From the Elegant to the Everyday

With full color photographs of more than 50 garments - few of which have ever been published before - this book is an essential purchase for those who are fascinated by historic costume. Written to accompany the exhibition, "From the Elegant to the Everyday: 200 Years of Fashion in Northern New England," held at the Saco Museum in Maine from March 15 through May 3, 2014, this catalogue surveys the major fashion trends that affected men's and women's clothing styles from the mid-18th to the mid-20th centuries. Featuring highlights from the Saco Museum's own collection, along with significant clothing items from a number of other museums and historical societies in Maine and New Hampshire, this book considers the impact of the mechanization of the textile industry beginning in the late 18th century, the inventions and innovations of the 19th century, and the availability of ready-to-wear clothing by the early 20th century on the evolution of fashionable clothing worn by the inhabitants of northern New England.