Creating the Perfect Form

With concise language and simple visual guides, Janet Wood takes practitioners working with textiles and dress on a journey that demystifies and makes accessible effective methods for the interpretation and display of garments. Through appreciation for the fall of a sleeve, the heft of a box pleat and a rigorous analysis of underpinning, Wood deftly and creatively guides the novice (with reminders for the skilled) through garment mounting solutions, bringing clothes to life in a sympathetic way. * Dr Ben Whyman, Manager, Centre for Fashion Curation, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, London, UK * Full of insight and practical guidance expressed clearly and visually, I can’t imagine a museum curator with a dress collection or a conservator who works with garments who would not want this on their bookshelves. * Philip Warren, Chair of the Costume UK Costume Society, UK * Anyone who’s had the pleasure of working with Janet Wood while she brings historic clothing back to life with a light and seemingly magic touch will cheer the fact she’s now shared her expertise in a book. Janet’s decades of experience are distilled into an easy-to-use reference guide that makes her wealth of knowledge widely available. The practical skills, tips and tricks of costume mounting processes explained in Creating the Perfect Form make it an essential handbook for putting dress on display beautifully. * Dr Hilary Davidson, Associate Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA * Janet Wood has managed to skilfully combine every bit of her extensive experience as a fashion designer, pattern cutter, costume conservator and specialist historic costume mounter into one beautifully simple, invaluable book. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and would suggest every student and professional in the field has their own reference copy. * Zenzie Tinker ACR, Zenzie Tinker Conservation, Brighton, UK *