Research Guides: THEA 3541: Theatre Costume Design: Books

Books and Ebooks

When searching for reference images or information about costumes through the ages, books are a great place to start. This list is only a starting point, not a complete list of library books on the subject. To find other books on this subject, use the instructions at the bottom of this page.

Costume Design Resources

Character Costume Figure Drawing (Print Book) by Tan Huaixiang
Publication Date: 2004
This text presents drawing instruction with detailed break downs of various types of characters. Maternal? Elderly? Sassy? Sexy? It all starts with body proportion, bone structure, body masses, the facial expressions, the hands, and the feet. Hats, props, fabrics, and choice of medium are all thoroughly covered to ensure your ability to develop convincing life-like characters.
Costumes for the Stage: A Complete Handbook for Every Kind of Play (Ebook) by Sheila Jackson
Publication Date: 2001
For anyone producing costumes on a small budget, whether for schools, colleges, or amateur, semi-professional or professional groups, this basic introduction offers practical advice for every kind of play, together with drawings, diagrams, and patterns from which to work. It includes sections on Greek plays, medieval miracles, and mysteries, Shakespeare, 17th-century, 18th-century, Victorian and Edwardian costume. Each section covers the details of men's and women's clothes and accessories, as well as methods for adapting and simplifying the style of the period.
Elegantly Frugal Costumes (Print Book) by Shirley Dearing
Publication Date: 1992
Everything you need to know about making costumes for plays, pageants, musicals...at minimum expense.
Handbook of Techniques for Theatre Designers (Print Book) by Colin Winslow
Publication Date: 2011
Theatre designers need to be proficient in an extraordinarily diverse range of skills to carry out their work. They are expected to be able to draw, both creatively and technically, to be able to use colour imaginatively, to make accurate scale models of their set designs, to design costumes, whether of a specific period, modern or entirely fantastical, to understand the relationship of their work to stage lighting, and to be able to use computer-technology in creative and imaginative ways.

Historical Costume Resources

Children's Costume: The Complete Historical Sourcebook (Print Book) by John Peacock
Publication Date: 2009
John Peacock charts the development of every kind and style of apparel from earliest times to the present day, for both boys and girls. The hundreds of specially drawn illustrations reproduce in meticulous detail a host of examples from every era of children's clothing: the fringed and tasseled outerwear of Eastern antiquity, medieval tunics and fur-trimmed hats, exquisite seventeenth-century miniature gowns, delicate nineteenth-century printed cotton dresses and slippers, and the denim sportswear of our own time.
Complete Costume Dictionary (Ebook) by Elizabeth J. Lewandowski
Publication Date: 2011
This book is also available in print.
While there are costume and fashion dictionaries tied to specific countries or periods, none have been comprehensive. In The Complete Costume Dictionary, Elizabeth Lewandowski has collected from a variety of sources--including costume history texts, journal articles, historical publications, autobiographies, biographies, foreign language dictionaries, and contemporary publications--to create a resource that spans the globe, from the earliest record of fashion to the 21st century.
Dictionary of Fashion History (Print Book) by Valerie Cumming, C.W. Cunnington, and P.E. Cunnington
Publication Date: 2010
The Dictionary of Fashion History completely updates and supplements this landmark work to bring it up to the present day. Featuring additional terms and revised definitions, this new edition represents an essential reference for costume historians, students of fashion, or anyone involved in creating period costume for theatre, film or television.
Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion (Print Book) by Valerie Steele
Publication Date: 2004
This reference set provides information on all aspects of clothing and adornment in human culture, from ancient Egyptian wigs to space suits. From ritual garments in societies around the world to fashion models flashing the latest styles on Parisian runways, articles cover the technology, design, and social meaning of dress throughout history. Longer essays on cultural groups and eras appear along side shorter profiles of important people, institutions, textiles, or accessories in a convenient, A-Z sequence.
Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion (Print Book) by Joanne B. Eicher and Doran H. Ross (Editors)
Publication Date: 2011
The 10-volume Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion is the first comprehensive reference work to explore all aspects of dress and fashion globally, from pre-history to the present day. Arranged geographically and written by an international team of experts, the Encyclopedia will serve as the go-to source for all issues relating the art and anthropology of costume, dress, and fashion the world over for students, scholars, members of the design and fashion industries, and fashion aficionados for years to come.
Handbook of Costume Drawing (Ebook) by Georgia Baker
Publication Date: 2013
The first edition is available in print.
Perfect for students of costume design and history, A Handbook of Costume Drawing illustrates and describes the dominant male and female costume silhouettes for major historical periods ranging from Egyptian dynasties through the 1960s.
Historical Encyclopedia of Costumes (Print Book) by Albert Racinet
Publication Date: 1988
Organized into four principal sections with a scope ranging from the ancient world to the nineteenth century, this illustrated volume offers a detailed accounting of men's and women's clothing, both fashions and formal wear as well as everyday garb.

Finding Books

This list is only a starting point of commonly used books in this area, not a complete list of library books on the subject. To find other books on this subject, use the search box on the library's homepage. To find other books on this subject, use the search box on the library's homepage. The search box defaults to OneSearch. To look for books, toggle over to Books. This will limit your search to books and ebooks.

Finding Books: UVU Fulton Library Homepage
Use the search box on the library's homepage to search for more books. Enter a few search terms, a title, or an author into the box, then hit enter or click the magnifying glass. Once your search runs, you can filter your results by clicking the All Filters button, located just below the search box.

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