Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #400137 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 463 pages

Customer Reviews

A must-have Edwardian reference
I make custom reproduction clothing and I have found The Voice of Fashion to be extremely helpful. The pattern selection is very impressive and attractive. I have the Janet Arnold book and the Norah Waugh book, but this book has many more patterns for this era. I can find one for any style the customer wants, rather than having to take some basic pattern and alter it. I just let them leaf through the book and pick one out. By using the special rulers I can enlarge the pattern to fit any customer with no (or hardly any) alterations-these patterns fit better than most commercial sized patterns. The rulers are easy to use, you just follow the instructions. The book also has instructions for early 20th century sewing methods, and lots of fashion columns on fabrics and trims. I consider it indispensable to my business. If you wanted to make even one period outfit, this book would still probably save you money, because otherwise you'd have to buy separate patterns for the dress, the underclothes, the outer wear etc.

A treasure for living history, but not for the faint of heart
Between this book and Grimble's "Edwardian Modiste", I'll never have to buy another antique "Gibson girl" pattern again. The illustrations in my opinion don't do the dresses justice; the garments themselves are just stunning when you actually make them. Having said that, these patterns are not beginner-friendly. If you want a quick-and-easy Edwardian ensemble you'll be very disappointed because these patterns require a lot of forethought, a lot of time, and a lot of work. They are not the modern "here's-how-to-sew-a-seam" kind of patterns you see commercially available today. Most of the tucks, for example, are not marked, nor are they allowed for in the pattern; you'll have to draft those yourself from scratch. The same thing goes for trimmings, lace insertion, and shirring. Also, very few patterns mark locations for fastenings, and many lack patterns for things like cuffs and collars, which can't always be made from a straight strip of fabric and still look right on the garment. You can substitute collars from other patterns in the book but there's no guarantee that they will fit properly. Plus, the patterns in this book must be scaled according to your measurements, which still involves a good deal of tedious arithmetic even with the "rulers" included with the book. Overall, I love this book to the point that it's starting to fall apart from use. However, the buyer should be aware that the patterns in this book are not for the faint-of-heart or the impatient.

It's not as hard to make these fashions as it first seems to be!
When I first got this book I had a lot of fun just looking at the fashions during that time period. I bought the book to make an outfit for a re-enactment. I read the instructions for using the Diamond Cutting System and the rulers provided on the back pages of the book, and although I read it all through a few times, I was very confused on how to draft the patterns. My sewing experience is limited to following the instructions that come with today's regular tissue patterns. I had never drafted a pattern before. But once I started the "hands on" work it suddenly made sense! I picked up some old curtain materials at garage and rummage sales for my project. I started with the simplest skirts and I even found it very easy to modify the draft to fit irregular body shapes using the rulers which I photocopied from the book, cutted out, and pasted to cardboard. Pattern paper is impossible to find these days therefore I drafted the patterns onto old bedsheets. I also had to use an ordinary carpenter's angle to work with the rulers. The only tool I don't have, which the book tells me that I need, is a scroll or french curve to shape the armholes, neck curves and some skirt curves. To make the skirts I found that I didn't need this curve tool for the simpler patterns. However, once I start into the more complex patterns it will become a necessity. Pattern instructions are scarce, but if you have some sewing experience this fact should not discourage you too much. Yardage required is also seldom given, so you will have to estimate how much you need once you have drafted the patterns - or just buy yards and yards of old curtain material to start with! I so pleased with this book that I intend to make many more outfits than I had originally intended to make before I bought the book!