagerfeld, artistic director since 1983, who has reinvigorated the house by reinventing its famous signatures season after season.
Assouline s completely updated trilogy unfolds the spirit and heritage of the house of Chanel, from Coco s revolutionary...
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98

The Costume History

Togas, turbans, tailcoats, and top hats: The evolution of style from antiquity to 1888 Originally published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet's Le Costume historique was the most wide-ranging and incisive study of clothing ever attempted. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through to the end of the 19th century, the six volume work remains completely unique in its scope and detail. TASCHEN's complete reprint presents Racinet' s
exquisitely precise and colored illustrations, as well as his delightful descriptions and often witty...
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100
Few publications illustrate so comprehensively what American men, women, and children wore in the 1940s than the Sears catalogs of those years, when the company's fashions typified the tastes of the American mainstream. This book is a compilation of 122 fully illustrated and captioned pages selected and reproduced from rare copies of Sears catalogs of the World War II era.
Over 120 large-format pages have been carefully reprinted on high-quality glossy stock. They reveal in sharp detail the broad range of clothing fashions available during a period when wartime gasoline rationing made...
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Don't have time to read the top Costume books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

  • Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
  • Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
  • Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.