Read complete books and articles on: Fashion History

Fashion - in dress, the prevailing mode affecting modifications in costume. Styles in Asia have been characterized by freedom from change, and ancient Greek and Roman dress preserved the same flowing lines for centuries. Fashion in dress and interior decoration may be said to have originated in Europe about the 14th cent. New styles were set by monarchs and prominent personages and were spread by travelers, by descriptions in letters, and, in costume, by the exchange of the fashion doll. The first fashion magazine is thought to have originated c.1586 in Frankfurt, Germany; it was widely imitated, gradually superseding fashion dolls. Godey's Lady's Book, established in the United States in 1830, remained popular for decades. In interior decoration the influence of designers, such as Chippendale, Sheraton, and Robert and James Adam, was apparent in the 18th cent., but in costume the only influential designer at that period was Rose Bertin, milliner and dressmaker to Marie Antoinette.

In Paris—the leading arbiter of fashion since the Renaissance—the fading influence of celebrities was coincident with the rise of designer-dressmakers in the mid-19th cent. Paris haute couture has remained preeminent in setting fashions for women's dress. Designers such as Charles Frederick Worth, Coco Chanel, Lucien Lelong, Elsa Schiaparelli, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent have had fashion houses in Paris. In the latter part of the 20th cent. such American designers as Norman Norell, Mainbocher, James Galanos, Bill Blass, and Pauline Trigère competed successfully with Parisian designers. London, in the early 19th cent., became the center for men's fashions under the leadership of Regency dandies such as Beau Brummell. In the mid-1960s, London was again for a time the center of fashion influence.

The 1970s and 80s saw the beginning of more divergent trends in fashion. This was the result of the increasing popularity of ready-to-wear collections by major designers, which made fashionable label-conscious dressing possible for the middle class. Ethnic-inspired looks and the punk style enjoyed a period of popularity. Successful clothing designers such as Ralph Lauren, Georgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Rei Kawakubo, and Geoffrey Beene widened their design horizons, licensed their names, and put their distinctive marks on objects ranging from furniture to cars, fabric, and perfumes. The look of luxuriance that emerged in the 1980s was countered in the 1990s with the production of classic understated clothes. Fashions are adapted for mass production by the garment industries of New York, Los Angeles, and other cities.

Bibliography

See F. C. C. Boucher, 20,000 Years of Fashion (tr. 1967); R. Lynam, An Illustrated History of the Great Paris Designers and Their Creations (1972); J. A. Black and M. Garland, A History of Fashion (1980); M. Batterberry and A. Batterberry, Fashion: The Mirror of History, (1982); J. Laver, Costume and Fashion: A Concise History (1982); M. Tranquillo, Styles of Fashion (1984); A. Hollander, Sex and Suits (1994); T. Agins, The End of Fashion: The Mass Marketing of the Clothing Business (1999).

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: Fashion History

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Fashion Foundations: Early Writings on Fashion and Dress » Read Now
by Kim K. P. Johnson, Susan J. Torntore, Joanne B. Eicher. 183 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

Although it can be difficult to think of fashion in anything other than a contemporary context, as a concept it is hardly new. Costume historians trace the birth of fashion back to the thirteenth century and writings on fashion date back as early as the sixteenth century when Michel de Montaigne...
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Although it can be difficult to think of fashion in anything other than a contemporary context, as a concept it is hardly new. Costume historians trace the birth of fashion back to the thirteenth century and writings on fashion date back as early as the sixteenth century when Michel de Montaigne pondered its origins, thereby setting in motion a chain of inquiry that has continued to intrigue writers for centuries.This key text reprints classic fashion writings, all of which have had a profound if perhaps untrumpeted impact on our understanding and approach to modern day dress - from the psychology of clothes through to collective fashion trends. Why do we wear clothes? What do they say about our self-awareness and body image? How can we 'fashion' new identities through what we wear? Seminal fashion statements by Montaigne, William Hazlitt, Herbert Spencer, Thorstein B. Veblen, Adam Smith, Herbert Blumer, and Georg Simmel answer these questions and many more. Full of vital fashion treasures that have often been ignored, this book fills a major gap in the history of the discipline and will serve as an essential teaching text for years to come.
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2.

