Patterns of Fashion

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:D - Rated
When I bought this book, everyone were warning me that it was far too technical, and that it is on a too high level for a novice. For me, that was not the case. I had not been sewing much when I got the book, and in my opinion, it was still extremely useful. I have learned a lot since then, and it's still useful.

A wonderful classic of costume research - Rated
Starts with an overwiev, in pictures and text, of the fashion of the time in question. Then comes precise linedrawings of the garments and descriptive texts. But the most unique to Janet Arnold are the diagrammes who's gridnet and detailed descriptions, have set a standard for other costume historians.

The garments documented were once made to fit their original owners. If one wishes to make copies or similar clothes one must bee patient and have considerable skills, some helpful advice is included at the end of this book. But I would advice any enthusiastic novice, to gather more information and get help from an experienced sewer.

Janet Arnold has written two more books with the same concept, Patterns of Fashion [1 and 2], the cut and....
Her three books may favourably bee paired with: Historical fashion in detail : the 17th and 18th centuries, by Avril Hart and Susan North. Where some garments are the same as in Arnolds books, but here documented mainly with beatuiful colour photographs, some very close up.

extremely accurate, detailed and well illustrated. - Rated
This book is the best of all the period costume books, since it relies only on evidence gleamed from real clothes from the 1500's and 1600's.The patterns are not stylised or changed in any way, and once made up the clothes look as the author intended; accurate to the period they belong to.I would recommend this book to anyone who is tired of finding books with 'guessed-at' patterns in them; I believe this is the book every avid period costume maker should have!Well worth the money.

excellent source for the designing of clothes - Rated
This book is excellent for showing exactly what the title suggests, the cut and construction of clothes. It is not a how-to book, but if you already know how to sew, this will tell you where the seams need to be. It is also interesting to note how much piecing they did and exactly how things were laced and where they were buttoned. I have found the book focuses more heavily on the latter half of the dates, at or after 1600. Despite the lack of information regarding undergarments, ruffs, and the like, this book would be a valuable asset to any recreationist's library.

Warning: Extremely technical - Rated
This book is very technical, and not for a beginning tailor. However it is an excellent idea sourcebook for anyone recreating Tudor and Elizabethan costumes. Janet Arnold was able to examine surviving pieces of clothing from this period, and has given scaled pattern layouts for many of the garments.