Dressed. Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910

Winner of Ockham New Zealand Book Awards Best Illustrated Non-Fiction 2022

Sumptuous, and full of rich imagery. The first major publication on fashion in 19th century New Zealand for over 40 years. Features gowns from museums throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Warmly and accessibly written. Gives great insights into the lives of women from the earliest days of the settler colony to the early 1900s. Shows how New Zealand's dress history was alive to international trends but also shaped by interactions with Maori, the demands of settler lifestyle and the country's geography and environment.* A beautiful gift for anyone interested in fashion and women's history.

This richly illustrated and lively social history explores the creation, consumption and spectacle of fashionable dress in Aotearoa New Zealand from 1840 to the early 1900s. Dressmakers were essential contributors to the development of New Zealand, and as a colonial outpost of the British Empire, New Zealands 19th century dress culture was heavily shaped by international trends. Interactions with Maori, the demands of settler lifestyle and the countrys geography all added another layer. Dressed teems with the fascinating, busy lives of early businesswomen, society women and civic figures. Featuring dresses and fashionable accessories from museums throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, and including over 270 images, this major book makes a significant contribution to histories of colonial dress.