The Chronicle of Western Costume by John Peacock Book Review

The Chronicle of Western Costume by John Peacock Book Review
by Teresita Blanco



This book was designed for people interested in dresses throughout the ages. It is the perfect tool for artists who do not feel like doing research. Sure, artists could google costumes. However, the results tend to be scattered. Also most artists do not know what certain items are called.

The book starts with Egyptian fashion. It then follows with Sumerian fashion and then Greek and Roman fashion. At the end of each section, Peocock tells you what each item is called. This collection shows images chronologically. The book also mentions whether a dress is from Italy or France.




Every few centuries or so, the collection shows the attires of commoners. Peacock is not too into dresses of laymen. However, he recognizes the need to illustrate them for the sake of accuracy. In this book, Peacock tends to emphasize women’s dresses.

They tend to show up often throughout the book. This 1991 version as such the collection only goes as far the 1980s. Aside from highly detailed dresses, this book has the dresses in color. This could be useful for people who draw in color. It is truly a great book.