Janet Arnold (1932–1998)

Finally it has arrived! After waiting for over 10 years (due to the untimely, some may say inconsiderate, death of Janet Arnold in 1998) this book has been at last been published. And it has colored pictures! I am sure that I am not the only person who greatly appreciates the work of Jenny Tiramani, Janet's last pupil, and Santina M Levey that made the publication of this book possible.

As with the other Patterns of Fashion books the first half is a bit of history and then visual sources show more (portraits and photos of garments) with the second half of the book being devoted to the detailed drawings of the 85 pieces of clothing that are documented. If you liked Janet’s other Pattern of Fashion books you will not be disappointed.

I was pleased to find that the pickadil (stiff collar) for the woman’s loose silk gown c 1610-1615 that appears in the other Patterns of Fashion for this period was included in this book. I am making the same loose gown for my Mother to wear to my wedding in the fall of 2009, and now I may even make the pickadil that goes with it. I am especially happy with the fact that there are 11 ‘supporters, underproppers, pickadils and rebatos’ included in the book. I have been playing with the idea of making a rebatos with electro-luminescent wire (‘cause every girl needs an outfit that requires batteries) so this book will be a good starting point for that.

Looking at the pictures of the clothing it just makes you think WOW, what work went into them, the hours that it must have taken and the care that there were given to still exist after all these years. show less

A feast of delectible information about Elizabethan and Jacobean smocks etc. Absolutely wonderful for the inner Elizabethan textile geek. Has details of coifs, smocks, and even a sweet bag I had not seen before. Color pictures and scale diagrams, oh my!

This review is for the extended and revised edition of Patterns of Fashion 2.
Drafted from excisting ladies garments from 1860-1940 there are "patterns". Also there are colour fotographs of these garments, explanations of stitches used, pictures of contemporary persons in similar garments, fotographs of insides and linings in garments. If you want to compare a garment you have to try and date it; this is an exellent book. If you are a professional seamstress or tailor aiming at recreating show more similar garments this is an exellent book. If you are a beginner to sewing and want costumes like these then you need to complement this with other books and preferably an experienced seewer to guide you, but this book is still a wonderful inspiration. show less

This book has rapidly become the standard when it comes to information about Elizabethan clothing. The focus is on the wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth I, with a listing of her clothing and personal wardrobe inventories. It includes detailed photos of extant garments and photos of paintings, both those seen in other books, and some seen only here. There are photos of grave monuments, with details of the clothing depicted there, so there is a wealth of information that can be applied to non-royal show more garments of this time, as well. Anyone doing Elizabethan re-enactment, making clothing compatible with this time period, or simply wanting to understand what it meant to be Queen from a material point of view needs this book. show less