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How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century
Fashion is ever-changing and while some styles mark a dramatic departure from the past, many exhibit subtle differences from year to year that are not always easy to identify. With overviews of each key period and detailed illustrations for each new style, How to Read a Dress is an authoritative visual guide to women's fashion across five centuries.
Each entry includes annotated colour images of historical garments, outlines important features and highlights how styles have changed (whether in shape, fabric choice, trimming, undergarments) from those shown previously. Readers will learn how garments were constructed and where their inspiration stemmed from at key points in history, as well as the differences between dress types for various occasions, variations in detailing, cut, and popularity, and the class, age and social status of the wearer.
This beautifully illustrated guide equips students, researchers, curators and anyone interested in historical fashion with the tools to 'read' a dress. Using this book, readers are able to identify specific period styles, and will really know their cartridge pleats from their Récamier ruffles. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/au/how-to-r...
Each entry includes annotated colour images of historical garments, outlines important features and highlights how styles have changed (whether in shape, fabric choice, trimming, undergarments) from those shown previously. Readers will learn how garments were constructed and where their inspiration stemmed from at key points in history, as well as the differences between dress types for various occasions, variations in detailing, cut, and popularity, and the class, age and social status of the wearer.
This beautifully illustrated guide equips students, researchers, curators and anyone interested in historical fashion with the tools to 'read' a dress. Using this book, readers are able to identify specific period styles, and will really know their cartridge pleats from their Récamier ruffles. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/au/how-to-r...
288 pages, Unknown Binding
First published March 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
December 5, 2021
This was recommended to me as an overview of how fashion lines have evolved over time, and I found the organization really helpful in understanding different shapes, what they are called, and discerning what elements I might want to include in my own attempts at making clothing
August 28, 2017
The thing with How To Read A Dress is that it doesn't really teach you how to read a dress. Instead it applies the show don't tell rule and gives you lots of pictures with dry notes (which is, probably, a legitimate thing to do because the title states it's a guide, and we don't expect guides to be more than pictures with dry notes attached). The idea of the book is brilliant, but the book itself didn't meet my expectations.
April 13, 2017
A frustrating book - quite badly written and copy edited, and it has an inadequate glossary of terms and is much too skimpy with its image selection. I know that it couldn't be completely comprehensive, but one or two more images for each date span would have been helpful - or at least mutiple views of dresses from different angles, and more closeups of details. I got annoyed by things like references to the back of a dress when only the front is shown, and also annoyed because the photos, which look impressive at first glance, aren't always big enough or clear enough to show you what the author is pointing out.
October 6, 2017
So many beautiful details! The only thing I wished it had more of, was information about how women actually felt while wearing these clothes! Did they like them? Were they trying to look sexy? How much of this did they just wear around the house?
June 19, 2018
I liked the idea of this book better than the reality. It seems like one of those Dorling Kindersley books, only for adults. (You know the ones, say a book about gemstones with lots of pictures and little bits of text next to it, all shiny and fun.)
And yet. In some chapters, the dresses shown didn't seem to correspond particularly well to the trends described in the text introduction. Sometimes it was hard to guess why certain dresses were chosen for a full-page blow-up. There were a few black ones that they author may as well have skipped for all the contrast they had on the page. The closer we get to the present, the more she focuses on items from Australian collections, as if there were a sort of Anglophone world of fashion shared between Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK--but that seems like a strange, unexamined idea given the French and Italian role in fashion. My final complaint is that there are a bunch of copyediting fails here.
This is fun to leaf through, but unlike many beautifully produced books, it's not one I long to put on my own shelf.
And yet. In some chapters, the dresses shown didn't seem to correspond particularly well to the trends described in the text introduction. Sometimes it was hard to guess why certain dresses were chosen for a full-page blow-up. There were a few black ones that they author may as well have skipped for all the contrast they had on the page. The closer we get to the present, the more she focuses on items from Australian collections, as if there were a sort of Anglophone world of fashion shared between Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK--but that seems like a strange, unexamined idea given the French and Italian role in fashion. My final complaint is that there are a bunch of copyediting fails here.
This is fun to leaf through, but unlike many beautifully produced books, it's not one I long to put on my own shelf.
June 2, 2023
If you are looking for a good and not too long starter into fashion history, this is a wonderful place to begin. I love fashion history so I don't mind lenghty research on this topic, but if you want something shorter and easy to get through why not start here?
March 7, 2023
This book doesn't teach you how to "read" a dress; it's mainly a cursory guide to the evolution of dresses over four centuries. It seems carelessly put together. Not only are there typos but the pictures chosen and overall organization of the book was strange. Sometimes only the backs of dresses appear, pictures were repeated, and others were tiny.
Edwards does provide great detail of the dresses she chose to highlight and gives a decent overview of each era. I would have loved more dresses to be examined because that's where this book shines (and because some eras didn't get as much attention as others). Also, I wish Edwards analyzed more dresses from the lower classes. (Given that working class clothing generally didn't last, perhaps the author could have examined paintings or sketches?) It was nice to see dresses from Canada and Australia however.
Edwards does provide great detail of the dresses she chose to highlight and gives a decent overview of each era. I would have loved more dresses to be examined because that's where this book shines (and because some eras didn't get as much attention as others). Also, I wish Edwards analyzed more dresses from the lower classes. (Given that working class clothing generally didn't last, perhaps the author could have examined paintings or sketches?) It was nice to see dresses from Canada and Australia however.
September 8, 2017
Having read several more scholarly works (without photo references) about period dress and the influences that forced fashion across time periods, this book was a wonderful pictorial supplement to those more detailed works. Each period is characterized by a silhouette, then a brief description of common traits that distinguish that period from others, and is followed by pictures of period pieces similar to the cover image (with inserts of photo references as well).
Some have criticized the book for being too photo heavy, and I'd agree this wouldn't be my go to for detailed descriptions or historical references on how politics/time periods influenced fashion, it is a good and quick read and adds to more detailed works that are available elsewhere.
Some have criticized the book for being too photo heavy, and I'd agree this wouldn't be my go to for detailed descriptions or historical references on how politics/time periods influenced fashion, it is a good and quick read and adds to more detailed works that are available elsewhere.
June 23, 2018
I'm not much interested in fashion. But here were photos of Real dresses, with notes about the details. I was floored by the thought of the hours of painstaking handwork that went into each one. Incredible. Considering that I can barely sew on a button, I'm opting out of the Time Travel I had in mind. I may not be able to blend in as easily as I'd thought.
April 18, 2017
How excited was I to receive a review copy of Lydia Edwards’ new book, How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century!
If, like me, you are the sort of person who loves analyzing Western fashion within the context of history and, say, trying to guess the time in which a given portrait was painted based on the dress of the woman depicted, you will want to pick up a copy of this book, stat. It’s an excellent guide to the specifics of women’s fashion in terms of how shapes and details changed and evolved over time.
You might consider this a manual for training your eye to evaluate a garment or work of art depicting European (and later, American/Australian) women, and estimate its date of origin. Edwards uses primarily surviving garments in the collections of museums worldwide, and diagrams each element of the “look” which serves as a clue to its era. Incorporating examples from institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (USA), the McCord in Montreal (Canada), and Australia’s Powerhouse Museum, so it winds up being a broad survey of the British-origin fashion diaspora.
Edwards begins her survey in 1550, citing the relative lack of surviving garments from prior decades/centuries, and extends the range up to 1970. It’s gratifying to see a fashion history text moving beyond the 1950s and the New Look, which is where most prior resources in the area tend to cut off (for presumably chronological reasons in terms of when they were published). NGL, i’m seriously looking forward to the point at which someone puts out a book that looks at the entire 20th century as a whole, fashion-wise, and considers things like the resurgence of 1940s-inspired shouldered shapes in the 1980s, or the way in which 1970s knit maxidresses reimagined 1930s bias gown silhouettes…but i’m digressing bigtime.
Ultimately, this is an excellent book for scholars of fashion history, costume designers and makers, and really anyone looking to improve their ability to determine the period of a given dress. There are several garments for each time period to illustrate differences/similarities, and each chapter’s introductory text features other reference images (fashion plates, paintings/engravings, photography once that’s been invented, etc.). Edwards’ explanations are clear and well-articulated, and were i teaching an introductory course in fashion history, i would consider adopting this as a supplementary text.
