Janet Wood, our Costume Society Elizabeth Hammond Conservation Grant Co-Ordinator, new book Creating the Perfect Form: How to Interpret and Display Historic Dress is available for pre-order now.
How can the cut of a 19th century gown control its shape? Can you re-create a historic profile from a contemporary mannequin? How can paintings help you analyse historic silhouettes and the corsets and petticoats worn underneath?
Conservation and historic dress display specialist Janet Wood will help you answer all these questions. You'll learn how historic garments can be safely handled and shown to best effect, with insight into the characteristic features of each piece and how to translate them from the garment to a display support.
Concentrating on Western women's wear from 1750–1950, and with over 250 colour images, plus drawings and charts, you'll learn how to interpret an individual garment's display needs and create safe, appropriate display forms.
Our Chair of the Costume Society, Philip Warren says of Janet's excellent new book: "Full of insight and practical guidance expressed clearly and visually, I can't imagine a museum curator with a dress collection or a conservator who works with garments who would not want this on their bookshelves."
Our Vice-Chair Grants & Awards, Dr. Ben Whyman shares: "With concise language and simple visual guides, Janet Wood takes practioners working with textiles and dress on a journey the demystifies and makes accessible effective members for the interpretation and display of garments. Through appreciation for the fall of a sleeve, the heft of a box pleat and a rigorous analysis of underpinning, Wood deftly and creatively guides the novice (with reminders of the skilled) through garment mounting solutions, bringing clothes to life in a sympathetic way."
For more information and to order your copy, visit the Bloomsbury website page now.
