{"title":"Lydia Edwards","description":"\u003cp\u003eLydia Edwards offers a fascinating exploration of fashion as a form of cultural storytelling. Her books delve into the history and significance behind garments such as dresses, suits, and wedding attire, revealing the social and artistic contexts that shape how we dress.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRichly detailed and thoughtfully researched, her work invites readers to see clothing not just as fabric, but as a lens into identity, tradition and society. Perfect for anyone interested in \u003cem\u003earts and culture\u003c\/em\u003e, her writing encourages a deeper appreciation of the stories woven into style.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"how-to-read-a-wedding-dress-by-lydia-edwards-9781350293038","title":"How to Read a Wedding Dress","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLavishly illustrated in full color, \u003ci\u003eHow to Read a Wedding Dress\u003c\/i\u003e displays annotated images of historical garments that outline important features and highlight how styles have developed over time, offering a fascinating overview of changing bridal trends over three centuries.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this ideal companion to her bestselling guide, \u003ci\u003eHow to Read a Dress\u003c\/i\u003e, Lydia Edwards offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of bridal wear around the world, from the Renaissance up to the modern day. This guide explores prevalent trends and developments, including how the Victorian fashion for white silk (a break from the previous 18th-century tradition of the bride simply donning a ‘best’ dress) over the course of the 19th century developed into the now familiar and indeed ubiquitous cultural icon of the white wedding dress and veil. Finally, she explores how today, brides worldwide are reimagining the past and incorporating ‘vintage’ style as an integral part of their big day and considers style choices influenced by gender identity fluidity and same-sex marriage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEquipping the reader with eclectic examples of bridal wear over the centuries, this is the ultimate guide to the wedding dress for students, researchers of fashion history, and anyone looking for inspiration for their big day.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47288509890796,"sku":"9781350293038","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/20842663482668.jpg?v=1770559071"},{"product_id":"how-to-read-a-suit-by-lydia-edwards-9781350071209","title":"How to Read a Suit","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFashion is ever-changing, and while some styles mark a dramatic departure from the past, many exhibit subtle differences from year to year that are not always easily identifiable. With overviews of each key period and detailed illustrations for each new style, \u003cem\u003eHow to Read a Suit\u003c\/em\u003e is an authoritative visual guide to the under-explored area of men’s fashion across four centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach entry includes annotated colour images of historical garments, outlining important features and highlighting how styles have developed over time, whether in shape, fabric choice, trimming, or undergarments. Readers will learn how garments were constructed and where their inspiration stemmed from at key points in history – as well as how menswear has varied in type, cut, detailing, and popularity according to the occasion and the class, age, and social status of the wearer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis lavishly illustrated book is the ideal tool for anyone who has ever wanted to know their Chesterfield from their Ulster coat. Equipping the reader with all the information they need to ‘read’ menswear, this is the ultimate guide for students, researchers, and anyone interested in historical fashion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47362624258284,"sku":"9781350071209","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/18624373482668.jpg?v=1772898195"},{"product_id":"how-to-read-a-dress-by-lydia-edwards-9781350172210","title":"How to Read a Dress","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFashion is ever-changing, and while some styles mark a dramatic departure from the past, many exhibit subtle differences from year to year that are not always easily identifiable. With overviews of each key period and detailed illustrations for each new style, \u003ci\u003eHow to Read a Dress\u003c\/i\u003e is an appealing and accessible guide to women's fashion across five centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach entry includes annotated colour images of historical garments, outlining important features and highlighting how styles have developed over time, whether in shape, fabric choice, trimming, or undergarments. Readers learn how garments were constructed and where their inspiration stemmed from at key points in history – as well as how dresses have varied in type, cut, detailing and popularity according to the occasion and the class, age, and social status of the wearer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis new edition includes additional styles to illustrate and explain the journey between one style and another; larger images to allow closer investigation of details of dress; examples of lower and working-class, as well as middle-class, clothing; and a completely new chapter covering the 1980s to 2020.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe latter demonstrates how the late 20th century and early 21st century firmly left the dress behind as a \u003ci\u003erequirement\u003c\/i\u003e, but retained it as a perennially popular \u003ci\u003echoice\u003c\/i\u003e, and illustrates how far the traditional boundaries of ‘the dress’ have been pushed. It even includes reference to a newly non-binary appreciation of the garment, and the intellectual shifts in the way women’s fashion is both inspired and inspires.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith these new additions, \u003ci\u003eHow to Read a Dress\u003c\/i\u003e, revised edition, presents a complete and up-to-date picture of ‘the dress’ in all its forms, across the centuries, and taking into account different sartorial and social experiences. It is the ideal tool for anyone who has ever wanted to know their cartridge pleats from their Récamier ruffles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEquipping the reader with all the information they need to 'read' a dress, this is the ultimate guide for students, researchers, and anyone interested in historical fashion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47383848943852,"sku":"9781350172210","price":54.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/19634383482668.jpg?v=1773384247"},{"product_id":"how-to-read-a-wedding-dress-by-lydia-edwards-9781350293045","title":"How to Read a Wedding Dress","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLavishly illustrated in full colour, \u003cem\u003eHow to Read a Wedding Dress\u003c\/em\u003e displays annotated images of historical garments that outline important features and highlight how styles have developed over time, offering a fascinating overview of changing bridal trends over three centuries.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this ideal companion to her bestselling guide, \u003cem\u003eHow to Read a Dress\u003c\/em\u003e, Lydia Edwards offers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of bridal wear around the world, from the Renaissance up to the modern day. This guide explores prevalent trends and developments, including how the Victorian fashion for white silk (a break from the previous 18th-century tradition of the bride simply donning a ‘best’ dress) over the course of the 19th century developed into the now familiar and indeed ubiquitous cultural icon of the white wedding dress and veil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFinally, she explores how today, brides worldwide are reimagining the past and incorporating ‘vintage’ style as an integral part of their big day and considers style choices influenced by gender identity fluidity and same-sex marriage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEquipping the reader with eclectic examples of bridal wear over the centuries, this is the ultimate guide to the wedding dress for students, researchers of fashion history, and anyone looking for inspiration for their big day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47496056209644,"sku":"9781350293045","price":165.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781350293045-how-to-read-a-wedding-dress.jpg?v=1775795985"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/lydia-edwards.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}