Dresses and Dressmaking

Examining how dress evolved over the long nineteenth century, between the French Revolution and the First World War, Pam Inder explores the history behind how women’s clothing was manufactured and worn. Focusing on specific examples and particular details such as the fabric, cut, trimming and stitching, Dresses and Dressmakingshows how techniques and styles in women’s clothing developed. Including full-colour photography of various outfits, including accessories and undergarments, Inder puts the costumes into historical context, featuring information on those who created or wore them – a dress worn by a devout Quaker, a nursing dress worn by a farmer’s wife, a badly made dress worn (and hated) by the daughter of a social reformer, a mourning outfit cobbled together from two separate dresses and an outfit worn by a teenage suffragette. Exploring fashion and how it reflects changes in trade, technological developments, social attitudes and lifestyle, as well as how fashion was portrayed by writers and cartoonists of the era, this is a fascinating, lavishly illustrated guide to changes and developments in women’s fashion.