Nora WaughCritiques

Actual quotations from original sources concerning clothing - ownership, production, etc. A very interesting historical survey. Patterns to get the costumer started.

Patterns!

A historical perspective, including reprints of period engravings and drawings, shows how the clothing was constructed in the 17th Century to modern times (1940).

On the history:
This is an excellent book for the history of the garment known as a corset. This book is filled with letters and writings of those who were for and against the wearing of the corset. Advertisements (a corset for $1!), patterns, wood engravings. Begining with the earlier Tudor stays and finishing somewhere near the 1950's, this book paints a lovely picture of fashion and it's perils, all involving the shape and sculpt of the female body.

On the method:
The patterns in this book are authentic, many taken directly from the pages of corset-making factory manuals.

It is very important to note that these patterns were intended for a woman who was smaller and waist trained from an early age! If you intend to duplicate these patterns, please prepair for them to be incredibly small and unsuitable for your ribcage.

I do find that the teachings of the method are scarce, and this book focuses on history and art more than I hoped it would. If you are looking for a good book with clear corset-making tayloring information, this is a good start, but leaves you hungry for more.

Lots of patterns and information. You need some knowledge in changing patterns if you are to use them, though.

Lots of great information and enough patterns to cover just about every era I could want to recreate.