Evening Dress
by Alexandra Black
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alexandra BlackEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-11-13
ISBN: 0847826481
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Rizzoli
Book Reviews of Evening Dress
Book Review: Beautiful but disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
I would absolutely agree that this book is beautiful, lavishly illustrated and elegantly produced. The text is well-written and informative, too.
However, as a self-styled 'history of the evening dress', it is far from comprehensive and does much less than the title suggests. The author deals with pre-twentieth century fashions - everything from the Ancient Egyptian to the late-Victorian - in what is, in effect, merely an extended prologue. Early designers like Charles Worth and Rose Bertin are skimmed over or ignored entirely. Nor do the illustrations in this section particularly excite me - one only needs to think of the sheer volume of exquisite fashion plates and period portraits by the likes of Lawrence, Winterhalter, Sargent and Boldini which could have been employed so much more effectively than the images appearing here.
The main body of the book only deals in detail with post-WWI fashion - each decade, from the Twenties onwards, merits an individual chapter. Although, for the simple reason of space, this makes sense, I'm frankly incredulous that the elegant and extravagant Edwardian Era - the age of Poiret, Lucile and the Callot Soeurs - rates only the briefest of mentions.
High quality images of vintage gowns from top-notch museum collections are employed throughout the book but the choice is once again both disappointing and limited - I'm familiar with many of the collections in question and the dresses featured are neither beautiful or inspiring, particularly in relation to some of the gems that were by-passed. Ultimately, however, this could simply be a matter of personal taste. More irritatingly, in a book that professes to be a 'history', an inordinate amount of space is devoted to contemporary takes on the flapper frock and Seventies disco number. This is all very well in an issue of 'Vogue' but I'd have liked to have seen much more emphasis on what was ACTUALLY worn back then, rather than on modern interpretations.
'Evening Dress' will look lovely on a coffee table. But, as a serious history, it falls far short of the mark.
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