A caveat: the book restricts the scope to only the dress of women. Nothing about menswear, very little about accessories like shoes/hats beyond insofar as they related to the primary garment/gown/etc. If that’s what you’re looking for information about, look elsewhere.
Me, i’m adding this to my library at work, for our graduate students to consult when picking out period pattern projects. An excellent resource, beautifully produced in full color.
**This review initially written for https://la-bricoleuse.blogspot.com/
June 6, 2017
Meh. Wasn't nearly as informative or entertaining as the description led me to believe. Also, I was disappointed that the books dealt with "fashion", i.e., what the rich wore to show off, not with the more general idea of fashion-as-culture. The introductory sections also read like they were the lecture notes from a course on fashion & design, right off of the professor's PowerPoint.
March 22, 2025
When we were small, my mother made our clothes until the popular clothing made the effort too much. not just basic with something extra here or there to make sharp or pretty.
Partly in rememberance of the days of clothesmaking, particularly the dressmaking, I have long wanted to read this book.
I found enjoyable the fine photographs which showed fabric detail, showed the mostly professional but sometimes hone tailoring. While my meticulous mother would not have allowed imperfections other women left when sewing for themselves, I can surely see how such large works of art were time consuming in a time when women's work was even more time and effort consuming
I found unfortunate that not all elements of the dresses described in the text were shown in the photography. Such photography of several images of a single dress must have been just prohibitive.Atill sad did not see all described
Whar I read the book the most for was well described. I wanted to see the infrastructure and the development of dresses described in 19th-century books and in historical fiction novels about the dresses of women--the development of crinoline and the bustles in particular.
Quite Satisfactory.
Partly in rememberance of the days of clothesmaking, particularly the dressmaking, I have long wanted to read this book.
I found enjoyable the fine photographs which showed fabric detail, showed the mostly professional but sometimes hone tailoring. While my meticulous mother would not have allowed imperfections other women left when sewing for themselves, I can surely see how such large works of art were time consuming in a time when women's work was even more time and effort consuming
I found unfortunate that not all elements of the dresses described in the text were shown in the photography. Such photography of several images of a single dress must have been just prohibitive.Atill sad did not see all described
Whar I read the book the most for was well described. I wanted to see the infrastructure and the development of dresses described in 19th-century books and in historical fiction novels about the dresses of women--the development of crinoline and the bustles in particular.
Quite Satisfactory.
non-fiction-tbr
December 22, 2021Restarting to read because I honestly don't remember much of what I did read.
pg. 46 "My biggest critique right now is that if this book is aimed at beginners, it would have been useful to have a reference section with simple diagram showcasing the components of a dress. Since the pictures/dresses are at different angles and sometimes the color of the fabric blends in, it took me a while to understand what was meant about the the overskirt being visible."
pg. 46 "My biggest critique right now is that if this book is aimed at beginners, it would have been useful to have a reference section with simple diagram showcasing the components of a dress. Since the pictures/dresses are at different angles and sometimes the color of the fabric blends in, it took me a while to understand what was meant about the the overskirt being visible."
October 10, 2017
I loved this book so much! It gave great insight into the trends of fashion from the 1500s-1960s. It was fascinating to see how different fashions were just a couple of years apart. Edwards noted all the minute details that really 'made' the dresses and makes vintage clothing so special and unique. I only wish there had been more clothing examples in each chapter.
February 1, 2020
Great photos and nice descriptions and explanations of the styles and materials.
September 3, 2023
The book has dozens of detailed annotated examples showing the slow shift of fashion throughout the centuries and the various influences on dressmaking.
January 31, 2018
What I liked: the different variations of costume (although, of course, most would have been worn by the wealthy because those pieces have survived) and the overviews of style for the eras described.
What I wanted more of: more photo close-ups of the details that were discussed, and a look at trends from different classes.
What I wanted more of: more photo close-ups of the details that were discussed, and a look at trends from different classes.
