PAGE TURNERS
Learn about the progression of clothing and decoration through history in this new reference guide
KRITTIYA WONGTAVAVIMARN
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| A diagram showing how the `kira' is worn over a petticoat and a long-sleeved blouse. |
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| The daily dress of Taquile Island, Peru. The men usually wear a shirt beneath the full, cream-coloured outer garment. Only married women wear a red top. Beneath the wife's outer skirt, she wears two to four additional coloured underskirts, necessary attire in a cold climate. |
A Berber woman from an Alt Hadiddu village high in Morocco's Atlas Mountains wears a traditional weft-striped hooded cloak that identifies her group. She wears a necklace composed of large amber and coral beads and embossed silver amulets around her neck. |
A young Eskimo girl is encased in fur. |
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| An Indian girl displays her many glass bangle bracelets, as well as her rickrack- and lace-trimmed dress. |
Young women of Himalayan kingdoms are attired in `kira', which they normally put on only once or twice a year. The ornate jackets are constructed of silk brocade from Hong Kong. `Rachu' (red ceremonial shoulder cloths) are draped around their necks. |
Some 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, prehistoric man discovered that by manipulating plant stems, he was able to make long, sturdy string, and those cords were used to create aprons and hats - the earliest recognisable forms of fibre-based clothing. Since then, people all over the world have been using plant fibres and animal materials - from bark, cotton and silk to wool, fur and feathers - to create beautiful garments and accessories.
From ancient Egyptian linen shifts, woollen Roman togas, ancient Japanese kimonos, to Indian saris, African ceremonial cloths and Middle Eastern burqas, The Worldwide History of Dress comprehensively covers costumes of every notable historical region, period and style.
With over 1,000 illustrations that reveal the sheer range of global clothing traditions, the book's 608 pages discuss all aspects of dress and body decorations from basic clothing to footwear, outerwear, jewellery, and face and body modification. The book also tells the story of the ethnographic clothing that indigenous people have been pounding, curing, weaving, embroidering, beading and dyeing for millennia.
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THE WORLDWIDE
HISTORY OF DRESS
By Patricia Rieff Anawalt, Thames and Hudson, 608pp, 3,695 baht
ISBN 978-0-500-51363-7
Available at Asia Books
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Additionally, The Worldwide History of Dress is a useful reference for the historical backgrounds of each region. There are also diagrams that explain how garments were worn, and line drawings that illustrate traditional motifs and designs.
Additional maps appear for each region, showing the various places and peoples mentioned in that particular section, allowing the reader to better understand the development of an area's clothing customs.
Religious, spiritual and cultural customs are also covered, showing how apparel has long been intrinsic to each particular way of life.
Details are given for each region's terrain and climate to facilitate an understanding of the development of that area's clothing customs.
The book finishes with an extensive reference section. This treasure trove of information truly is a useful reference for the subject.
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