This work focuses on the efforts toward reforming women's dress that took place in Europe and America in the latter half of the 18th century and the first decade of the 20th century, and the types of garments adopted by women to overcome the challenges posed by fashionable dress. It considers the many advocates for reform and examines their motives, their arguments for change, and how they promoted improvements in women's fashion. Though there was no single overarching dress reform movement, it reveals similarities among the arguments posed by diverse groups of reformers, including especially the equation of reform with an ideal image of improved health. Drawing on a variety of primary and secondary sources in the USA and Europe - including the popular press, advice books for women, allopathic and alternative medical literature, and books on aesthetics, art, health, and physical education - the text makes a significant contribution to costume studies, social history, and women's studies.

Featuring 19 color plates and 65 b&w illustrations, this text critically examines the imagery, process, and pictorial structure of works by American painter Edwin Dickinson (1891-1978). Drawing upon 56 years of the artist's journals and several thousand pages of his letters, Ward makes connections b

This volume of style clues for fashion detectives weaves fascinating elements of social history into tales of how, why, and when fashions evolved. Hundreds of illustrations accompany highly readable comments and explanations.

Recently appointed to a prestigious position by the royal family and preferring a pleasure-based life to settling down, Lord James Hamilton is unexpectedly attracted to the feisty Lady Anne Curzon-Howe, who is wary of his reputation.

Here is another feast of ideas and practical information from the author of Costumes for the Stage for anyone who needs to dress a drama production on a tight budget or by the simplest means. Sheila Jackson's first book has been in constant demand for over a decade. Now, in addition to developing some of her earlier ideas in areas such as historical cosutme and fabrics, she covers exciting new ground with sections on animal and bird costumes, musical and dance, ethnic costume, headdresses and accessories, plus advice on design and how to manage a costume plan, a section especially for schools, and another dealing with costume for video. Over seventy-five pages of her own lively line drawings, diagrams and patterns illustrate the text throughout.