It is not often objects justify the adjective resplendent; these do. The book in which they appear records a collection of Southeastern European costume pieces at UCLA’s Fowler Museum. It is
part of their textile series. The textile arts of Eastern Europe and Western Asia are still not so well known in the US as Chinese silks or African prints; a scant reflection of the graphic
design and embroidery on display here can be found in the Suzani textiles growing daily on Ebay. The works here are from Romania, Macedonia, Albania, Hungary, and so on, and reflect many unique
and different styles. But the common thread is layers of embroidery whose graphic quality and density boggle both the eye and the mind. These are all clothes, some for special events but most
for daily wear. The collection is important partly because traditional costume was worn as late as the 1970s in some areas, but is no longer. One of the delights of this book is that best
quality ornamented handmade clothes which are usually seen only in aged examples from previous centuries are here pristine and almost new (pieces hundreds of years old are also included). Many
are difficult to photograph (deep colors and extended shapes are favored). Most are women’s clothes; some are men’s. All are reminders that aesthetics deeply exotic to Westerners are part of
many European cultures. One moment readers may think of Oktoberfest, the next of Moorish castles or Mongol horsemen of the steppe. The text is well written by various expert contributors. There
are also pictures and text useful to folk dancers and scholars of dance. The essays range from the influence of Islamic Ottoman style in European dresses to Roma weddings in the 1960s and
today. The most astonishing essay puts pictures of Stone Age figurines of women next to 20th century women in the same region, and clearly shows they are wearing exactly the same kind of
clothes. The Fowler museum wants to make sure they are not forgotten now. Oversize: 9x13＂. Distributed by the U. of Washington Press Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
(booknews.com)
