Art of DressThe clothing worn in the past affords an invaluable insight into lifestyles that have disappeared forever. Choice of dress has always been affected by numerous influences - social and economic, artistic and technical - and, of course, the vagaries of individual taste. In this delightfully illustrated book, a unique account is offered of the history of dress over four centuries. Drawing on the rich resources of Britain's National Trust properties, which include numerous costume and textile collections, revealing painted portraits, and extensive documentation in the form of family correspondence, diaries, and household papers, Jane Ashelford goes beyond a mere chronicle of cut, shape, and decoration. She looks at the social aspects of dress - how styles were conveyed, how and where materials and clothing were purchased, and what people wore at all levels of society and at all ages, from swaddling bands to widow's weeds. Many remarkable ensembles are seen here, often for the first time, in spectacular photographs specially commissioned from Andreas von Einsiedel. Men's, women's, children's, and servant's attire and accessories provide vital information about the taste, preoccupations, and aspirations of the individuals who wore them, and the world in which they lived. |
Contents
Introduction | 7 |
Gorgeous Attyre 15001603 | 15 |
Careless Romance 16031660 | 55 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
accessories Anne Blickling Hall bodice braid breeches buttons Charlecote Charlecote Park Charles cloak clothes coach coat collar colours costume cotton court Covent Garden cuffs decorated diary display doublet drapery dress Earl eighteenth century elegant Elizabeth embroidered embroidery England English Erddig fabrics falling band fashion fastened Felbrigg Hall flowers French front garments Gawthorpe Hall George gold gown hair Hall Hardwick Hall Henry Ibid jacket Janet Arnold jewels John Killerton lace Lady Lady Anne Clifford leather linen livery London Lord mantua Mary matching material mercers muslin National Trust NTPL NTPL/AVE painted pattern pearls Pepys petticoat photograph pleats portrait printed Queen Quoted ribbon Royal Samuel Pepys satin servants shirt shops shoulders silk silver skirt sleeves smock Snowshill collection Street style suit tailor Thomas trade trimmed trousers unknown artist velvet Verney visited waist waistcoat waistline wardrobe wear William Wimpole Hall women wore worn