Some time ago (right about the time of the blog switchover) didyoumakeit left a comment on my old blog asking me:
“I am looking for resources for 16th-century Venice fashion and wondered if there are any books you can recommend? Thank you so much.”
After loosing the comment in the blog switchover, I’ve finally found it again and am answering it.
Or not.
Because I don’t really know much about anything earlier than 18th century.
But I can direct my readers to my shiny new Resources page. It’s still in progress, but I’m adding new information all the time.
And for didyoumakeit’s specific query, I direct her to the Grand-Mistress of 16th century Venetian style, Kendra of Demode, and her 16th century Venetian dress diaries (with bibliographies)
Portrait of a Venetian Woman, last half of the 16th century
There is one book I know of that may touch on the subject, but it’s out of print and expensive and difficult to find. “Dress in Renaissance Italy: 1400-1500” by Jacqueline Herald.
http://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-Dress-Italy-1400-1500-History/dp/0391023624/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281499154&sr=8-1-spell
The other books I know about that deal with Italian Renaissance costume deal with Florentine costume, not Venetian.
Oh, wait, I do know of a book about Renaissance Venetian clothing: Stella Mary Newton’s “The Dress of the Venetians, 1495-1525” (Pasold Studies in Textile History).
http://www.amazon.com/Venetians-1495-1525-Studies-Textile-History/dp/0859677354/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281499281&sr=1-3
This one’s out of print and expensive too, but not as expensive as the Herald book.
Fantastic! I don’t have to know the answers to questions because someone else is an expert! Thank you so much!
Can I suggest a resource?
http://www.kostym.cz
One of the few fantastic Czech sites on historical costumes, and in English just as well as Czech.
Wow! That site is amazing, fantastic! What a fabulous, fabulous resource! It’s now added to my resource page (along with your blog!). Thank you so much for introducing me to it!
Just a warning: I noticed the materials in PDF are only in Czech. But the amount of extant clothes and patterns makes it a fabulous source just as well. 🙂
And thank you for including me. That’s QUITE AN HONOR!