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Rating: 
Summary: Dumb, boring, no at-a-glance looks
Review: don't waste your time with it
Rating: 
Summary: A great reference book.
Review: I belong to a renaissance reinactment group. This book has come in handy more times than I can remember. Expecially with newcommers to the troup who are looking for a costume idea. I'd recomend it to anyone who sew's for ideas.
Rating: 
Summary: The BEST Costuming Book You'll Ever Own
Review: I have been using this book for years to help with designing costumes for various Community Theatres and Madrigal Groups. Though the costumes themselves are English, they give you a wonderful idea of what was popular for the elite from every western country during a wide range of periods. The best part of this book is the fact that you can tell they did their research. From the way people changed their movement, to the undergarments that were needed to support the clothing, to how they were decorated, I could go on for another page. It is the perfect resource for anyone who designs for a living or just for fun.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST Costuming Book You'll Ever Own
Review: I have been using this book for years to help with designing costumes for various Community Theatres and Madrigal Groups. Though the costumes themselves are English, they give you a wonderful idea of what was popular for the elite from every western country during a wide range of periods. The best part of this book is the fact that you can tell they did their research. From the way people changed their movement, to the undergarments that were needed to support the clothing, to how they were decorated, I could go on for another page. It is the perfect resource for anyone who designs for a living or just for fun.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful referance guide for period and stage costumes
Review: I have refered to this book time and time again. It is not a bible for costumes. However, I have used it to adapt many of my own patterns to suit the period. Hill and bucknell state that it is not a historical study, but for those who have no idea where to begin, this is a great place to start.The one thing I enjoy about the book is it reaches many people. People who make stage costumes, Elizibetian Fairs and even doll outfits benifit from the way pieces are laid out. The insturctions are simple but vauge a few times. The authors have the attitude you know what you are doing. The book is well worth reading. It was not a waste my time.
Rating:
Summary: excellent overview of English court dress evolution
Review: In the words of the authors, "Fashion is the translation of the wearer's personality into the language of clothes," and this volume is a comprehensive overview of the changes in the ideal personality as reflected in the dress of English court dressers, interpreted through secondary sources (paintings, prints, carvings, sculptures and manuscript drawings) during the reign of 31 English monarchs. For each of 56 eras in fashion, clear and detailed B/W drawings (by Hill) of male and female adult dress are presented with a thorough overview (by Bucknell) of general characteristics of the fashion including headware, shoes, and undergarments and a summary of trends in decoration, accessories, movement for both genders, padding and restriction, and typical fabrics and colors. For all illustrated outerwear garments, 1/8" scale pattern shapes (by Bucknell) are provided as a base for adaptation for those interested in re=creation, and are simplified and presented without seam allowances or construction notes. No information is given on construction of foundation garments (corsets, hoops, panniers, padding) which are necessary for many of the garments shown. The book is intended to assist theater designers, cutters, illustrators, costume history drudents, and actors in achieving an accurate silhouette for a given period, and I would say it amply fulfills this goal. Some construction suggestions for theater use are included but nothing on the level of a mainstream fashion pattern, so this book should not be a sole resource for an average home sewer contemplating a period halloween costume. Minimal illustration of placement of details such as pleats, pockets, buttonholes or casings. Patterns have no notches or facing pieces, merely reference letters to mark attachment points on complex constructions. No garments beyond English court dress are covered, so don't look here for Chinese Imperial fashion or Eastern European peasant garb. I found "the big pink book" at a Ren Faire vendors' row and have enjoyed the thoughtful consideration of fashions from the past on many occasions, including construction of a 1550's/1560's era court gown for my wedding. It was particularly helpful to examine the outline of pattern shapes for sleeves and skirts that have not been in fashion for centuries, particularly for the very complex shapes such as bustles, layered flounces, intricate pleating, and extensive boning or wiring. As a professional costumer, I would love to see an index added that might allow readers to review what eras were associated with a particular element of fashion (for example: velvety fabrics, circular hoops, false buttonholes, use of bows as decoration, pastel colors, or very restrictive skirts) but this is minor and the book is quite functional sans index. All in all, a fine and indispensable reference in my library.
Rating:
Summary: excellent overview of English court dress evolution
Review: In the words of the authors, "Fashion is the translation of the wearer's personality into the language of clothes," and this volume is a comprehensive overview of the changes in the ideal personality as reflected in the dress of English court dressers, interpreted through secondary sources (paintings, prints, carvings, sculptures and manuscript drawings) during the reign of 31 English monarchs. For each of 56 eras in fashion, clear and detailed B/W drawings (by Hill) of male and female adult dress are presented with a thorough overview (by Bucknell) of general characteristics of the fashion including headware, shoes, and undergarments and a summary of trends in decoration, accessories, movement for both genders, padding and restriction, and typical fabrics and colors. For all illustrated outerwear garments, 1/8" scale pattern shapes (by Bucknell) are provided as a base for adaptation for those interested in re=creation, and are simplified and presented without seam allowances or construction notes. No information is given on construction of foundation garments (corsets, hoops, panniers, padding) which are necessary for many of the garments shown. The book is intended to assist theater designers, cutters, illustrators, costume history drudents, and actors in achieving an accurate silhouette for a given period, and I would say it amply fulfills this goal. Some construction suggestions for theater use are included but nothing on the level of a mainstream fashion pattern, so this book should not be a sole resource for an average home sewer contemplating a period halloween costume. Minimal illustration of placement of details such as pleats, pockets, buttonholes or casings. Patterns have no notches or facing pieces, merely reference letters to mark attachment points on complex constructions. No garments beyond English court dress are covered, so don't look here for Chinese Imperial fashion or Eastern European peasant garb. I found "the big pink book" at a Ren Faire vendors' row and have enjoyed the thoughtful consideration of fashions from the past on many occasions, including construction of a 1550's/1560's era court gown for my wedding. It was particularly helpful to examine the outline of pattern shapes for sleeves and skirts that have not been in fashion for centuries, particularly for the very complex shapes such as bustles, layered flounces, intricate pleating, and extensive boning or wiring. As a professional costumer, I would love to see an index added that might allow readers to review what eras were associated with a particular element of fashion (for example: velvety fabrics, circular hoops, false buttonholes, use of bows as decoration, pastel colors, or very restrictive skirts) but this is minor and the book is quite functional sans index. All in all, a fine and indispensable reference in my library.
Rating: 
Summary: Beyond the Basics but Not for a Novice ...
Review: This book has some FABULOUS ideas and variations, but the patterns are all 1/8th scale and there is NO detail as to what goes with what (directions for sewing) or even suggestions for fabric. For designs and ideas, especially for SCA and Renaissance, its Faboo, but you need to have a background in costuming or at least some serious sewing to make this stuff look good. Definitely requires skills beyond the basics. SIMPLICITY it is not = (
Rating:
Summary: A valuable, one-of-a kind resource
Review: This book was the primary text in a costume history course I took in college, and it still stands out among the many costume books I've since accumulated as one of the most helpful. For those concentrating on a particular period who want to see lots of variations within that period--for example, those who are concerned with the difference between an 1853 sleeve and an 1854 sleeve--this is not for them: it depicts the basic style of each period and in written text describes the popular fabrics, trends, and design variations. As an overview that shows what people were wearing during the reign of every English monarch from 1066 to 1930, it is unsurpassed. Where other costume books tend to be vague and skimpy on pre-16th-century styles, this text clearly indicates what year a style belongs to and does not lump together a few drawings as examples of "medieval dress." The book includes patterns for every major garment pictured, but these, as other reviewers have noted, are not for novices. All in all, this is a wonderful book for a variety of purposes.
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