Costume: Fanciful, Historical and Theatrical

In Short

This book acts as a curated companion to the history of Western and select Oriental dress, blending historical observation with practical advice for the modern reader. By examining the structural evolution of garments—from the wimple of the thirteenth century to the elaborate bustles of the Victorian era—the author frames clothing as one of the essential fine arts. It serves both as a scholarly reference for those interested in period aesthetics and as a helpful guide for anyone navigating the specific demands of theatrical productions or fancy-dress balls.

The Story

The narrative begins with a philosophical premise: that the essence of any historical period is captured primarily by its approach to hair and sleeves. From this starting point, the text embarks on a chronological journey through the centuries. It opens in the classic era, moving through the medieval period, where the author highlights the introduction of the wimple—a garment described as both coquettish and demure—and the absurdity of peak-toed boots that required stuffing with tow.

As the journey progresses into the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the focus shifts to the increasing obsession with embroidery, the emergence of the pelisse, and the competitive display of wealth through gold tracing and fur trimming. The sixteenth century marks a period of revolutionary change, particularly in the Tudor era, where detachable sleeves and elaborate, non-functional footwear like the chopine—imported from Italy and Turkey—began to dictate the movements of the wearer. The narrative does not shy away from the discomfort inherent in these fashions, noting that as the centuries passed, the demands of elegance increasingly disregarded the ease of the body.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are characterized by an escalation in vanity and artifice. The author details the towering coiffures that required women to sleep with their heads in baskets, the heavy use of patches, and the widespread reliance on white lead and rouge. The Victorian era is then presented as an "Everything-arian" period, a chaotic yet fascinating mix of revivalism that scavenged styles from all previous centuries.

Finally, the book turns its gaze toward the practical and the performative. It examines the distinct national identities expressed through peasant dress, such as the Castilian bolero or the Tartar’s silk robes, before pivoting to the specialized world of theatrical costume. Here, the author reconciles the demands of the stage with historical accuracy, sharing anecdotes from the dressing rooms of great actors like Sir Henry Irving. The story concludes with the assertion that the "right" costume is always the most effective, leaving the reader with the sense that while fashions are fleeting, the principles of grace and appropriateness remain the true north of the sartorial arts.

How It Unfolds

The philosophical foundation The author establishes that costume is a fine art, asserting that the character of an era is best understood through the specific ways people style their hair and choose their sleeves. This sets the stage for a study that balances historical fact with aesthetic analysis.

Tracing the medieval and Tudor evolutions The text moves through the centuries, documenting the shift from simple linen coverings to the complex, slashed, and padded sleeves of the Tudors. It highlights the tension between the desire for beauty and the frequent, often comical, inconveniences of high fashion.

The height of artificiality The narrative explores the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, focusing on the extreme measures taken for appearance, including the use of high, stilted shoes and massive, gravity-defying head-dresses. These chapters serve to illustrate how far society was willing to sacrifice comfort for the sake of the prevailing trend.

Cultural and regional variance The book expands its scope to include the dress of various European and Oriental peasantries, providing a sharp contrast to the elite fashions discussed earlier. This highlights the practical ingenuity of traditional clothing and the distinct motifs that define cultural identity.

The theatrical mirror The final movement examines how theater reflects and preserves the history of costume. By consulting the wisdom of actors and designers, the author argues that stage dress serves as a vital record and a practical masterclass in the principles of visual storytelling.

The People

The book is populated by figures who exemplify the tensions of their times. King John appears as a pivotal, if thrifty, arbiter of style, bestowing fur trimmings upon his queen, Isabella of Angoulême, whose fashions defined the era. Chaucer serves as the literary witness to the transition from the wimple to the veil, bridging the gap between historical record and cultural commentary.

The figures of the later centuries, such as the French court mistresses—Mlle. de Ninon and Madame de Montespan—are presented as the primary drivers of fashion, as their personal preferences dictated the naming of coiffures and caps for the rest of society. The Mandarin class of China stands as a counterpoint to Western fluidity, their strict hierarchy expressed through the precise color and shape of buttons on their hats.

Finally, the great actor-manager Sir Henry Irving emerges as the guiding voice for the modern age. His insistence that the "right" thing is the most becoming provides the book with its central moral anchor, suggesting that even in the theater, the most effective costumes are those that honor the personality of the character rather than the demands of the trend.

In Its Own Voice

The author acknowledges the difficulty of balancing historical accuracy with the practical requirements of modern costuming.

"A few practical details and suggestions are included in the hope that they may obviate some difficulties of those who fret their hour on the stage or at the fancy-dress ball."

Regarding the extreme and often absurd lengths to which fashion trends would go, the author notes the physical consequences of the seventeenth-century obsession with height.

"The height of the chopines served to indicate rank, and some were of such monstrous inconvenience that they necessitated their wearer being supported on either side while she walked."

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an inquiry into the relationship between the individual and the costume they inhabit. It argues that fashion is not merely a superficial pursuit but a language of status, geography, and personal identity. The author explores the recurring struggle between the desire for aesthetic perfection and the physical reality of the human form, questioning why societies consistently favor "the preposterous" over the practical. Ultimately, the work serves as a defense of costume as a fine art, suggesting that the "right" dress is one that achieves a harmony between the wearer's personality and the historical or dramatic context. It challenges the reader to look past the "tawdry load" of fashion and find the underlying principles of grace.

Why Read It Today

Readers with a penchant for historical detail, social history, or theater design will find this a rewarding, unpretentious guide. The prose is warm and conversational, making it feel less like a dry academic textbook and more like a long, knowledgeable chat with a friend who has spent years in the archives. It is particularly valuable for anyone who enjoys seeing how the "mincing steps" of the past echo in our modern understanding of style.

However, readers should be prepared for the author’s occasionally opinionated tone, which reflects the attitudes of the early twentieth century. There is an unapologetic focus on the Western tradition, and some of the descriptions of "foreign" peasants or Oriental dress are filtered through the lens of a colonial-era worldview, which may strike the modern reader as dated or reductive. Despite this, the book remains a fascinating time capsule. The length is substantial but never daunting, as the chapters are broken into manageable, topic-specific segments. You will walk away with a new eye for the architecture of a sleeve, the history of a hat, and the realization that the "fretful hour" of dressing for a ball or a stage is a tradition as old as humanity itself.