Review by Booklist Review
What People Wore When combines the studies of two classic nineteenth-century illustrators, Auguste Racinet and Friedrich Hottenroth. According to the book's introduction, their work is presented first by era and then by subject, so that illustrators, historians, and students can choose to follow the path of fashion through the centuries or study in detail the contrasting styles of individual clothing and accessories. However, because the various drawings and illustrations are not attributed, the volume misses the chance to compare the works of these two famous costume historians. In the first section of the book, The Grammar of Costume, drawings portray the changing trends of fashion worldwide from ancient times to the mid-nineteenth century. The second part, The Elements of Costume, surveys types of clothing and accessories, for example, Women's Dress, 1300-1600 and Regional Headwear. In both sections, cross-references and navigation bars draw attention to recurring motifs. A glossary defines most, but not all, of the terms that are italicized in the text, which was written by leading experts in the field of costume history. Detailed annotations of the drawings and illustrations, along with the glossary and index, provide an interesting study of the vocabulary of style through the ages. A couple of other books that do a good job of covering this broad span of the history of costume include Douglas W. Gorsline's What People Wore: A Visual History from Ancient Times to Twentieth-Century America (1952) and Bronwyn Cosgrave's The Complete History of Costume & Fashion: From Egypt to the Present Day (2000). This book is recommended for most libraries and will be a welcome addition to the holdings of public, school, and academic libraries.--Shonrock, Diana Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Adult/High School-This attractive book will appeal to teens looking for quick answers for a last-minute assignment, and it will also be of interest to budding fashionistas and social historians. Leventon has combined current research on costume and dress through the ages with the detailed beauty of the work of two 19th-century illustrators, Auguste Racinet and Friedrich Hottenroth, to provide a historical and thematic examination of fashion and dress that is both comprehensive and readable. The volume works first and foremost as a reference book, and it is full of informative sidebars and copious cross-references. But it is worth browsing through because it is also full of gorgeous color pictures as well as silhouettes that show the changing shape of clothing and style through time. There is a lot of attention to detail, both visually and textually. The result is an exhaustive, entertaining tome that will be put to good use in reference departments and circulating collections alike.-Caitlin Fralick, Ottawa Public Library, ON (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
