The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes is made for anyone who loves fabric and social history. Kate Strasdin was given a book containing many fabric swatches dating back to the early Victorian era, she painstakingly researched the story behind the swatches. What emerges is the hidden story of a woman born into the Lancashire textile industry and whose marriage took her to the other side of the world.

This is a really interesting piece of social history - using a book of fabric swatches compiled by one woman in the 19th century to look at what we can learn about her life. I read it across quite a long period of time but it's broken down into quite nice neat sections that makes it possible to read in bitesized chunks. I knew a bit about dress and fabric already, but this was particularly good on changing trends and increasing colourway options and differences between what was available in the Great Britain vs Singapore. It was sometimes a little frustrating that you didn't have more information about Anne herself or the people that she included in her book - but Kate Strasdin also feels that frustration and writes about it really well and puts it into the wider context of social history of women's lives. I read it as an ebook on a kindle and I feel like it would be really good in an actual physical copy with colour pictures that you could easily flick forward and backward between. But all in all, a good read.

This book is a social historians dream!

Anne Sykes was born in Manchester to a family of cloth workers. She married a cloth merchant and travelled with him to Singapore and Shanghai before settling back in the North-West. However her story has only been unearthed when Strasdin was given a battered book, one in which Anne Sykes had documented clothing and household textiles throughout her married life.

Strasdin is a wonderful writer and the book delves into not only Anne’s life but the world of the Victorians and the material they used to clothe themselves. We get insights into mourning clothes, poisonous dyes, Lancashire’s cotton industry and the Empire that lay beyond etc.
The colour plates of the material fragments are a revelation – over a century and a half later their gleaming colours and patterns shine out like jewels.

There are many “unsolved” mysteries, as there is only so much research one can do into an “ordinary” person – but with more historical archives becoming available all the time, perhaps some of these will be unravelled.

This is a book that you can dip in and out of, and is an ideal travelling companion.

As a fashion academic this peaked my interest immediately, and it did not disappoint. Rich in history with wonderful storytelling abilities, Kate Strasdin brought to life the Victorian time period with what women wore and the societal pressures and happenings that forged their fashion ‘choices.’

Not one I could read in one go but I loved picking up a chapter at a time in amongst my other reads. Absolutely wonderful!

When fashion historian and museum curator Kate Strasdin was given an odd little book full of fabric scraps, she never imagined that it would unlock such a fascinating world.
Each fabric piece had a note detailing its purpose: “Mrs Garstang’s wedding dress” or significance “Adam’s favourite vest new in 1841”, but there was no name or indication as to who had gathered the swatches and why. She was intrigued and started to transcribe the captions to see if she could get any indication as to where the book had originated and eventually the breakthrough came – “Anne Sykes May 1840. The first dress I wore in Singapore, Nov 1840”. That simple use of “I” was the key to knowing who had compiled this fascinating scrapbook … but in the way that such research often goes, one piece of evidence unlocked a whole new set of questions: who was Anne Sykes? Why did she collate a book of fabric scraps? Who were the people named in it?
Kate Strasdin wanted to know more & set out on a quest to find out as much as she could about the woman behind the book, and this is the result of several years of research.

From a few snippets of information, the author was able to piece together a patchwork of life in the mid 1800s. The way the author has approached the content makes it very accessible. Each chapter focusses on a different aspect of Anne Sykes’s life and combines the evidence from the scrapbook with genealogical research and associated historical information.

This results in a book that gathers so much information about the textile industry & clothing in one place – the history of cotton, wool and silk, the changes and developments in dyeing and printing techniques as well as glimpses into the trade of the time. For instance we have a whole chapter devoted to lace, which explains how the traditional handmade bobbin lace of Honiton & the surrounding Devon villages became virtually obsolete due to the invention of machine made net that was so much cheaper to produce, but then saved by Queen Victoria who used handmade Honiton lace on her wedding dress. Honiton lace is now a luxury product, still made in the traditional way by hand.
Interspersed with the textile information we get details of the fashions of the time, the social norms and information about the locations discussed. Anne and her textile merchant husband, Adam, spent 7 years in Singapore and through the fabric samples gathered during this time we get a glimpse into Colonial life – this is a little uncomfortable to read with today’s attitude towards Empire, but it is none the less fascinating to understand that the Brits who moved out to this strategic trading port maintained their social positions and way of life to the best of their ability with little inclination to adopt local clothing styles or customs.

The section on laundering and caring for clothes was a reminder that in the days before washing machines & tumble driers, laundry was a lengthy & laborious process. People had far fewer clothes than we have today, with fabric bought in bolts and made to measure by a tailor/seamstress. Outer clothes were spot cleaned but washed infrequently, with detachable collars & cuffs, petticoat flounces & shifts used to catch as much dirt as possible to reduce the need for everything to be laundered after each wear – I think Anne and her circle of friends would be both fascinated and horrified by our modern approach to clothing, both in terms of the concept of ready-to-wear items and our obsession with washing fabric so often!

The book contains a bibliography and colour photos of the fabric swatches discussed - I had an electronic copy of the book & would be interested to see these photographs in the print version!

Recommendation
This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in fashion, genealogy, the textile industry, the Victorian era or social history. It’s a very unusual book, focusing on an ordinary (though admittedly fairly wealthy) woman rather than an aristocrat, and one that really brings the past to life through the personal touch. Wedding dresses sit alongside cloaks, day dresses and mourning attire – the various items of clothing taking the wearer through every aspect of their daily life.


#TheDressDiaryofMrsAnneSykes #NetGalley.

The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin is a fascinating and beautifully presented book that provides a unique glimpse into the world of fashion and society in the mid-19th century. The book is based on the diary of Mrs Anne Sykes, a wealthy Yorkshire woman who meticulously recorded the dresses she wore to various events and occasions over a period of several years.

Strasdin uses Mrs Sykes' diary as a jumping-off point to explore a wide range of topics, from the evolution of fashion trends to the social and political context in which they developed. She also delves into the personal history of Mrs Sykes and her family, providing a rich and vivid portrait of life in Victorian England.

One of the strengths of The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes is the way in which it brings to life the individual stories and experiences of the people who lived during this time period. Strasdin's writing is engaging and accessible, and she manages to convey a great deal of historical detail without ever becoming dry or academic.

The book is also beautifully designed, with full-colour photographs and illustrations that showcase the intricate details and craftsmanship of the dresses worn by Mrs Sykes. These images are a testament to the skill and artistry of the dressmakers of the time, and they provide a striking visual record of a bygone era.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I adore historical fashion. In fact i'm lucky enough to be a historical reenactor. I enjoy researching, making and wearing historical clothing. I also enjoy researching my family tree. So my happy place is somewhere between a sewing basket and a census list. I do think you have to have at least an interest in these things to really crawl into this book.

Anne Sykes could be just a name. The title could be a fictional account of some dress mad fashionista of the Regency era, but it isn't. This diary is a journey of not only Anne and her family and friends, but of fashion and textile from cottages to the large industrial factories. And it is a journey that is filled with colour, lace and social commentary.

Kate Strasdin has a fabulous scrap book gifted to her and she in turn gifts us, the reader, this wonderful enlightening story of Anne, the fashion around her and the world of her time. From the Luddites and the lace industry to the toxic colours and the birth of the clothing stores.

Grab this book for a weekend read in a comfy chair, a roaring fire and a good cup of tea.

This book wasn’t really for me as I was hoping it would have more swatches of the dresses in it, I think some people would really enjoy it but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me

Oh, how I enjoyed this book! Not only is it a great read, but it's quite informative and very well-written, too.

The author was given an old album containing 422 pages, 2134 fabric swatches, and captions, which began in the 1830s. She was intrigued and set about looking for clues as to who it belonged to, deciding to transcribe the captions by hand. Since the captions were written in the 3rd person, she wasn't having any luck until she came to one that used 'I.' Then she knew that the book had belonged to Mrs. Anne Sykes and she was on her way. Because she was dealing with something belonging to a woman that contained swatches related mostly to clothing (there were only 8 swatches devoted to home furnishings), information was not always easy to find. Although she reached a few dead ends and some of her questions remain unanswered, she was able to track down a great deal of information. I found the book fascinating.

The fabric swatches in Mrs. Sykes' diary were not all from her own clothing. Friends, family, and others gave her little pieces of fabric that they'd used to have their own clothes made. Anne carefully placed all the swatches in her book and wrote captions, indicating whose fabric it was and sometimes the occasion on which the resulting clothing was worn. The author used this information to look into various aspects of life during the time span of the diary. For example, Anne and her merchant husband, Adam, spent 7 years in Singapore living in a British community there. Through the fabric swatches and captions, followed by the author's research, we learn about what life was like in such communities, what people felt about being so far from home, the relationships that developed, and the kinds of material goods that were a part of everyday life. When they returned to England, styles had changed and we learn about the kinds of events and occasions that people of a certain class would have attended, how mourning fashions evolved and became big business, and more.

The author rightly categorizes the album as a form of life writing. She states,"Anne's story is both remarkable and ordinary. She gave voice to the women in her world. She caught a tiny piece of them and protected their colourful variety in her most unusual of diaries. Not through her written word do we find these women, and Anne Sykes herself, but through these precious pieces of cloth." (p 268)

The book contains a bibliography and colour photos of the fabric swatches discussed.

I highly recommend this book. 5 stars.

Anne Sykes was born in Manchester to a family of cloth workers. She married a cloth merchant and travelled with him to Singapore and Shanghai before settling back in the North-West. However her story has only been unearthed when Strasdin was given a battered book, one in which Anne Sykes had documented clothing and household textiles throughout her married life. Strasdin has researched the life of Anne Sykes and her friends and family through the remnants of family. However the story is more than just this, the lives are placed into the context in which they were used, a history of fashion, textile manufacture, trade with the East and the development of industry in England. It's an endlessly fascinating tale.

Kate Strasdin was given a dress fabric swatch book by an elderly lady in 2016. She researched the compiler of said book, Anne Sykes, and her history.
That’s what drew me to this book. I’m sorry to say I was disappointed - not at all what the title promises. Whilst this is an interesting tome of Victorian social history, for me it fails to deliver a palpable and visually attractive connection with the swatch book.
The swatch book comprises 422 pages and the reader is shown a mere 16 of them. Only 77 swatches out of 2,134 make it into Strasdin’s book, unlovingly stuck on at the very end, untranscribed (unreadable) and uncommented for the reader and without even one image of the whole album.
There could have been fashion plates to illustrate the changing dress cuts to go with the fabrics, but all there is are lengthy flat text descriptions bulked up with a lot of conjecture and assumptions about Anne Syke’s life.
For £22 I’d have expected a more lavishly illustrated book.
Stuck it out for three chapters and then abandoned it. A meagre three stars.

I loved the beginning of this book and the story of how the dress book came into the author's possession. It was certainly fortuitous, as the author was obviously the right person to own the book and share it with us all.

I found out a few things that I previously had no idea about. Such as the ban on cotton imports when the trade in England was suffering. The book is littered with not just the story of the dress diary but research by the author of the textile trade and fashion throughout this period.

The book I found to be one that is to be dipped in and out of, although in sequential chapter order to fully appreciate the timeline of events.

has been my chapter-a-night book in February. The author discovered a dress diary – a journal with different swatches of dress fabrics glued in – and managed to link the journal to Mrs Anne Sykes, a Victorian woman from Lancashire. I love reading about ordinary people in history, and this was such a cool project. Kate Strasdin managed to find out so much. The book wasn't always interesting to me, as she often links Anne's dress samples to different textile and manufacturing histories (which I did not really enjoy) but I very much liked reading about Anne and her family and friends. Also, fun fact: this is the only discovered dress diary which incorporates the fabrics of the scrapbookers' friends and family! How nice!

So, said my husband, a book about a rich lady showing off her wealth, by pasting scraps of material into a diary, is anyone going to be interested in that?!! How wrong can a person be? It’s a wonderful voyage of exploration into the manufacturing and design of fashion, we are taken through the history of clothing, materials, muslin, cotton, wools and silks, how patterns came into wider usage, Batik prints, screen printing and wood block prints and later woven designs as technology advanced.
Years before ready to wear became the norm, most richer ladies would plan their wardrobe well in advance according to the seasonal calendar of nature, heat meant cool cotton or muslin, and woollen garments for the winter, and the social events of Balls and exhibitions, various reading events and charity functions. Changing clothes two or three times a day, creates much work for a dressmaker, designs and fittings were planned well in advance, a good dressmaker was privy to delicate information about the body of her client and confidences about the state of a marriage and pregnancy for example, made her indispensable. Bolts of cloth were taken to a dressmaker, a pattern was decided upon and therefore there were cutoffs to be pasted into a dress diary.
Anne Burton was the daughter of a Mill owner in Clitheroe in Lancashire, she would have been influenced by the latest designs of material straight from the loom. She married Adam Sykes in 1838. His father designed patterns for printed cloth, a very fortuitous partnership!!
You cannot mention cotton without being reminded of Slavery in Southern states of America. There is much social history explained in these pages, the ending of slavery here was much earlier than in America, the quest to find materials that didn’t involve slave labour, the home grown is best movement, the banning of Calico cloth from India into the UK, the development of acts to prevent child labour and enlightened Mill owners , the development of machines that eased the work burden, but ironically made hundreds of workers unemployed, really, this is a in-depth look at the young fashion industry, a social history of manufacturing of materials and a fantastic read as well.
The section on how to care for clothes brought back memories of wash days at both my Grandmothers homes, mangles, boilers, a bar of green soap that you cut off slivers to add to the boiling water, dolly tubs to agitate said wash, Borax, bleach and blue bags to add whiteness to the laundry. The washing was a pain, the drying was a real chore as well. Make and make do was evidently practiced in both the 1950’s and in Clitheroe late 1800’s, and now is fashionable and practical again.
I loved this book!! I have already planned to buy a copy for a dressmaking friend for her birthday later this year, I can’t wait to see all the fashion plates in colour something my reading device wouldn’t let me do. I think this would be a very welcome addition to any centres that teach Arts and Crafts, and for Social historians.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK/ Vintage publishers for my advance digital copy given in exchange for my honest review. It has been an absolute delight and pleasure to read this novel.
I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

This is such an interesting book, looking at not just the fashions of the Victorian era, but the revolution in the clothing industry going on at the time, as well as interesting factual historical information.

My only criticism is that it would’ve been wonderful to have seen some photographs of the cloth described, it would make a very interesting coffee table book indeed with more illustrations.

This is very much a book to read if you are interested in fashion history, textiles or the Victorian era in general, making this a great book to dip in and out of.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes is a delight, an absolute gem for us reader to discover.

Kate Strasdin is a magician. She has brought Anne to life from just a few lines and a collection of material scraps. It takes serious dedicating and a magic touch, I am convinced of it. There's so very special to witness people from the past "springing" back to life to offer us the opportunity to engross ourselves in their world. Despite Anne's world not being very far in time from us, it is worlds away from our modern perspective. I absolutely loved to learn about the cotton realities of Lancashire and especially about Singapore. But I was so very amazed to discover that Anne was from near where I reside at the moment, that I have been to her home town of Tyldesley and they even lived in Pendlebury, like down the road from where I am. And needless to say I will make sure to visit Anne's grave too, just as Kate did! All throughout the book I have wished to see this diary, imagine how amazing it would be to hold it and be able to leaf through it. Therefore imagine my absolute delight when I've discovered the last few pages scanned from the actual diary. Happiness can be found in the most unexpected places!

A new genre of history book is to use genealogy to tell a personal history. The first one I came across was The Secret River by Kate Grenville, and her excellent non fiction companion book about her search in the archives for the real people behind the story. Well written these books give a far more readable and interesting insight into the past than the dry history books of the past - dates, places and a few famous (usually) men. There is usually a little conjecture, filling in the gaps, but if the inserted information is true to the time and historically accurate, I don't find it a problem. Some books like Jonathan Coe's Bourneville are placed in fiction, others like Simon Mawer's Ancestry are more difficult to place. This book should be placed in non fiction, though all these books should be shelved together in a section called "Excellent books that bring History alive"

In a society that banishes fashion and women’s interest in clothing to a lesser degree of importance than war and finance, this diary could have easily been lost - and, in fact, it was. Thankfully, in this brilliantly-written and researched book, Kate Strasdin brings the world of the diary to light. It isn’t simply a treatment of Anne Sykes’s personal relationship to clothing and fabric and family, though it certainly is that, but also an analysis of her social context, with some well-needed debunking of myths along the way. An incredible introduction to the complexities of the nineteenth century and the significance of fashion trends..

This is a really fascinating book giving a different perspective on Victorian social history through the dress diary of one middle class woman, Anne Sykes. The author's meticulous research and textile knowledge enables her to chart Anne's life from Lancashire to Singapore, Shanghai and home again by using Anne's book of fabric samples of her own and her friend's clothes and furnishings reflecting the changing times they lived through. A book it's easy to dip in and out of, my only suggestion would be more pictures in the body of the text.
thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

This is such a charming book. Having been handed a Victorian notebook full of fabric samples, with notes about how they were turned into various types of clothing, the author investigated the names within to discover the author of the notebook as well as some of the friends and family named within the pages.

Interspersed throughout the details on the people mentioned are exquisite details about the fashions of the time, as well as the social and historical context of the period and locations discussed. I learned so much more than I expected, for example about the Opium Wars or the industrial revolution, but at no point is the author heavy-handed in their connection of the historical record with the treasure trove of samples in their possession.

I would have loved to have seen photos of the glorious fabrics described throughout, but perhaps that will be present in other versions of the book… for now, I will rely on the delightful descriptions, and would recommend this book to anyone interested in this period of history, or the history of fashion.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.