Alison GernsheimVictorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey (Dover Fashion and Costumes)

Imagine trying to research late 20th century fashion with nothing but Vogue magazine as a reference. Naturally you would assume that everyone had a BMI of 14%, bizarre hair was the rage, visible hard nipples were just part of the fashion, and we were all running around in the snow like suicidal mantis bugs with lipstick smeared halfway up our cheeks and nothing but the most outre $5000 tank tops money could buy.This is effectively how we are presented with Victorian fashion. Illustrated high style fashion magazines like La Mode Illustree have become our "references" while relatively rarely do we see realistic depictions of the actual fashions of the time, and so illustrated example models of idealized bodies wearing idealized fashions become the assumed norm.This book is about the best remedy for that short of a trip in a time machine. 235 photographs spanning the period from the introduction of the photograph in 1839 to the years leading up to WWI with heavy annotation present a fairly realistic overall picture of what a fashionable person of each age would be swishing about town in. The main focus is England though there are a few references to other countries (primarily France), and while there are references to the clothing of people of lesser means, this is primarily an investigation of those who had enough money to actually keep up with the fashions of the time.Don't let the page count fool you, what this book lacks in size it makes up for in information density. Descriptions of fashions from both modern points of view and period text references are cross referenced with the included photographs and give a pretty complete picture of each trend and clothing item described. There is a fair amount of men's fashion described as well, which is pretty darn rare in Victorian references. My only issue with this book is the relative difficulty of following the photographic references as they are grouped together in four large clumps distributed throughout the book. The photographs are numbered sequentially but the photographic sections do not have page numbers, so finding the photographs referred to in a single sentence can take you flipping through half of the book. Given that there are in text references every 50 words or so this gets old extremely quickly, but even so it was worth the effort.I expect this to become a go-to reference for Victorian clothing and it is highly recommended as such for those with more then a passing interest in Victorian and Edwardian fashion, though I will likely add some tabs to the photograph sections to make it easier to find the referenced images and I suggest doing the same.

I have only skim read this book so far, but I was instantly hooked by the over 200 B&W photos of men and women of the time period covered in this wonderful reference book. It provides a window, through photography, into a time long past, the fashions, styles and events and of course the clothes they wore. Each photograph is referenced with loving detail as to what each subject is wearing, doing and who they are - in itself an eminently useful historical reference, but with the addition of the photos it brings them all to vivid life despite the lack of colour. From a writers perspective this is a terrific reference volume and I look forward to reading it more in detail as well as wallowing in the fascinating photos that give the words life.

I do living history and there is one individual I work with who is a real nitpicker. When I came to work wearing a new period dress, she repremanded me for not being historyically accurate. I went home and pull this book and took it with me the next time I went to work. When she started in again, I was able to show photographic documentation. I walked away smiling.

A good and informative book. Just looking through it I learned a few things that I hadn't ever heard or noticed before, such as the way that tightlacing of corsets doesn't seem to have been too common before the late 1860s.The book is very reasonably priced. The only trouble, which probably, were it to be fixed, would make the book cost a lot more, is that I often wish the photographs were printed in better quality.

This book has fascinating pictures that are hard to find elsewhere. The pictures combine with the text to give the reader a real understanding of the kinds of dress women wore at this time. The author also walks us through each decade so we are able to follow along as fashions change.A must for anyone writing about this time frame or just interested in what people really wore.

I'm really into sewing and fashion design, and the Victorian and Edwardian eras were the most luxurious since the Renaissance. The fabulous new fabrics, and dyes were available. The sumptuous richness of these fashions inspires my present day designing.Unfortunately I lost my copy... I think I may have given it to my daughter to read...I might just buy another copy for myself!

I was expecting bigger photographs and I guess I expected them to be in color. But I get that that is not realistic, given the time period. I confess, I have not read the whole book yet. But I've heard it is very informative.

This book is a great addition to anyone interested in fashion from Victorian and Edwardian eras. Very good photographs of the clothing styles.