Victorian Costuming, Volume 1: 1840 to 1865

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as their previous effort
Review: When I finally found this book, I was hoping for a resource as wonderful as their ELIZABETHAN COSTUMING book. While it's got good information in it, I found the some of the illustrations and multitudinous typos to be distracting. It's also rather dated -- in their section on corsetry, they advise purchasing a corset or alternative -- such as a longline bra or merry widow. We've come a long way, what with the proliferation of pattern companies specializing in period costume! However, this is a good book for someone who is just starting out in Victorian Costuming. While the illustrations appear to have been done in a hurry, they are quite clear, and they do give a bit of a "Reader's Digest" version of what was going on in the time period and how it related to what you'll be making. The instructions are clear. However, it's not as comprehensive as their Elizabethan book.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as their previous effort
Review: When I finally found this book, I was hoping for a resource as wonderful as their ELIZABETHAN COSTUMING book. While it's got good information in it, I found the some of the illustrations and multitudinous typos to be distracting. It's also rather dated -- in their section on corsetry, they advise purchasing a corset or alternative -- such as a longline bra or merry widow. We've come a long way, what with the proliferation of pattern companies specializing in period costume! However, this is a good book for someone who is just starting out in Victorian Costuming. While the illustrations appear to have been done in a hurry, they are quite clear, and they do give a bit of a "Reader's Digest" version of what was going on in the time period and how it related to what you'll be making. The instructions are clear. However, it's not as comprehensive as their Elizabethan book.