Hello again! As I said earlier, I don't actually know of a book on the "history of fastenings", and I haven't specifically researched the questions you ask, but I am chronically unable to stick to one outfit/time-period in my costuming, so here's an overview of what I've picked up about the subject:
I haven't done much research before the 1400s so I can't talk about anything before then, however in the _Museum of London: Clothing and Textiles_ book it shows fabric buttons on the sleeves of the gothic fitted dresses (usually referred to as cotehardies in the SCA). The book has enough instructions for how to make the fabric buttons, that I have done so based simply on that book. Somewhere I read that metal buttons could/were used on the front of the over-dresses (but I can't come up with an extant example off the top of my head) but that the buttons were so expensive that sometimes people would not attach the metal buttons but instead lace the buttons onto the dress via holes such as for lacing up the front of the dress. Unfortunately I can't remember _where_ I read this so I have no idea how reliable the source is. The _Museum of London_ book also shows hand-made eyelets for lacing down the front closure of the gothic fitted dress. I'm sure Robin has many more sources fo! r this period then I do :-) Italian Rennisance (~1480-1530) seems to be mostly lacing for women's dresses (both front/side openings and sleeves) based off of Elizabeth Birbari's _Dress in Italian Painting: 1460-1500_ and Jen Thompson's research http://homepage.mac.com/festive_attyre/research/flornotes/flornotes.html . Sometimes the buttons were laced though decorative metal eyelet-things (http://homepage.mac.com/festive_attyre/research/earlyflor/3flor5.html) rather then thread bound eyelet holes. Occasionally the paintings use gold coloring for the eyelet holes which suggests metal eyelets, however I don't think there are any extant, and metal eyelets were first patented somewhere in the 1825-40 range (and don't come into use for corsets until then). Hooks and eyes were used extensively in the dresses Janet Arnold studied in the late 1500s, and I seem to remember a picture from the late-1400s early-1500s showing hook and eyes at the neck. I'm sure it's been discussed on this list before, but I'm not coming up with any web links to it. The hooks and eyes look very similar to modern hooks and eyes, though a bit heavier to my eye. Many of the buttons in the dresses Arnold studies are thread covered -- there is a description for how to do it: http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_buttons.htm I have not used these instructions myself, but a friend did. She said they took ~20 minutes per button to make. And lacing is still used to close some bodices (e.g. the Elenore de Toledo burial dress). At Costume College 2003 there was a class on Medieval and Rennisance fastenings, which was fascinating, but there were neither handouts, nor can I find a reference to it on-line, so I can't tell you who the teacher was...Not very helpful, I know! Fastenings for women's regency dress are predominantly drawstrings, pins and some buttons. The drawers (if worn) are tied together, the chemise has a drawstring (in what little info I could find for chemises), there aren't many extant petticoat/under dress things, but the one c1825 in _History of Underclothes_ by the Cunningtons' buttons together. All three closure methods can be seen on the outer dress, plus frogs for women's coats. My extant 1824 bodice has both a drawstring around the neck and buttons down the back. Fastenings for women's Victorian (1860s and 1870s) dress uses hooks and eyes far more then you would expect (there are times when the bodice closure is hooks and eyes but the bodice has buttons sewn on for decoration). However you do see back lacing for some ball gowns, and occasionally front lacing for dinner dresses, but most closures are center front and either hooks and eyes or buttons. The one petticoat I have from this period has both a drawstring and a button (however I'm not 100% convinced that the drawstring wasn't added later - I am suspicious that the petticoat was used in a theatre production...). Chemises may have no closure, or may be buttoned. I can't remember about drawers... Gibson Girl (1890s) through teens (based on my small collection of vintage women's garments) uses both hooks and eyes and snaps on the dresses. Buttons seem to be mostly decorative, though I do not own a tailored suit from that period, and I would guess those used button closures. FYI, there are many books that cover buttons in this time period, as they were a decorative element. I have 2 petticoats from this period, both have drawstring waists. The corset cover I have has a button front, and the butt-pad I have has ties for around the waist. Hope that helps! -sunny P.S. I do not know when buttons + loops were used -- all button references here are to buttons and buttonholes. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
