Currently Reading – Stitches in Time by Lucy Adlington

Looking back at my post archives, I haven’t written a book review since April. It’s not that I’m not reading. Last year I read almost sixty books, half of which were fashion or textile related. I’ve been a bit of a slacker when it comes to posting, to be honest. The current state of affairs in the world have zapped my motivation, but I’ve vowed to try harder to share the wonderful things that I run across.

And to start off, I want to tell you about Stitches in Time. Published in 2015, I had seen the book online, but didn’t feel the urge to buy it. The subtitle, The Story of the Clothes We Wear, reminded me too much of that book from a few years ago where people were interviewed about their clothes. But on a whim a few weeks ago, I put it in my cart. When I received it I was pleased to see that there were over 400 pages, a long bibliography, an index, and even footnotes!

The book is divided into chapters that take on one particular aspect of clothing. There are chapters on pants and coats and undergarments and pockets (and many more). Each chapter delves deep into the history of the garment, for both men’s and women’s clothing. I love that Adlington points out expressions that have made their way into English, things like boot licking.

As someone who knows a bit about fashion history, I pretty much don’t enjoy books that are a fashion overview. But that is not what Stitches in Time is. It’s a group of histories of garments, and it is engaging and interesting. If you know someone who thinks fashion is frivolous, give them this book.

The book is rich in text, but low in illustrations. The illustrations are small and there’s not one for every concept introduced in the text. Personally, I’d much rather have it this way. Isn’t that what Google is for? Read the book with a computer or other device nearby so you can look up what you can’t quite visualize.

There is a small section of color illustrations, but I found them to be of little use. They weren’t referenced in the text so you just have to take them as they are.

Another small consideration is that Adlington is British, and the book is written from that point of view. I know that when it comes to certain objects, the history within the US can be different from that in Britain, Europe, or Australia. Adlington addresses this when it is appropriate, but a reader outside of Britain needs to remember this is a UK point of view.

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely. It’s very inexpensive, and is a good one to read on Kindle.

And now a question for readers. Do you want more book reviews?