Corsets and Crinolines

"This book was one of the core texts of my costume degree, for good reason! It's invaluable as a source for corset patterns, but they should be taken as an aid to draping rather than to be directly copied or scaled up (unless you are simply making an exact reproduction which is not intended to be modelled.) To take full advantage of the patterns in this book, a beginner will first need to learn how to drape a pattern on a dress stand."
~ Written on 2007-04-01

"This is a neat book to just look at but to someone who has a background in costume it is a reference not to be passed up. The pattens, like almost all old ones, can be confusing and at times inacurate but with experience, they are easily adapted."
~ Written on 1998-07-06

"I heard so much about this book - I guess I had to be disappointed! For starters, it's from 1954, so that was a surprise. The copy I had originally sold for $9.95 - that's about how much I'd pay for it. Some of the historical quotes get a bit tedious, epsecially the ones in french. It's not a bad book, but I've seen better. The patterns included in the book are definately for the experienced sewer (getting the patterns to size can be a real pain) - but that's a standard with these books."
~ Written on 1998-01-15

"This book is the best available for anyone who wishes to make a corset or find the corset's place in history. It is absolutely filled with photographs, illustrations, scale drawings of patterns, and quotes from historical sources. A great read, and a valuable reference."
~ Written on 1997-12-14

"If you are looking for a book with a lot of history and background on both corsets and crinolines this book is very good. It has a lot of great photos and illustrations as well. If you are interested in corset making this is a "must-have" for your library."
~ Written on 1997-12-03