Rare Bustle Era Fashion Resources Now Available
June 24, 2004 -- Lavolta Press is proud to announce the publication of _Fashions of the Gilded Age_, a two-volume anthology edited by Frances Grimble. _Fashions of the Gilded Age_ is a self-contained resource for theatrical costumers, reenactors, doll artists, and needleworkers who reproduce period garments. It makes hundreds of rare patterns and illustrations available at a fraction of the cost of originals, and at a lower cost than a wardrobe of full-size reproduction patterns. And it is a valuable tool for collectors and costume historians who identify, date, and research vintage clothes, accessories, or patterns.
Fashions of the Gilded Age_ contains a complete wardrobe of authentic women's styles from the late 1870s and early 1880s. The 343 patterns and 798 illustrations are selected from numerous original sources. Volume 1 includes patterns for corsets, bustles, lingerie, skirts, day bodices, evening bodices, overskirts, polonaises, and day dresses. Volume 2 focuses on evening dresses, ball gowns, wedding dresses, riding habits, bathing costumes, and outerwear. It also includes millinery, accessories of all types, and needlework trimmings created by such techniques as embroidery and crochet. Each pattern is accompanied by practical instructions, and often by an exquisite fashion plate. Extensive quotes from fashion magazines and etiquette manuals give in-depth information on construction, materials, trimmings, and wardrobe planning. Volume 2 includes an illustrated 87-page manual, created for this book, on 1870s and 1880s dressmaking and millinery techniques. Although enthusiasts will want both volumes, each can be purchased and used independently.
The author says, "Fashion was international. The same patterns, fashion plates, and dressmaking instructions were published in the United States, Germany, and other countries. A large part of my anthology is based on a rare German pattern book, _Vollständige Schule der Damenschneiderei_. I had it translated into English for the first time. It uses apportioning scales, special rulers that enable you to easily enlarge patterns to a custom size without doing arithmetic. A full set of scales is printed in each volume.
"I also used 112 issues of _Harper's Bazar_, the premier Victorian American fashion magazine. Their oversized supplements are densely printed with overlapping patterns--they look like road maps. Today the supplements are desirable collectibles. But they are scarce, expensive, and fragile; and the patterns are hard to puzzle out. For _Fashions of the Gilded Age_, I disentangled and redrew the patterns. I wrote step-by-step instructions for enlarging them with a projector and by gridding.
"Other sources include numerous other fashion magazines, drafting manuals, and sewing manuals. Most information from them has not been widely available since its first publication."
Frances Grimble is the author of four previous books: _After a Fashion_, _Reconstruction Era Fashions_, _The Voice of Fashion_, and _The Edwardian Modiste_. Over 60 of her articles have appeared in national magazines, such as _Threads_, _Sew News_, and _Antique Trader Weekly_. Since 1972 she has collected vintage clothing, reproduced historic styles, and studied related fashion publications.
Each volume of _Fashions of the Gilded Age_ can be purchased separately for $49 in bookstores, or ordered from Lavolta Press at 20 Meadowbrook Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132.
_Fashions of the Gilded Age, Volume 1
Undergarments, Bodices, Skirts, Overskirts, Polonaises, and Day Dresses 1877-1882_
Edited and with additional material by Frances Grimble
Publication date: June 2004
8 1/2" x 11" quality paperback
469 pages, 200 line illustrations, 160 patterns
Glossary, bibliography, 2 indexes, apportioning scales, metric conversion table
ISBN: 0-9636517-5-7
LCCN: 2003114921
$49 for volume 1 only (plus sales tax for California consumers)
$4 shipping (for book post within the US), $6 shipping for both volumes together
_Fashions of the Gilded Age, Volume 2
Evening, Bridal, Sports, Outerwear, Accessories, and Dressmaking 1877-1882_
Edited and with additional material by Frances Grimble
Publication date: June 2004
8 1/2" x 11" quality paperback
541 pages, 598 line illustrations, 184 patterns
Glossary, bibliography, 2 indexes, apportioning scales, metric conversion table
ISBN: 0-9636517-6-5
LCCN: 2003114921
$49 for volume 2 only (plus sales tax for California consumers)
$4 shipping (for book post within the US), $6 shipping for both volumes together
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