Underwear: Fashion in Detail

I flicked through this book at the V&A museum but the price put me off a bit, I came home and found it on Amazon for much less . I am studying pattern cutting, tailoring and Corsetry at college (as a very mature student)and found every page a joy. It gave me lots of inspiration for trims and finishes as well as different shapes to attempt. Every page is gloriously photographed and there is a diagram of the construction of the garments which gives a wonderful insight into the work involved. It is sheer eyecandy, visually stunning, informative and just makes you sigh with pleasure. For those working in fashion it would be extremely useful as the detail of "what goes underneath" is essential for designing what goes on top. All my college class were impressed with the images and detail. A truly gorgeous book!

I cannot praise this book highly enough. The close up photography is a joy revealing more detail than you would normally see, even on a museum visit. There is enough written information to engage but not overwhelm along with a working drawing to help illustrate the construction techniques. An absolute must buy for anyone with an interest in Historic corsetry or undergarments and a useful resource for costumiers or fashion students/tutors alike.

Absolutely amazing! Cheaper than ones on V&A website too

A delicious book, full of delightfully luscious pictures of clothing in times gone by. The detail is helpful in understanding the clothes worn in the past I am more than happy to own it.

A great book to have for shear enjoyment and as a reference book.

Beautiful, clear, interesting pictures.

Another brilliant book from the V&A. This book is well photograhed and informatively written, with just enough background on the subject matter and details about the garments featured. This is really handy for research into the history of lingerie, as well as wonderfully detailed photographs that are useful and inspirational for the fashion designer. As a corsetier myself, I've found this book really inspiational. It shows examples of garments I have never seen on show at the V&A with enough detail to understand construction techniques and shows some absolutely wonderful examples of historical lingerie. Fabulous as research material, great on the coffee table to look at beautiful things whilst enjoying afternoon tea. X

Has lots of vintage lingerie, but it is not the prettiest stuff I have ever seen. Lots of writing - I prefer these books to be more visual picture books rather than have loads of writing to accompany the pictures. I am not really intersted in the history of the garments, just like looking at the pictures. If only all the lingerie inside was as nice as the corset on the front......