The Fashion Business: Theory, Practice, Image » Read Now
by Nicola White, Ian Griffiths. 198 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

It is commonly known that fashion is big business, yet given its global significance, little has been written on the phenomenon of the fashion system. Instead, books have tended to focus on dress history, although recently the discipline has taken a more theoretical turn, with a spate of books...
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It is commonly known that fashion is big business, yet given its global significance, little has been written on the phenomenon of the fashion system. Instead, books have tended to focus on dress history, although recently the discipline has taken a more theoretical turn, with a spate of books appearing that analyze the underlying forces motivating fashion. This pioneering book unites theory and practice to provide an integrated series of snapshots taken from different perspectives of the fashion business in the second half of the twentieth century.Featuring contributions by leading experts in three main areas of important debate within the industry - the theory and culture of fashion; design and industry; and image and marketing - the book will be an essential reference for students, practitioners and theoreticians. It addresses such key issues as: the relationship between culture and clothing; the intersection of fashion and modernity; the origins of glamour; the role of creativity and the power of design; the chain store challenge; the age of the thinking designer; retail concepts; and minimalism in fashion. It is certain to be required reading on fashion courses and in related disciplines, including media, cultural and consumption studies.
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3.

Fashion and Costume in American Popular Culture: A Reference Guide » Read Now
by Valerie Burnham Oliver, M. Thomas Inge. 286 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Providing a convenient and unique look at fashion and costume literature and how it has developed historically, this volume discusses monographic and reference literature and provides information on periodicals, research centers, and costume museums and collections. It also provides a new way of...
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Providing a convenient and unique look at fashion and costume literature and how it has developed historically, this volume discusses monographic and reference literature and provides information on periodicals, research centers, and costume museums and collections. It also provides a new way of looking at the literature through a database of 58 Library of Congress subject headings. It covers topics from jeans to wedding dresses and features "popular" examples of how clothing is used and reflected in our culture through the literature discussed. Of interest to scholars, students, and anyone curious about the unique power clothing holds in our lives.
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4.

Reforming Women's Fashion, 1850-1920: Politics, Health, and Art » Read Now
by Patricia A. Cunningham. 250 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This first comprehensive study of women's dress reform considers the many advocates for reform and thoroughly examines their motives, their arguments for change, and how they promoted improvements in women's fashion. Drawing on a broad variety of primary and secondary sources, this volume will make...
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This first comprehensive study of women's dress reform considers the many advocates for reform and thoroughly examines their motives, their arguments for change, and how they promoted improvements in women's fashion. Drawing on a broad variety of primary and secondary sources, this volume will make a significant contribution to costume studies, social history, and women's studies.
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5.

Dress Codes: Meanings and Messages in American Culture » Read Now
by Ruth P. Rubenstein. 316 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...colleagues at the Fashion Institute of Technology...members of the art history, political science...Braun-Ronsdorf 1964 Mirror of Fashion: A History of European...
6.

Pantaloons and Power: Nineteenth-Century Dress Reform in the United States » Read Now
by Gayle V. Fischer. 264 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
7.

Body Dressing » Read Now
by Joanne Entwistle, Elizabeth Wilson. 255 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

For some time now the body has been a central topic across a range of social science disciplines. Similarly, there has been a growing interest in the cultural meaning of clothing. But curiously, even though people are nearly always clothed, the relationship between dress and the body has been...
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For some time now the body has been a central topic across a range of social science disciplines. Similarly, there has been a growing interest in the cultural meaning of clothing. But curiously, even though people are nearly always clothed, the relationship between dress and the body has been relatively unexplored until now.Dress is a crucial aspect of embodiment, shaping the self physically and psychologically. From dressing up to dressing down, this book exposes the complex ways that fashions and costumes render the body presentable in a vast range of social situations. It investigates the varied ways in which western and non-western clothes operate to give the body meaning and situate it within culture. The authors consider different approaches to the relationship between fashion, dress and the body, and present new theoretical models for their future study. They demonstrate the importance of the concept of embodiment to dress and fashion studies.Exploring gender, photography, cultural history and modernity, this book deals with a vast range of questions inherent in dressing up the body. From fashion photography in the 1960s to contemporary queer fashion and the history of the masquerade, this is a fascinating and far-reaching collection. Its breadth and depth make it essential reading for anyone interested in style, costume, the body, gender or history.
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8.

Eye on the Flesh: Fashions of Masculinity in the Early Twentieth Century » Read Now
by Maurizia Boscagli. 238 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
9.

