A nyone interested in the history of dress, from art historians to stage designers, from museum curators to teachers of fashion and costume, cannot function effectively without Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion series. Since her death in 1998, admirers of her work have been waiting, with increasing impatience, for the promised volume devoted to the linen clothes of the Elizabethan and early Stuart periods, a companion to her previous volume on tailored clothes of the same era.

Planned and partly prepared by Janet herself, and completed by Jenny Tiramani, Janet’s last pupil, no other book exists that is dedicated to the linen clothes that covered the body from the skin outwards. It contains full color portraits and photographs of details of garments in the explanatory section, as well as patterns for 85 items of linen clothing, which range from men’s shirts and women’s smocks, from superb ruffs and collars to boot hose and children’s stomachers.

Beautifully produced, Patterns of Fashion 4 is an invaluable guide to both the history and the recreation of these wonderful garments. In addition to the 85 patterns and numerous detailed sketches, there are 178 black and white illustrations and photographs and 433 color photographs.

Pages
128
Size
14 x 11 in.
ISBN-13
9780896762626
ISBN-10
0-89676-262-9

$49.95

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Janet Arnold (1932-1998) was a dress historian, artist, fashion designer and teacher who pioneered research into the cut and construction of clothes from the 16th to the early 20th century. Her studies revealed invaluable information on the clothing of the past, and her publications on the sartorial details and patterns of historical dress continue to have a profound impact on many disciplines and institutions, academic and creative. Her patterns and drawings remain a primary source for designers of costume for the stage, film and television, and her research proves indispensable to art historians interpreting portraiture and genre painting, as well as to conservators for the physical analysis and identification of surviving dress. For over a decade, Janet Arnold collaborated with the conservation department of Palazzo Pitti’s Galleria del Costume in Florence, contributing her expertise on historical dress. There she actively participated in the lengthy and difficult process of documenting and conserving the 16th century burial clothes from the Medici tombs, writing several publications and giving many lectures about the project. Her books are essential tools for the study of dress and have been used throughout the world.

Amazon Reviews:

“Not just A  but The must-have for serious costumers. The Patterns of Fashion series is pretty much the grail of historical costuming from the Renaissance onward and this last (sadly posthumously published) book in the series actually blows the preceding three away. ”

“At last, the long-awaited book has been released. Although this book is a culmination of twenty years of Miss Arnold’s work, it is not the last word, rather it is the first word for inquiry and investigation. It is an inspiration for any costumer, sewer, researcher or any interested in period construction and history.”

“This book is a really wonderful present for all costumers and especially for those who is familiar with excellent quality of Janet Arnold’s books. Not only does Patterns of Fashion 4 have all the values of previous Arnold’s publications, it has more!”

“Recreationer’s Dream. You cannot do better than a Janet Arnold book for period recreation of clothing.”

“Wonderful resource for costumers. This book is an absolute must for anyone creating period clothing. Janet Arnold’s research is thorough and her notations and construction information is invaluable to those seeking reliable, dependable information.”

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At last, the long-awaited book has been released.

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You cannot do better than a Janet Arnold book.

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An absolute must…