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9781789145298

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[An] entertaining . . . . survey of sartorial masquerade in Britain. -- World of Interiors Based on extensive new research, lucidly written, generously illustrated, this captivating book uncovers the remarkable 'lost' history of fancy dress and reveals its connections to community and national identity. Original, delightful, and unexpectedly topical. --Barbara Burman, coauthor of The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660-1900 In this absorbing and authoritative history, Wilson demonstrates that fancy dress is more than just juvenile playacting or adult escapism. Using rare images and ephemeral artifacts, she unmasks what these disguises (from insects to suffragettes) have revealed about class, race, sexuality, and nationalism, offering insights into modern cosplay and Instagram culture. --Kimberly Chrisman Campbell, author of Worn on This Day: The Clothes That Made History and The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion Wilson's extensive research yields many inventive get-ups. . . . Takes the reader on an entertaining journey . . . [and] does not shy away from the murkier reaches of Britain's fancy-dress history. -- Apollo Full of original material, Dressing Up opens up the world of fancy dress to new interpretations. Ranging across questions of history, identity, aesthetics, and production, Wilson demonstrates the integral role 'costume' played in the social and psychological life of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Britain. Alongside the scholarship, the vivid illustrations and wry anecdotes are priceless. --Christopher Breward, director, National Museums Scotland, author of The Suit: Form, Function and Style

Based on extensive new research, lucidly written, generously illustrated, this captivating book uncovers the remarkable 'lost' history of fancy dress and reveals its connections to community and national identity. Original, delightful, and unexpectedly topical. --Barbara Burman, coauthor of The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660-1900 Full of original material, Dressing Up opens up the world of fancy dress to new interpretations. Ranging across questions of history, identity, aesthetics, and production, Wilson demonstrates the integral role 'costume' played in the social and psychological life of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Britain. Alongside the scholarship, the vivid illustrations and wry anecdotes are priceless. --Christopher Breward, director, National Museums Scotland, author of The Suit: Form, Function and Style

Author Information

Verity Wilson worked at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London for 25 years. She is the author of Chinese Dress (1986) and Chinese Textiles (2004), and lives in Oxford.

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