Dressing Up

Wilson’s extensive research yields many inventive get-ups . . . [it] takes the reader on an entertaining journey . . . [and] does not shy away from the murkier reaches of Britain’s fancy-dress history. * Apollo Magazine *
Verity Wilson’s entertaining . . . survey of sartorial masquerade in Britain. -- Travis Elborough * The World of Interiors *
The 144 illustrations in Verity Wilson's accessible book show the British being effortlessly surreal as only they know how . . . Wilson presents a kaleidoscope of liberating alter egos, and relives the days when we had to make our own fun. -- Lucy R. Fisher * Fortean Times *
In Dressing Up: A History of Fancy Dress in Britain, Verity Wilson presents a lively and vividly illustrated parade of costumed characters . . . Fancy dress has been somewhat neglected by scholars until recently . . . In this absorbing social history, Wilson delves into photographic archives and reveals the rich and inventive role that “costume” has played in community events and popular pageants, foregrounding the fancy dress of the people, a collective drama played out in front parlors, village greens, church halls, and local high streets for generations. -- Johanna Lance * Journal of Design History *
Perennially unfashionable, prone to misunderstanding - with results both hurtful and hilarious - and stretching the boundaries of what is publicly tolerable, fancy dress costume is having something of a moment . . . Wilson’s book reminds us that the spectacle of fancy dress is part of a more complicated, deeply revealing cultural phenomenon. -- Benjamin Wild * Costume *
Based on extensive new research, lucidly written, generously illustrated, this captivating book uncovers the remarkable 'lost' history of fancy dress and reveals its connections to community and national identity. Original, delightful, and unexpectedly topical. * Barbara Burman, co-author of The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660-1900 *
Full of original material Dressing Up opens up the world of fancy dress to new interpretations. Ranging across questions of history, identity, aesthetics and production Verity Wilson demonstrates the integral role 'costume' played in the social and psychological life of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Britain. Alongside the scholarship, the vivid illustrations and wry anecdotes are priceless. * Christopher Breward, Director, National Museums Scotland, and author of The Suit: Form, Function and Style *
In this absorbing and authoritative history, Wilson demonstrates that fancy dress is more than just juvenile playacting or adult escapism. Using rare images and ephemeral artifacts, she unmasks what these disguises (from insects to suffragettes) have revealed about class, race, sexuality, and nationalism, offering insights into modern cosplay and Instagram culture. * Kimberly Chrisman Campbell, author of Worn on This Day: The Clothes That Made History and The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion *