Henry Poole Co

Known as the founding tailor of Savile Row, Henry Poole & Co. has dressed the world’s most important men and women for over two centuries. Their craft of bespoke tailoring was meticulously documented through the generations in a complete set of ledgers, to which sartorial expert James Sherwood has been granted special access. Telling the story of Poole’s most colorful characters, this fascinating account distills Sherwood’s research into sixty iconic customers. Categorized as Emperors and Maharajas, Kings and Queens, Statesmen and Politicians, Financiers and Millionaires, Artists and Performers, or Heroes and Villains, each client is profiled with details of their signature garment. From artists and writers, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Wilkie Collins, to financiers J. P. Morgan and Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, this book offers a unique window into an establishment at the very heart of nineteenth- and twentieth-century public life. Illustrated with historic portraits and photography of the premises as they are today, this intimate glimpse into the private lives of some of history’s most influential figures is essential reading for anyone interested in Savile Row and the evolution of style.

"The time log was a method of evaluating and paying for the work of tailors and tailoresses, and was an attempt to deal with industrial unrest at the end of the 19th century. Detailed lists of times allocated for the making of designated garments were set out, for example dress and frock coats. In some parts of the country the log created more problems than it solved, but the system was adopted in London and log books were produced for every type of garment including alterations." -- AIM25 description.

Integrating text, photographs, and a companion DVD, Tailoring Techniques for Fashion covers traditional and contemporary design and construction methods for tailored garments from ready-to-wear to couture details. Live demonstrations and hundreds of photographs illustrate step-by-step instructions for constructing a tailored skirt, trousers, jacket, and design details using traditional, fusible, machine, and mass-production methods. A history of the tailoring profession and a survey of contemporary tailoring business practices place these techniques in a professional context. PLEASE NOTE: Purchasing or renting this ISBN does not include access to the STUDIO resources that accompany this text. To receive free access to the STUDIO content with new copies of this book, please refer to the book + STUDIO access card bundle ISBN 9781501309700. STUDIO Instant Access can also be purchased or rented separately on BloomsburyFashionCentral.com.

Queen Alexandra used clothes to fashion images of herself as a wife, a mother and a royal: a woman who both led Britain alongside her husband Edward VII and lived her life through fashion. Inside the Royal Wardrobe overturns the popular portrait of a vapid and neglected queen, examining the surviving garments of Alexandra, Princess of Wales – who later became Queen Consort – to unlock a rich tapestry of royal dress and society in the second half of the 19th century. More than 130 extraordinary garments from Alexandra's wardrobe survive, from sumptuous court dress and politicised fancy dress to mourning attire and elegant coronation gowns, and can be found in various collections around the world, from London, Oslo and Denmark to New York, Toronto and Tokyo. Curator and fashion scholar Kate Strasdin places these garments at the heart of this in-depth study, examining their relationships to issues such as body politics, power, celebrity, social identity and performance, and interpreting Alexandra's world from the objects out. Adopting an object-based methodology, the book features a range of original sources from letters, travel journals and newspaper editorials, to wardrobe accounts, memoirs, tailors' ledgers and business records. Revealing a shrewd and socially aware woman attuned to the popular power of royal dress, the work will appeal to students and scholars of costume, fashion and dress history, as well as of material culture and 19th century history.