Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An expanded and updated edition of this collection of drawings which ranges over ten centuries of English historical costume. Designed for quick reference, the book is divided into the reigns of the monarchs, with notes to pinpoint specific features such as fabric, decoration, accessories and cut.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This "complete guide to English costume design and history" by the author of Fashion Sketchbook, 1920-1960 (1977) and The Chronicle of Western Fashion (CH, Oct'91) is essentially the same as his Costume, 1066-1966 (1986), with six pages added to treat the additional years to 1993. It consists of 500 black-and-white sketches arranged eight to the page (four male, four female) chronologically within the reigns of the English monarchs. The first 11 monarchs (through 1377) are allotted one page each plus cloaks and mantles. After that, more space is needed--e.g., Elizabeth has seven pages, subdated. The well-drawn sketches are nicely detailed and include hand-printed annotations. However, the author's claim that a reader can follow a garment's evolution "from its conception to its full blossoming" is overstated. Many garments lack names. Visible undergarments that inform the silhouette or are part of fashion, such as the kirtle and the doublet, are ignored. All the clothes are of the rich, but Peacock makes no distinction between noble and commoner or formal and street dress. This work is far from being a complete guide as stated, but it is valuable as an overview of fashion garments, trims, and accessories within each period. As such it is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate theater programs and related two-year technical programs. Z. H. Weisfeld; emeritus, University of Michigan