I'd Like to Gauge Your Interest

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This is probably a little premature, but.  This week at my internship, I looked at dresses.  I looked at all the dresses.  I've got a shortlist of cool garments for the upcoming exhibition, although it's a bit of a joke to call it a shortlist since it's far too long and I'm going to have to cut out so many.  Anyway, some of these dresses are so cool that I really want to take patterns of them and share them with the world.  I'm emailing my supervisor to find out if there's a possibility of publishing them in conjunction with the exhibition.

So, what I'm wondering is: how interested would you be in buying a book of ten to twenty (depending on if we were to go with only the dresses in the exhibition, or those plus some other very cool ones that there just isn't enough space for) Janet Arnold-type pattern diagrams from a range of about two centuries?  If so, would being able to see the dresses and ensembles in person make you more likely to attend an exhibition in Albany, NY, even if that entailed some travel?

Comments

  1. Sanna KFebruary 17, 2012 at 12:28 AM

    I sure would buy one with 18th century/19th century patterns!

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  2. KristinFebruary 17, 2012 at 7:02 AM

    I'm really only interested in the 18th century, but would certainly buy such a book, especially if they haven't been seen by the world!

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    1. CassidyFebruary 17, 2012 at 5:38 PM

      I do have to admit that there are really only a couple of 18thc candidates at the moment. Depending on the possibility of adding others just for the patterns (esp. if there are some copyright issues with the later ones), though, I would definitely go with the sacque and the transitional 1790s gown.

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  3. JenniFebruary 17, 2012 at 10:20 AM

    If the two centuries you're talking about are 18th-19th, I'd totally buy that book!

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    1. CassidyFebruary 17, 2012 at 10:53 AM

      I think it would probably be mostly 19th - I'm not sure what's going to be in the show yet, but if we were to go with the extended selection I would want to include the nice française and the transitional 1790s gown. Apart from that, there are a couple of early 1780s gowns, but they're not really exceptional. 19th, though, there are a lot of choices!

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    2. CassidyFebruary 17, 2012 at 8:12 PM

      It would go into the 20thc, though, lest I sound like the selection is only Victorian.

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  4. AshFebruary 17, 2012 at 3:26 PM

    I'm ALWAYS in favour of more pattern books, but I'd be especially interested if they were at least partially patterns that don't already exist - if they were reasonably similar garments to what's already in Janet Arnold, say, I'd be less interested than if they were very different

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    1. CassidyFebruary 17, 2012 at 4:50 PM

      I might bring Arnold 'n' Waugh along with me when I go next week in order to gauge how similar the garments are, but I think the most striking are pretty unique.

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  5. Thread-HeadFebruary 18, 2012 at 1:42 PM

    I would totally buy a copy in the 18th-19th range as well. Will the 19th century offerings be evenly spaced throughout the century or will it be heavier in one direction or the other?

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    1. CassidyFebruary 18, 2012 at 2:35 PM

      I can't really say as yet. My preference would be for them to be evenly spaced, and if we were to use some non-exhibition garments to fill out the book (either because the later garments are under copyright or to take advantage of the potential space) I would try to fill in the gaps. For example, there's a beautiful ca. 1820 dress that's in the museum's main catalogue, so it probably won't be shown, but I'd definitely want to use that if possible.

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  6. ZipZipFebruary 18, 2012 at 5:40 PM

    Dear Mimic-of-Modes,
    Yes, I'd be interested too, especially in the transitional dress and anything 1780s or a little out of the ordinary in the 19th century. Also, and I am aware just how tough this can be, information a la Costume Close Up about what stitches are used when in a garment is key, because it can change the look of a garment in subtle ways.

    Very exciting!

    Sorry to be such a late commenter; I've been offline sneezing for awhile :}

    Very best,

    Natalie

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    1. CassidyFebruary 18, 2012 at 9:59 PM

      Responses at any time are welcome!

      I find the transitional dress v. v. interesting - it has a lot of pleating, and the sleeves have that curved 1780s shape - so it's high on my list for "take the pattern even if it doesn't get in the exhibition". I would definitely try for as much construction information as possible!

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