Dictionary of Children's Clothes

Book excerpt: "As with so many aspects of childhood, the changes in Western children's clothing over the last three centuries have been far-reaching and complex. This period has witnessed a gradual shift from dressing children to adult requirements, in multiple layers and formal styles, to the booming, trend-led designer childrens wear market today. 300 years of children's clothes are presented here in a fresh and accessible dictionary format, with detailed entries on over 300 garments from air-raid suits to zouave jackets, all taken from the world's largest and most diverse collection at the VA Museum of Childhood, Many of the garments are beautifully designed and made, from an elaborately embroidered eighteenth-century gown to a simple paper mini dress from the 1960s, and show the colourful and at times innovative history of children's clothing." "Specially commissioned colour photographs sit alongside clear dictionary entries, which include description of appearance and significance, explanation of terms, dates and derivation. These are supplemented by a detailed introduction and contextual images such as sewing and knitting patterns, catalogues, dolls, fashion plates, photographs and paintings. Finally, an illustrated timeline and a series of line drawings stowing the layers of underwear worn by children at different points across the centuries offer an at-a-glance understanding of the changes in children's fashions."--BOOK JACKET.