Encyclopedia of National Dress: Traditional Clothing around the World [2 volumes]

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

This two-volume set presents information and images of the varied clothing and textiles of cultures around the world, allowing readers to better appreciate the richness and diversity of human culture and history. The contributors to Encyclopedia of National Dress: Traditional Clothing around the World examine clothing that is symbolic of the people who live in regions all over the world, providing a historical and geographic perspective that illustrates how people dress and explains the reasons behind the material, design, and style. The encyclopedia features a preface and introduction to its contents. Each entry in the encyclopedia includes a short historical and geographical background for the topic before discussing the clothing of people in that country or region of the world. This work will be of great interest to high school students researching fashion, fashion history, or history as well as to undergraduate students and general readers interested in anthropology, textiles, fashion, ethnology, history, or ethnic dress.

Reviews

Matters of race, gender, and class form part of the content in each entry, since those elements may be differentiated, depending on the country, by garments, jewelry, accessories, makeup, body paint, and body modifications. . . . Recommended. * Choice *
This work has many strengths. It makes it clear from the start that most examples of clothes preserved in museums around the world belonged to the aristocracy and the elite, and are not representative of what ordinary citizens would wear. . . . [F]or those looking for an addition to their fashion or general history collection, this is an excellent, accessible, and affordable option. * Reference Reviews *
Traditional costumes from more than 130 nations, regions, and islands are detailed in 80-plus entries. The basic entry format is an overview of the nation's history and geography, a synopsis of typical style of clothing for men and women, and, in some cases, mention of jewelry, special occasion/regional dress, and body modification/body art. The nontechnical, straightforward material is written by specialists, such as fashion historians and museum curators, many of whom reside in the country of which they write. Articles of clothing are well described and often accompanied by black-and-white photographs. * Library Journal *
Overall, the Encyclopedia of National Dress offers a good introduction to an important visual marker of any cultural group's clothing. * ARBA *

Author Bio

Jill Condra is an independent author and editor. She has taught in the area of clothing and textiles history at the University of British Columbia, the University of Prince Edward Island, and the University of Manitoba.