Dressing Renaissance Florence

"A pioneering book on the sartorial extravagance and fashions in Florence."—L. R. N. Ashley, Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance

"A wonderful book, after reading which we will not be able to visualise Renaissance Florence in the same way again."—Catherine Kovesi Killerby, Reviews in History

"This lively book should convince any skeptic that fashion was a serious Renaissance business."—Diane Owen Hughes, Renaissance Quarterly

"This study nicely opens up a little-studied domain of Renaissance culture and shows the way to linking mundane craft with the dearest social aspirations of the Florentine elite."—American Historical Review

"The Johns Hopkins University Press is to be congratulated for publishing this imaginative book linking the history of technology and guilds with social history, with the study of costume, and with artistic iconography . . . This book will be a delight for scholar and general reader alike."—Daryl M. Hafter, Enterprise and Society

"Frick's thorough treatment of Renaissance costume has set a new standard of excellence for scholars working on costume of any age."—Sandra Sider, H-Italy, H-Net Reviews

"The final sections of this valuable study on sumptuary legislation and the representation of clothes in art are perhaps the most effective in drawing out the significance of clothing in understanding social relationships and social power in Renaissance Florence."—Graeme Murdock, History

"Seldom does one come across such a valuable and entertaining book."—Alana White, Renaissance Magazine

"An important addition not just to the history of clothing, but to our understanding of social positioning within the visual field of Florentine culture."—John T. Paoletti, Journal of Social History

"A fascinating college-level study, recommended for any collection strong in fashion or Renaissance history."—Bookwatch

"This is a very substantial and innovative investigation of the clothing industry and fashion market in Renaissance Italy. Frick has done important and original work in the archives and successfully illuminates a crucial but little-studied aspect of Renaissance culture and economy. This book will find a large readership in Renaissance and early modern studies, in gender studies and the history of women and the family, and in social history generally."—John M. Najemy, Department of History, Cornell University

"Dressing Renaissance Florence is a fascinating and wide-ranging study. It covers everything pertaining to clothing, from ribbon vendors to the great Ghirlandaio frescoes. No other study has taken this broad interdisciplinary approach to dress. Frick has a clear mastery of the complex technical vocabulary surrounding the creation of fashion, and the broad archival base of her study is impressive."—Carol Lansing, Department of History, University of California, Santa Barbara