Hairstyles and Fashion: A Hairdresser's History of Paris, 1910-1920 » Read Now
by Steven Zdatny. 204 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The way a society deals with hair speaks volumes about its structures, its wealth, and its values. How is hair arranged? Is it left long or cut short? How often is it washed? Do men and women treat their hair differently and what does this tell us about gender?This stimulating book contains articles...
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The way a society deals with hair speaks volumes about its structures, its wealth, and its values. How is hair arranged? Is it left long or cut short? How often is it washed? Do men and women treat their hair differently and what does this tell us about gender?This stimulating book contains articles written by the Paris hairstylist Emile Long between December 1910 and December 1920 for an English trade journal. Long's purpose in writing was to keep English coiffeurs informed about the goings-on in the world of fashion and hairdressing in France, and especially in Paris. In doing so he has provided us with a personal cultural history of the world's most fashionable city in a period that stretches from the end of the Belle Epoque, through the First World War, and into the opening year of the Roaring Twenties. His investigation of hairstyles and fashion inevitably leads him to a fascinating discussion of important historical issues: the 'true' nature of Woman; the genesis and democratization of fashion; and popular attitudes towards hygiene. With his engaging literary style Long invites us to think about consumer habits and technology, notions of fashion and cleanliness, and changing ideals of femininity and the social order.Students and scholars of history, fashion and French society will enjoy these rich and revealing accounts of what hair means to identity and culture.
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10.

Fashion under the Occupation » Read Now
by Dominique Veillon, Miriam Kochan. 195 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Translated by Miriam KochanBefore the outbreak of WWII, French fashion represented the very pinnacle of style, and French women the epitome of chic. At home and abroad, couturiers wealthy clients eagerly awaited the latest collections, and design houses throughout the world looked to Paris for...
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Translated by Miriam KochanBefore the outbreak of WWII, French fashion represented the very pinnacle of style, and French women the epitome of chic. At home and abroad, couturiers wealthy clients eagerly awaited the latest collections, and design houses throughout the world looked to Paris for inspiration. Unparalleled for glamour and elegance, all things French were noted and emulated - and especially French fashion.One morning in September 1939, into this idyllic world of haute couture and Caf society came the shattering experience of war, followed by the German Occupation. French women, determined not to give way to the inevitable austerities, sought innovation: hats made from blotting paper or newspapers - the latter signalling political allegiances - and blouses made out of parachute silk, often obtained through dubious means. Not only did life go on, but creativity flourished - culottes, which enabled stylish bicycle journeys, became the vogue, and couturiers capitalized on deprivation with wit - dubbing designs Coal and Black Coffee, or naming an entire collection after Mtro stops.Fashion under the Occupation provides the only in-depth history of these blackest years in French history, long overlooked by fashion history because of the impoverished industry and deprivations that affected design. Widely acknowledged as the authoritative work on fashion during this period, it is available in English for the first time and will be essential reading for anyone interested in fashion, French cultural history, and particularly the German Occupation of France.
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11.

Fashion under Fascism: Beyond the Black Shirt » Read Now
by Eugenia Paulicelli. 220 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

When we think of Italian fashion, Gucci, Max Mara and the meteoric rise of Prada immediately spring to mind. But Italian fashion has a dark history that has not previously been explored. The Fascism of 1930s Italy dominated more than just politics - it spilled over into modes of dress. Fashion under...
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When we think of Italian fashion, Gucci, Max Mara and the meteoric rise of Prada immediately spring to mind. But Italian fashion has a dark history that has not previously been explored. The Fascism of 1930s Italy dominated more than just politics - it spilled over into modes of dress. Fashion under Fascism is the first book to consider this link in detail.Fashion often functions as a tacit means of making a social statement, but under Mussolini it vividly reflected political tyranny. Ones allegiance to the regime was choreographed by the dictatorship with the intent of creating a new national consciousness. Women in particular were manipulated through fashion ideals to create an authentic Italian femininity. Paulicelli explores the subtle yet sinister changes to the seemingly innocuous practices of everyday dress and shows why they were such a concern for the state. Importantly, she also demonstrates how these developments impacted on the global dominance of Italian fashion today.This fascinating book includes interviews with major designers, such as Fernanda Gattinoni and Micol Fontana, and sheds new light on the complicated relationship between style and politics.
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12.

Beauty in Exile: The Artists, Models, and Nobility Who Fled the Russian Revolution and Influenced the World of Fashion » Read Now
by Aleksandr Vassiliev, Antonina W. Bouis, Anya Kucharev. 482 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Glamorous and intriguing, packed with hundreds of incomparable pictures and marvelous anecdotes about some of the flamboyant personalities of the first half of the 20th century, this stylish volume illuminates as never before the pivotal Russian influence on 20th-century European and American...
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Glamorous and intriguing, packed with hundreds of incomparable pictures and marvelous anecdotes about some of the flamboyant personalities of the first half of the 20th century, this stylish volume illuminates as never before the pivotal Russian influence on 20th-century European and American culture and fashion.
Alexandre Vassiliev, a well-known Russian-born costume and set designer, gives an insider's account of the artists and aristocrats who fled Russia after the 1917 Revolution and went on to play key roles in the European fashion scene. Wonderful stories abound about such noted emigres as Serge Diaghilev and Anna Pavlova, fashion illustrator Erte, photographer George Hoyningen-Huene, and couturier Prince Felix Yusupov, better known as Rasputin's assassin. With its wealth of documentary source material and photographs of stars from Greta Garbo to Marlene Dietrich wearing couture designed by Russian emigres, this exotic fashion book will have broad appeal.
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13.

Reconstructing Italian Fashion: America and the Development of the Italian Fashion Industry » Read Now
by Nicola White. 185 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Despite its long eclipse by Parisian couture, Italian fashion is now celebrated globally for the quality of its tailoring, fabric and design. But an Italian label was not always a yardstick for excellence. In the twenty years following the Second World War, a little known fact is that America played...
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Despite its long eclipse by Parisian couture, Italian fashion is now celebrated globally for the quality of its tailoring, fabric and design. But an Italian label was not always a yardstick for excellence. In the twenty years following the Second World War, a little known fact is that America played a key role in the development of Italy's fashion industry. More generally known is that the Marshall Plan had a formative influence on the financial and industrial reorganization of Italian postwar reconstruction. But America's specific influence on the regeneration of the Italian textile industry has been largely passed over, despite the meteoric rise of design houses such as Max Mara, Gucci and Prada.However, while American interest was central to the industrial and stylistic expansion of Italian fashion, the lessons learned were combined with Italian ideas and energies to create fashions with a distinctly Italian edge. This book reveals that a deliberate effort went into the development of an Italian national identity in fashion design, partially in response to American interest. Drawing on a wide range of sources, notably the testimonies of key witnesses, contemporary media reports and surviving garments, this book contributes to the scant research on twentieth century Italian dress and specifically exposes for the first time the depth of American involvement in Italian fashion in a crucial phase of its development.
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14.

The Rise of Fashion: A Reader » Read Now
by Daniel Leonhard Purdy. 357 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
15.

Mallarme on Fashion: A Translation of the Fashion Magazine, le Derniere Mode, with Commentary » Read Now
by P. N. Furbank, Alex Cain. 198 pgs.

Collections: Literature, Entire Library

In the later months of 1874, the great French poet, Stphane Mallarm, undertook a highly idiosyncratic project - the publication of a fashion magazine (La Dernire Mode) that he almost single-handedly wrote and edited. Using a variety of feminine and masculine pseudonyms to theorize about the concept...
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In the later months of 1874, the great French poet, Stphane Mallarm, undertook a highly idiosyncratic project - the publication of a fashion magazine (La Dernire Mode) that he almost single-handedly wrote and edited. Using a variety of feminine and masculine pseudonyms to theorize about the concept of fashion and to report and advise on womens clothing, popular vacation destinations, home furnishings and entertainment, Mallarm created a spectacularly original work that lies somewhere between Baudelaires seminal treatment of fashion in his essay on modernity, The Painter of Modern Life, and The Fashion System, Barthes brilliant semiology of clothing in the latter twentieth century.But the distinguishing feature of Mallarms magazine, and what differentiates it from the writing of Baudelaire and Barthes, is that it explores the nature of fashion from the inside. It is a genuine fashion magazine aspiring to lead fashion, though at the same time, by ingenious and appealing ironies, subtly satirizing this whole genre of writing. Various theories have been entertained about the work in the past, such as its being a prose poem, or alternatively a hoax or a mere money-making venture, but the present translators, in their commentary, argue that such guesses are hopelessly off the mark.Complete with the original artwork and a contextualizing introduction and commentary, Furbank and Cains definitive translation of one of French literatures greatest puzzles and surprises represents a major contribution to students, critics, theoreticians, and intellectual historians alike.
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16.

Society's Child: Identity, Clothing, and Style » Read Now
by Ruth P. Rubinstein. 297 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library