This book is a comprehensive guide to creating period dress. It consists of a series of books detailing the construction of garments, undergarments and outer garments. As well as being accurate, Jean Hunnisett's patterns have been prepared so that they can be readily made up using today's fabrics and sewing methods, and fit the modern female figure. This book concentrates on women's dress for the periods 1800-1909. It is abundantly illustrated by drawings and photographs and includes scaled patterns as well as step-by-step instructions. Patterns are also included for all the correctly shaped Corsets, Crinolines, Bustles and Petticoats which are essential to make each costume look right for its period. Whether you are an amateur, a student or a professional costume maker, this book, and the series it belongs to, is an invaluable source of patterns and techniques.

Jean Hunnisett has a lifetime's experience of professional costume making, including work for the Old Vic, Sadlers Wells, Royal Opera and Ballet, Royal Opera House-Covent Garden, the English National Opera, Washington Ballet, Houston Opera, Zurich Ballet, Australian Ballet and as Principle Cutter for Glyndebourne Festival Opera. She has worked for BBC Television on over fifty shows: 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII', 'Elizabeth R', 'Emma', 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Ivanhoe', 'Vanity Fare', 'Dr. Who', nine productions of the BBC Shakespeare Series, nine of the BBC Operas, etc. Jean also worked for commercial television companies, on shows such as: 'Edward the VII', 'Ghosts', 'Pygmalion' for Annette Crosby, and Twiggy among others. Her film credits include: 'The Slipper and the Rose', 'Joseph Andrews', 'The Corn is Green', 'For Your Eyes Only' and many more. For productions in London's West End theatre, she has made costume for such artists as Joan Collins, Dame Wendy Hiller, Joan Plowright and Dorothy Tutin. It would take pages to list the theatre, ballet and opera productions she has worked on. Another side of her work was to make parts of costumes for museums such as the Museum of London and Kensington Palace, enabling them to show incomplete treasures. Jean also made costumes for Madam Tussaud's at Warwick Castle and at Windsor Station. She inaugurated and taught period costume cutting at the London College of Fashion and extensively lectured at home and abroad. Her career has put her side by side with a host of famous personalities. Producers, directors, designers, stars of stage and screen, teachers and student all agree that Jean Hunnisett is the Preeminent Lady of Costume Construction.