Looking For a Good Book

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE

There’s not much to this book – it’s a short forty-eight pages long – but what’s here is beautiful.

Érte is one of those names you might recognize but not be quite so sure why.  Érte is a theatrical costume designer who created some of the most stunning costumes ever seen on stage throughout the 20th century.  His designs are works of art by themselves and you just might want to buy two copies of this book so that you can tear out all the pages and frame each painting.

When I’m not reading books and writing about books, I work in professional theatre.  I’ve often been impressed by the design concepts for the costumes.  Some designers are much better at presenting the designs than others, with some including backgrounds and interesting poses.  Érte is one such designer.  You get the feeling that his concepts aren’t just about the costume, but about the mood the costume evoke in the actor and the setting in which it will be used, as well.

I’d love to see photographs of the costumes themselves, in use on stage.  I Googled a couple of them (That Octopus costume! That Ceres costume!) and most of these are pretty scarce, but then again, some are from as early as 1911!

There is a strong sense of Art Deco and Art Nouveau here.  Being a theatrical and fashion designer, Érte had a hand in creating these genres.

Looking for a good book? Érte’s Theatrical Costumes is all-around beautiful and worth picking up for anyone interested in fashion, theatre, theatrical costuming, and art.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Érte’s Theatrical Costumes in Full Color

author/artist: Érte

publisher: Dover Publications

ISBN: 048623813X

paperback, 48 pages