November 22, 2021
I just looked at the pictures.
February 24, 2021
This book is a handy survey of women's fashion (mostly of dresses, but occasionally including titbits about other aspects of dress and accessorising, like necklaces and shoes) from the 16th to the 20th century. It features full-colour photographs, carefully annotated with useful pointers as to what to notice, and introductory essays explaining the trends of each period.
The annotation is very good, but the introductory paragraphs for each section are a bit less organised. It doesn't refer to specific examples of dresses in that chapter, but stays totally general... meaning it's hard for me -- a not especially visual person -- to link the dresses up with the trends they illustrate. Sometimes I'd look through the dresses for a specific feature, but not really see anything that seemed to match. In addition, sometimes the text would mention a specific photograph or illustration, but it wasn't next to the text, and there was no helpful "(figure 3)" or anything; instead it would say something like "this photograph of a gentleman..." Which photograph of a gentleman?
Anyway, I found it really interesting, and useful, with a few flaws. It would probably work better for someone with a visual memory!
The annotation is very good, but the introductory paragraphs for each section are a bit less organised. It doesn't refer to specific examples of dresses in that chapter, but stays totally general... meaning it's hard for me -- a not especially visual person -- to link the dresses up with the trends they illustrate. Sometimes I'd look through the dresses for a specific feature, but not really see anything that seemed to match. In addition, sometimes the text would mention a specific photograph or illustration, but it wasn't next to the text, and there was no helpful "(figure 3)" or anything; instead it would say something like "this photograph of a gentleman..." Which photograph of a gentleman?
Anyway, I found it really interesting, and useful, with a few flaws. It would probably work better for someone with a visual memory!
November 18, 2018
An interesting little volume all about the history of women's clothing. It's covering a large amount of time, so don't anticipate a lot of detail. Still, the depth is respectable, and a good beginning for research. I do wish Edwards selected one country's fashion to study rather than several countries. Fashion isn't profoundly different from country to country within the same century, but there were differences depending on the social/political climate of the time (the Commonwealth period of 17th century England was very conservative--but the rest of the world wasn't under Cromwell's reign, for example).
I thought it was interesting all of the social signifiers women's dress indicate (the shape of a collar or neckline told if a woman was married or not!) You're definitely going to learn how to "read" the sartorial choices of classic art, and feel slightly annoyed by historical dramas that get the bodice shape wrong (it's a good feeling, though).
-Amanda
I thought it was interesting all of the social signifiers women's dress indicate (the shape of a collar or neckline told if a woman was married or not!) You're definitely going to learn how to "read" the sartorial choices of classic art, and feel slightly annoyed by historical dramas that get the bodice shape wrong (it's a good feeling, though).
-Amanda
March 13, 2019
Gorgeously illustrated overview of fashion history. If you've read a lot about historical fashion, there isn't much new here, but it's an excellent overview for beginners or for someone starting out learning about a new period of fashion history. While the book gives great information on the dresses it presents, I would have enjoyed a bit more range, especially in some of the decades of the twentieth century since we still have so much of that fashion extant. I was also confused by some of the choices presented, as they didn't seem to correspond to the trends described -- in one instance, at least, she even notes that the dress she's analyzing is not a quintessential example of the fashion of the decade. So... huh? But as a short primer, this is great. The writing is clear, and at times, inspiring. The bibliography is fantastic!!!
November 22, 2020
I'd echo a lot of what other reviewers have said - I think a few more dresses could've been added to better show the breadth of each decade, as well as to ensure that she hits all of the key transitions in style. I also would've liked a bit more explanation for the WHY of these styles, because many of them are totally wild and I want to know why anyone would want to wear a ruff so big that they needed a wire support apparatus. (Also, the copyediting needs to be improved there were several typos). That being said, I really really enjoyed this book and I think that it's a useful and interesting resource as an introduction to fashion through the latter half of the millennium. Many of the dresses are totally beautiful, and I might try reading more about periods other than 1810-1870.
January 6, 2022
I enjoyed reading the early history of dresses. As a seamstress and quilter, I am amazed with the quality and sumptuousness of the dresses made by hand, before sewing machines were invented. Having used a sewing machine for 40 years now, I can't imagine sewing by hand! The detail in the book is astonishing. Also, historically speaking, it seems fashion is cyclical, with the same trends rehashed with updated modifications. The book became less interesting as it moved towards current times. On Instagram, there are so many seamstresses and tailors who make historical costumes, often trying to recreate a dress or suite seen in paintings or old photographs. This book, I'm sure, would be helpful to them. The modern-day costumers are also talented people, but of course, now they use sewing machines!
March 28, 2019
This is really interesting! I know *marginally* more about fashion history than the average person, and this was perfect for me. There was some text explaining the evolution of dresses, and then lots of pictures with captions and annotations. This is not a serious textbook, but an interesting exploration of how fashion evolved over time, with a tiny little bit about how museums preserve and restore clothing.
I did have some questions, of course. The book doesn't really talk about how much dresses cost, who could and would wear what (including sumptuary laws) and where people were always wearing the dresses. She did somewhat discuss undergarments, but I wanted to know more about those too. But all of those weren't really the point of this book. So rather than leaving me unsatisfied, I'd say the book made me want to do more research.
Definitely read the paper copy of this. You need to hold the book up to your nose and really take in all the details of the fabric and stitching.
I did have some questions, of course. The book doesn't really talk about how much dresses cost, who could and would wear what (including sumptuary laws) and where people were always wearing the dresses. She did somewhat discuss undergarments, but I wanted to know more about those too. But all of those weren't really the point of this book. So rather than leaving me unsatisfied, I'd say the book made me want to do more research.
Definitely read the paper copy of this. You need to hold the book up to your nose and really take in all the details of the fabric and stitching.
May 5, 2019
3.5/5 Stars
This book is perfect if you want examples of the evolution of dresses- there are several pictures with all pertinent details explained. However, it falls flat when it comes to going any further. WHY did any of these changes happen? Was the country at war, and so their colours were used to show patriotism? Did industrialisation make certain fabrics cheaper? There is no analysis, only examples. It is great for background, but not for the actual history behind it.
This book is perfect if you want examples of the evolution of dresses- there are several pictures with all pertinent details explained. However, it falls flat when it comes to going any further. WHY did any of these changes happen? Was the country at war, and so their colours were used to show patriotism? Did industrialisation make certain fabrics cheaper? There is no analysis, only examples. It is great for background, but not for the actual history behind it.
October 26, 2019
This book is great for describing the evolution of fashion and showing it in detail with surviving dresses. I didn't always feel that the dresses shown were the best exemplars of their period but understand the author probably had to make do with what was available. It does get into a fair degree of detail on dress construction which may not be for those who don't have sewing skills (myself included) but you can understand most of it without any of that background.
February 17, 2024
2.5 stars rounded up
In many places I found this difficult to follow. The 2-3 page intros at the beginning of the chapter would zoom through the relevant decades with little to no visual examples, and then the following pages of specimen dresses didn’t always relate to the intro. For example, in a chapter where most of the intro is spent discussing Dior’s New Look, none of the dresses shown are Dior/New Look.
In many places I found this difficult to follow. The 2-3 page intros at the beginning of the chapter would zoom through the relevant decades with little to no visual examples, and then the following pages of specimen dresses didn’t always relate to the intro. For example, in a chapter where most of the intro is spent discussing Dior’s New Look, none of the dresses shown are Dior/New Look.
June 27, 2023
A really interesting book with great pictures. It was fascinating to see how the styles of dresses shifted over centuries, and even why such shifts happened. I do think some of the images were too small and sometimes the text didn't seem formatted correctly. I'll admit I skimmed some of the later eras just because they interest me less.
February 11, 2019
Some editing errors; the choices in garments dissected were not necessarily representational; and some chunks in development were excluded entirely (how you can expect to demonstrate fashion in the 18th century without showing the early robes battante or volante is beyond me).
December 29, 2022
Unlike How to Read a Suit, I actually read this one all the way through. It was pretty cool watching fashion evolve and really shows how fast fashion and the rise of pants for women has changed our world entirely.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews