Costume Books

A History of Jewelry - $35.00
Joan EvansSuperb sourcebook of extremely rare ornamentation. It provides a fascinating history of jewelry styles over a 700-year period. A detailed narrative enhances 400 photographs and illustrations of striking pieces: gilt bronze clasp (c. 1200); 13th-century reliquary pendant; diamond and topaz necklace (c.1760), much more. 448pp. Pb.

A Short History of Costume and Armour - $22.00
Francis M Kelly & Randolph Schwabe. More than 300 illustrations grace the highly readable pages of this magnificent fashion history, a stylistic panorama that ranges from the Norman conquest to the early nineteenth century, focusing chiefly on armor, from the Crusades to the seventeenth century; clothing of the English upper classes, both sexes, eleventh to nineteenth centuries; and accessories, including gloves, belts, corsets, shoes, and headgear. Virtually every page is illustrated with permission-free images gathered from museums and private collections, derived from illuminated manuscripts, tapestries, paintings, and other rare sources. Elaborate line drawings offer multiple perspectives on individual garments, with captions highlighting the more arcane aspects. Unabridged reprint of the classic 1931 edition. 342 black-and-white illustrations. 272pp. Pb.

Ancient European Costume and Fashion - $25.00
Herbert Norris. Scrupulously researched book by noted authority traces the development of European clothing styles from prehistory to the Norman Conquest in AD 1066. Over 160 illustrations, including 17 full-color plates, display draped robes of classical Greece, the jewel-encrusted apparel of a 10th-century Byzantine emperor, garments of peasants, as well as footwear, hairstyles, headdresses, and jewelry. Accompanying text chronologically traces origin and development of a garment and its relation to forerunners and successors. Immensely valuable reference for students, historians, artists and anyone intersted in costume history. 336pp. Pb.

British Costume from Earliest Times to 1820 - $28.00
Mrs Charles H Ashdowne. Hard-to-find classic drew on primary sources--actual costumes, illuminated manuscripts, effigies, etc.--to provide authentic detailed coverage of what people wore in Britain from the early Saxon period (ca. 460 a.d.) to the reign of King George III (1820). Clothing of commoners, royalty and ecclesiastics. 500pp. Pb.

Celtic Body Art Tattoos - $3.00
Anna Pomaska. Celtic designs are shown off in 12 easy-to-apply temporary tattoos in popular blue-black ink. Beautiful designs include mythical creatures, human figures in spirals and weaves, abstracts, and more. Children and adults alike will enjoy decorating arms and legs!

Celtic Fashions - $8.00
Tom Tierney. Scores of carefully rendered illustrations depict more than 4,000 years of Celtic apparel--from cloaks worn by European Celts ca. 2000 b.c. to the plaid tunics of British-Celtic farm women (100 b.c.) and the elaborately embroidered costume of a 20th-century Irish step dancer. Fascinating, ready-to-color archive with detailed captions also includes illustrations of period headgear, footwear, and jewelry. 48pp. Pb.

Celtic Knots for Beaded Jewellery - $29.00
Susan Millodot. Learn how to make beautiful, necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches and earrings using real, three-dimensional Celtic knots combined with beads and pendants. Eighteen stunning projects using clear step-by-step photographs show how to create original, stylish designs. 80pp. Pb.

Chinese Knots for Beaded Jewellery - $29.00
Susan Millodot. Learn how to make beautiful, original necklaces and bracelets using decorative Chinese knots, beads, pendants and semi-precious stones. Sixteen stunning projects using clear step-by-step photographs show how to create original, stylish designs. 80pp. Pb.

Ornamental Knots for Beaded Jewellery - $29.00
Susan Millodot. Packed with diagrams, step-by-step photographs, and a wealth of ideas for necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, this portfolio of inspirational projects shows how even the simplest beading can result in a stunning, unique design when embellished by the proper knot. Showcasing a love for tradition while utilizing innovative skills that are easily mastered, the projects require no specialist equipment at any degree of complexity. 80pp. Pb.

Clothes of the Common Woman: 1480-1580 Part 2: Making the Garments - $24.00
R Morris. This booklet is a reconstruction of the patterns for clothes worn by the ordinary woman during this period. The patterns include smock, petticoat/kirtle, waistcoat, loose gown/frock. There is also a discussion on sleeves, stockings, headwear, neckwear, and aprons. 30pp. Pb.

The Corset and the Crinoline - $19.00
W B Lord. An illustrated history. This profusely illustrated fashion history surveys the fascinating range of undergarments that whittled the female waist to its most slender proportions. Discover how the use of wood, whalebone, steel, hoops, and tight laces had gripping influences on shaping the figures of women from ancient Greece to 19th-century Vienna. 240pp. Pb.

Corsets: Historical Patterns and Techniques - $38.00
Jill Salen. Progressing through almost two centuries of corset-making, this fascinating collection showcases an astonishing range of period pieces, from the 1750 whale-boned corsets, through the invention of the sewing machine and mass-produced corsets of the 1850s to the makeshift corsets of World War I. Reflecting the changing fashions and attitudes of women throughout the centuries, the collection includes corsets for pregnancy, riding corsets for sportswomen and hard-wearing corsets for housemaids. There are even corsets for small children and their dolls. The book is packed with practical information on how to recreate these stunning period pieces for yourself. Each corset features an annotated pattern, a detailed drawing and close-up photography. A brief overview places the corset within its historical context and explains any features or alterations necessary for making up the patterns. For those new to dressmaking there are two step-by-step projects - one for a hand-stitched, pre-1850 corset and one for a post-1850 corset made using the sewing machine. There is also invaluable advice on a range of corset-making techniques, from cutting and fitting the patterns to adding historical detail. Information on lacing the corsets, inserting eyelets, gussets and split busks and on stitching and flossing is all included. 128pp. Pb.

Costume and Ornament of the Middle Ages - $20.00
Henry Shaw. Finely detailed designs -- ideal for visual inspiration or immediate practical use -- depict an array of medieval figures and decorative accessories. From knights in battle, ladies playing the harp and organ, to Richard II in royal robes, this splendid archive documents clothing styles of kings, queens and their courts, armor and weapons, and decorative accessories used during the medieval period. Compiled from Dresses and Decorations of the Middle Ages by Henry Shaw, published by William Pickering, London, 1843. 80pp. Pb.

Dress Accessories c.1150-c.1450 (2nd Edition): Medieval Finds From Excavations in London - $65.00
Geoff Egan and Frances Pritchard. Catalogues, discusses, and illustrates over 1,780 medieval dress accessories recovered from excavations in London. Girdles, buckles, brooches, buttons, hair accessories, pins, beads, chains, pendants, rings, purses, cosmetic sets, and needlecases were among the wealth of well-preserved finds recovered from these excavations in the City of London, which provide an accurate framework within which to date the recovered items. This book presents the opportunity for statistical analysis of dress accessories based on the sheer abundance of detailed information. Catalog entries for all 1,784 finds. A treasure-trove of detailed historical information, it offers sociological insight into the clothing choices of the "ordinary man/woman" during the three hundred years from 1150 through 1450 AD. Fully illustrated: twelve colored plates, numerous black-and-white photos, hundreds of detailed line drawings. Notes, charts, extensive bibliography. 438 pp, Pb.

English Costume from the Early Middle Ages - $27.00
Iris Brooke. Comprehensive, profusely illustrated reference documents clothing styles of all classes - from loose-cut garments of 10th Century Anglo-Saxons to the splendid ermine-trimmed coronation outfit of Anne Boleyn in the 16th century, with special attention paid in all periods to such crucial details as footwear, cuffs, collars and hats. Includes important information about dress-making construction as well as notes on social customs of the period. 24 color plates. 296pp. Pb.

European Civil and Military Clothing - $33.00
Sir Frederick Stibbert. Peerless archive of historical fashions features 217 handsome plates depicting nearly 1,000 individual figures and accessories. Detailed illustrations, meticulously adapted from ancient documents, manuscripts, frescoes, paintings and other sources reveal a remarkable panorama of priestesses and warriors of ancient Britain; nobles and burghers of 16th-century Germany; elaborately coiffed ladies from the court of Versailles; knights in full regalia from many eras and countries, and much more. Informative captions included. 224pp. Pb.

The Evolution of Fashion: Pattern & Cut from 1066 to 1930 - $78.00
Margot Hamilton Hill & Peter A Bucknell. This book is an essential work for everyone concerned with design and costume for the stage, the screen and television. It traces the development of costume and cutting over a period of almost ten centuries. Each of the 56 periods has a full-page drawing of male and female dress in period setting, as well as a dressmakers pattern, (drawn to scale and supported by technical notes on making up), and comments on the general characteristics of the costume of each period and important observation on appropriate deportment for both men and women. Notes on the undergarments that played such an important part in determining the line of the costume, as well as on headdress and hairstyle, outer garments, shoes and accessories, will help complete the effect of period style. 224pp. Pb.

Hats: A History of Fashion in Headwear - $30.00
Hilda Amphlett. This comprehensive, profusely illustrated book - with over 800 illustrations -- documents chronologically, by century, more than 2,000 years of head coverings -- a subject that encompasses many eras and nationalities. Used as protection against the weather (or against an enemy's weapons), as a badge of office, or as something to enhance the wearer's self-esteem, headgear not only includes hats of all shapes and sizes but also comprises crowns, wigs, tiaras, and helmets. The author's own drawings, deriving from period paintings, sculptures, and illustrations, accurately depict varied forms of headdresses, among them, conical shaped leather caps worn by the Danish in 70 b.c.; metal Viking helmets with horns; Flemish berets (1410) enhanced with a large feather; petite straw hats adorned with a rosette and narrow ribbons (1870); handsome English top hats (1957); as well as ecclesiastical headdresses, traditional and national styles, and non-European hats and head-adornment. An invaluable reference for designers, art students, and costume historians, this entertaining and literate survey will delight anyone with a special interest in headgear. Unabridged republication of the edition published by Richard Sadler Ltd., Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, Great Britain, 1974. Over 800 black-and-white illustrations. Pb.

Henna Tattoos - $3.00
Anna Pomaska. Thirteen charming motifs: paisley prints, flora garlands, dainty blossoms, and more — all printed in a distinctive reddish-brown ink for that authentic "tattooed" look.

Historic Costumes and How to Make Them - $16.00
Mary Fernald & Eileen Shenton. This practical and informative guidebook is a "must-have" for anyone planning to create accurate period costumes for theatrical productions and historical reenactments. From short tunics worn by Saxon men in the fifth century to a lady's bustle dress of the late 1800s, this profusely illustrated text contains a wealth of authentic patterns and information. 176pp. Pb.

The History of Underclothes - $22.00
C Willett and P Cunnington. Fascinating survey of various undergarments worn by the English over six centuries. Well-documented, scholarly presentation enhanced with over 100 period illustrations depicting laced-up bodice of the 12th century, embroidered linen drawers (1500s), hooped petticoat support in bentwood (c. 1750), footed long drawers (1795), 19th-century bustles, early 19th-century corsets for men, Victorian "bust improvers," much more. The text includes information on materials, construction, and fastening. Text and photos come from poetry, literature and diaries as well as fashion journals, paintings and the actual garments themselves. Written in a delightful and entertaining style. 100 black & white photos and illustrations. 266pp. Pb.

Make Your Own Medieval Clothing - Basic Garments for Men - $33.00
Wolf Zerkowski & Rolf Fuhrmann. To be dressed historically correct as a medieval re-enactor – it could not be simpler. The range of garments that those interested in the Middle Ages can now make themselves stretches from the High to Late Middle Ages (1200 to 1500), and from a common beggar to lower gentry. Panels with lifelike, coloured illustrations revive the different medieval classes through their clothing and accessories. Clear, easily understandable pictures lead you through all the processes. Starting with the sewing techniques used in the Middle Ages even the layman learns how to neaten fabric edges, attach sleeves and make cords with metal points. 64pp. Pb.

Make Your Own Medieval Clothing - Basic Garments for Women - $33.00
Wolf Zerkowski & Rolf Fuhrmann. To be dressed historically correct as a medieval re-enactor – it could not be simpler: the range of garments that those interested in the Middle Ages can now make themselves stretches from the High to late Middle Ages (1200 to 1500), and from a simple maid to lower gentry. Panels with lifelike, coloured illustrations revive the different medieval classes through their clothing and accessories. Clear, easily understandable pictures lead you through all the processes. Starting with the sewing techniques used in the Middle Ages even the layman learns how to neaten fabric edges, attach sleeves and make cloth buttons. 64pp. Pb.

Make Your Own Medieval Clothing - Headwear for Men and Women - $33.00
Susanne and Frank Leuner. Veil, circlet, coife, bonnet, cap or hood? To give an authentic portrayal of a medieval character, the appropriate period headdress is needed. This carefully researched and richly illustrated book offers a wide variety of head coverings through the middle ages. All are presented with exemplary historical sources which form the foundation for their interpretations and also give advice on how to wear the headdresses. The book includes an introduction to the necessary working techniques. Throughout the book are clear and easily comprehensible instructions and pictures. A section on materials ensures that the right fabric and colours are chosen. 64pp. Pb.

Medieval Costume and Fashion - $35.00
Herbert Norris. A superb panoramic study of clothing worn in the Middle Ages. A meticulously researched text is enhanced with nearly 700 illustrations depicting all manner of apparel — from fur-trimmed cloaks and brocaded robes of courtiers and the nobility to simpler mantles, tunics and trousers worn by merchants, huntsmen, and other commoners. 528pp. Pb.

Medieval Costume and How To Recreate It - $19.00
Dorethy Hartley. This unique reference classifies the clothes and accessories of the twelfth through fifteenth centuries along social lines. Garments of every type, from the wardrobes of peasants and nobility, appear in over 200 period illustrations and patterns. Helpful advice covers: choosing fabrics, placement of seams, draping and folding garments, how to walk and dance in voluminous attire, and methods of storage. Unabridged republication of the classic 1931 edition. 203 black-and-white illustrations. Pb.

Medieval Costume in England & France 13,14,15 C - $19.00
Mary G Houston. Carefully researched, meticulously detailed account of the style and construction of period costumes. Includes descriptions and illustrations of royal apparel, elaborate ecclesiastical dress and vestments, academic and legal garments and civilian dress of all classes. Also discusses jewelry, armor, textiles, embroidery and hairdressing. 240pp. Pb.

Medieval Fashions - $8.00
Tom Tierney. Ten centuries of European fashions appear in a remarkable coloring book that doubles as a comprehensive fashion retrospective. From modest peasant garb to the regal attire of the nobility, the meticulously researched illustrations depict soldiers, minstrels, lords, ladies, and many others in authentic garb from the 5th through mid-15th centuries. 45 black-and-white illus. Introduction. Captions. 48pp. Pb.

The Medieval Tailor's Assistant - Making Common Garments 1200-1500 (UK Edition) - $79.00
Sara Thursfield. English edition of an excellent book with patterns for costumers' use. "Thursfield has done what no other book author has done--she has put the entire wardrobe of the Middle Ages out to be interpreted by costumers. Underwear, outerwear, headgear. It's all there." -- Mary Denise Smith, Costume & Dressmaker Press. 400 line drawings (including 121 patterns). 16 b&w, 4 color plates. 224pp. Pb.

Patterns For Theatrical Costume - $56.00
Katherine Holkeboer. Here is a collection of hundreds of ready-to-use patterns -- gowns, tunics, headdresses, jackets, robes, breeches -- historically accurate costume designs for periods spanning 3,000 years. There are patterns from the Egyptians through the Edwardians. A special section includes detailed step-by-step instructions to help you construct garments you may not have made before -- even corsets, hoop skirts, and hats. The patterns are multiple sized and easy to adapt. Profusely illustrated. 342pp. Pb.

Patterns of Fashion Vol 4: The Cut and Construction of Linen Shirts, Smocks, Neckwear, Headwear, and Accessories for Men and Women c.1540-1660 - $60.00
Janet Arnold. Finally! The book that Janet Arnold had planned before her death. Finished by her last student, Jenny Tiramani, this book is dedicated to the linen clothes that covered the body from the skin out. There are full-color portraits and photographs of details of garments as well as 86 patterns for items of linen clothing. Anyone who has seen Ms Arnold's previous 3 books in this series will know what a treasure this one is. Includes colour illustrations. 128 pp. Pb.

Purses In Pieces - $67.00
Olaf Goubitz. This study is a bible of leather holders, especially money holders. Every purse that has been found in an archaeological context in the Netherlands is published in this book. All the techniques are discussed and many iconographical references are presented. Because leather objects from this period do not vary much in North Western Europe and North America, readers will find what they need to know about all the different manifestations of purses. 120pp. Pb.

Renaissance and Medieval Costume - $25.00
Camille Bonnard. Reproduced directly from a rare original early-19th-century edition, this magnificent illustrated study displays a detailed gallery of costumes worn in the 11th through the 15th century. 120 splendid full-color plates exhibit head-to-toe apparel worn by nobility, knights, soldiers, the bourgeois, ecclesiastics, and citizens of all classes. Many figures are on horseback. 128pp. Pb.

Renaissance Fashions - $8.00
Tom Tierney. A handsome collection of 45 finely detailed, ready-to color illustrations depict clothing styles from every social class of the 15th and 16th centuries. Includes portraits of an Italian peasant couple in wedding dress, children of a German royal family garbed in velvet and accompanied by a soberly dressed nanny, an English lord and lady in riding outfits, and much more. Informative captions accompany each illustration. 48pp. Pb.

The Samurai Undressed - $85.00
Jacqui Carey. Here is a rare Out-Of-Print treasure. This book elaborates on the functional role that Japanese braiding -- kumihimo -- plays in holding sections of Samurai armor together and the history of Samurai armor. The detailed descriptions recall the ritual and craftsmanship that mark much of Japanese life. The author examines the actual construction of the braids and armor beginning with the earliest (8 A.D.) evidence, through to the abolition of the Samurai class in 1868. Full color and black & white photos, plus line drawings, explain the details of assembling that hold the protective pieces together. 80pp. Pb.

Spanish and Moorish Fashions - $8.00
Tom Tierney. From the era of the Roman Empire through the rise of the Renaissance, this coloring book presents fifteen centuries of Spanish fashion. Its meticulous, accurate renderings focus particularly on the Arabic influences introduced by the Moors and depict Spain's dramatic variations in fashion: the Roman-styled clothing worn by a farm couple of the third century, the quilted tunic of a thirteenth-century Saracen warrior, the armor of a sixteenth-century conquistador, and lavish royal costumes from several eras, including the styles famously depicted by the court painter Diego Velázquez. 44 black-and-white illustrations. 48pp. Pb.

Textiles and Clothing c.1150-c.1450: Medieval Finds From Excavations in London - $59.00
Crowfoot, Pritchard & Staniland. Newly reissued. Finds include knitting, tapestries, silk hair-nets, and elaborately patterned oriental, Islamic, and Italian fabrics. These objects reveal considerable information on the cut and construction of clothing as well. This highly readable account provides a wealth of new insights on fashions, clothing, and textile industries of medieval England and Europe. 32 color illus, 132 b/w illus, 91 line drawings. 250pp. Pb.

The King's Servants: Men's Dress at the Accession of Henry VIII - $59.00
Caroline Johnson & Editors Jane Malcolm-Davies & Ninya Mikhaila. Here is provided a vivid picture of Henry’s early court using evidence from royal warrants and account books in The National Archive. Caroline Johnson’s transcriptions and translations of more than two hundred hand-written pages of the original 16th century Latin and English documents have revealed a wealth of fascinating facts about expenditure on garments for servants at the Tudor court. The typical clothes worn by middling men during the decades between the battles of Bosworth (1485) and Flodden (1513) are described and reconstructed in this beautifully illustrated book. Previously unpublished documents, including bundles of orders for clothes, and parchment books recording payments to such people as mercers, drapers, tailors, cordwainers and silkwomen, are carefully analysed to provide details of the usual allocation of dress to different ranks of servants at the royal court. The book focuses on the middle-ranking men who were clerks, messengers and huntsmen. There is also information on trends in men’s fashion at the turn of the century as the documents investigated demonstrate Henry VII’s expenditure as well as his son’s. A noteworthy inclusion is an early livery issued to Henry VII’s newly-founded Yeomen of the Guard, who were resplendent in green and white damask coats embellished with lavish gold embroidery. The book offers a survey of relevant pictorial sources such as effigies, brasses and stained glass plus rare glimpses of archaeological artefacts from the late 15th and early 16th century. These, together with the archival information, have provided sufficient evidence for reconstructions of the typical royal servant’s every day wardrobe to be made, and these are illustrated in high-quality colour photographs. The book also features comprehensive patterns for a man’s complete costume during the early Tudor period. These were devised by Ninya Mikhaila with other experienced costumiers, including Sarah Thursfield (The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant) and Jane Huggett (Clothes of the Common Woman, 1480-1580). Pb.

The Mode in Footwear - $18.00
R Turner Wilcox. What shoes were the height of fashion in Paris at the turn of the century? What did Tutankhamen's burial sandals look like? The answers lie in this illustrated compendium covering centuries of footwear, from Egyptian sandals, to Chinese silk wedges used for binding feet, to American saddle oxfords. Reprint of the Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1948 edition 208pp. Pb.

Tribal Body Art Tattoos - $3.00
Anna Pomaska. Twelve eye-catching designs in fashionable blue-black ink: stylized creatures of land, sea and air, star-shaped, and spherical objects, and more.

Tudor Costume & Fashion - $53.00
Herbert Norris. Monumental, profusely illustrated study of English fashions from 1485–1603. Highly authentic, detailed survey exuberantly describes clothing, headgear, hairstyles, jewelry, collars, footwear, more worn by royalty, nobility, middle and lower classes. Most illustrations from contemporary sources. 1,000 black-and-white figures. 920pp. Pb.

The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing 16th Century Dress - $46.00
Ninya Mikhaila & Jane Malcolm-Davies. Create stunning historically accurate Tudor costumes from hats to headdresses to doublets and hose. The book contains 80 historical illustrations, many in colour, and over 100 specially commissioned line drawings to give historical context and aid accuracy. Included are 36 patterns with full step-by-step instructions and photographs showing finished garments worn by real people. There are also four chapters of the social history of clothes in the 16th century, drawing on the latest research and primary sources such as ordinary people's wills and surviving royal records, along with a discussion of the materials used, people's financial and social relationships with their clothes, and the changes in dress from birth to death. There is as much emphasis on the clothes of ordinary people as there is on high fashion. There is also general advice on choosing materials, construction methods, and an insight into the Tudor tailor's sewing kit. 160pp. Pb.

Viking Clothing - $71.00
Thor Ewing. This book looks at the aspects of cloth production - raw materials, production tools and techniques for woven and non-woven textiles, dyeing, decorative textiles and embroidery. It includes a detailed consideration of both male and female outfits and a new interpretation of the suspended dress. It also shows how much can be reconstructed from the discoveries of archaeological excavation. 176pp. Pb.

Women's Hats, Headresses & Hairstyles - $24.00
Georgine de Courtais. More than 400 of the author's own drawings provide an authentic record of over 1,300 years of changing fashions in women's hairstyles and headwear in England. Finely detailed images -- rendered from vintage sources -- depict everything from wimples and crespines worn in Anglo-Saxon times, Tudor hoods and caps, and elaborate Georgian hats and hairstyles, to early Victorian bonnets and pillboxes of the mid-20th century. Detailed notes on styles, materials used, and methods of manufacture are included, as is a brief glossary. 192pp. Pb.

Woven Into the Earth - $83.00
Else Ostergaard. In 1921 dozens of medieval garments were recovered 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. The Greenland finds provided a close look at how ordinary Europeans dressed in the Middle Ages. Many of the bodies were found swaddled in multiple layers of cast off clothing. Crowberry and dwarf willow roots grew through coffins, clothing and corpses alike, binding them together in a vast network of thin fibers - as if the finds had been literally sewn in the earth. Woven into the Earth recounts the excavation in the context of other Norse textile finds in Greenland. It then describes what the finds tell us about the materials and methods used in making the clothes. The weaving and sewing techniques detailed here are surprisingly sophisticated, especially considering the harsh conditions. 256pp Hb.