Fashion is ever-changing, and while some styles mark a dramatic departure from the past, many exhibit subtle differences from year to year that are not always easily identifiable. With overviews of each key period and detailed illustrations for each new style, How to Read a Dress is an authoritative visual guide to women's fashion across five centuries.Each entry includes annotated color images of historical garments, outlining important features and highlighting how styles have developed over time, whether in shape, fabric choice, trimming, or undergarments. Readers will learn how garments were constructed and where their inspiration stemmed from at key points in history – as well as how dresses have varied in type, cut, detailing and popularity according to the occasion and the class, age and social status of the wearer.This lavishly illustrated book is the ideal tool for anyone who has ever wanted to know their cartridge pleats from their Récamier ruffles. Equipping the reader with all the information they need to 'read' a dress, this is the ultimate guide for students, researchers, and anyone interested in historical fashion.

This series, designed for those who need reliable, easy-to-use reference material on the history of dress, presents the reader with a clear idea of what was worn in a given period and how, without the distortions and loss of detail which line drawings can entail. This book covers the period from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day. The central part of the book is a series of illustrations taken from the time of the dress itself including photographs, paintings, sculpture, fashion plates, drawings and advertising material. Each illustration is captioned in a consistent way under the labels "Head", "Body" and "Accessories" and the clothes are clearly described, explained and interpreted. The reader may need to know whether a certain style was fashionable or unfashionable at a certain time, usual or unusual - such information is consistently laid out. Arranged in order of date, these illustrations will meet the needs of students, designers, collectors and anyone interested in the history of dress.

Every generation can recall and identify with the fashion icons and idols of their era. The crinoline-caged Victorian female, the Gibson girl, and the grunge-layered youth of the 1990s all reflect the influences and extremes of their life and times. The start of the 19th century marks the dawn of the designer, a sartorial influence that became a star-studded industry. Fashion: A Visual History charts those points in time when distinctive styles that began as extravagances of the very rich permeated through well-dressed society until a cut of cloth or choice of accessory defined fashion. This elegantl- dressed volume asseses the contribution of such innovative players as Worth, Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent, Klein, Westwood, and Gaultier, as well as the effects of stage, sceren, music, dance, and sports celebriries on our ever-changing sense of fashion. Each spread focuses on a definitive item--be it bowler hat or little black dress, stiletto or caftan--or identifies key shifts in fashion that reflect excess, liberation, austerity, nostalgia, and technology, displaying it in contemporary images ranging from paintings and illustrated fashion plates to cartoons and photographs. Evocativ... [Read More]

For readers of Lilac Girls and The Nightingale comes an internationally bestselling World War II novel that spans generations, crosses oceans, and proves just how much two young women are willing to sacrifice for love and family.1940: As the Germans advance upon Paris, young seamstress Estella Bissette is forced to flee everything she's ever known. She's bound for New York City with her signature gold dress, a few francs, and a dream: to make her mark on the world of fashion. Present day: Fabienne Bissette journeys to the Met's annual gala for an exhibit featuring the work of her ailing grandmother - a legend of women's fashion design. But as Fabienne begins to learn more about her beloved grandmother's past, she uncovers a story of tragedy, heartbreak and family secrets that will dramatically change her own life."I loved The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and I have a feeling that I'm going to love this dual timeline World War II novel based in war-torn France and present day." --Debbie Macomber"This rich, memorable novel unfolds beautifully from start to finish." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review"Fascinating and impeccably researched." --Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife"A f... [Read More]

At the turn of the century, ladies of privilege could easily afford their own dressmakers, and even middle-class housewives occasionally employed competent seamstresses. But many women did their own sewing, often relying on Dressmaking, Up to Date, a how-to book published by the Butterick Publishing Company. First published in 1905 and widely considered the first modern American sewing book, this extremely rare volume is published here complete and unabridged.This Butterick manual provides clear and concise instructions for altering patterns, hand-sewing stitches, and creating shirt-blouses, skirts, wedding and evening gowns, coats, jackets, maternity wear, undergarments, bathrobes, children's clothing, and many other articles of apparel. Today's costume historians and sewing enthusiasts will find fascinating instruction in such long-lost arts as boning a bodice perfectly, creating skirt sweepers and bust enhancers, concealing hooks and eyes, and other vintage dressmaking techniques.An indispensable archive of information on late-Victorian and turn-of-the-century clothing, this volume will be of immense interest to anyone fascinated by the fashion and costume of the period. It will... [Read More]

This new edition of a bestselling textbook is designed for students, scholars, and anyone interested in 20th century fashion history. Accessibly written and well illustrated, the book outlines the social and cultural history of fashion thematically, and contains a wide range of global case studies on key designers, styles, movements and events. The new edition has been revised and expanded: there are new sections on eco-fashion, fashion and the museum, major changes in the fashion market in the 21st century (including the impact of new media and retailing networks), new technologies, fashion weeks, the rise of asian fashion centers and more. There are twice as many illustrations. In its second edition, A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th and 21st Centuries is the ideal introductory text for all students of fashion.

A stunning collection of behind-the-scenes hair, makeup, and wardrobe continuity photographs from the Twentieth Century Fox archive, Styling the Stars features images of more than 150 actors—such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, and Paul Newman—from more than 100 Fox classics, including Miracle on 34th Street, The Sound of Music, Cleopatra, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In 1997 Twentieth Century Fox established an archive of all-but-forgotten production stills taken during the filming of some of their most memorable movies. Published here for the first time, this archive includes hundreds of riveting portraits of Hollywood’s most treasured leading men and women as they were prepped for the camera. Revered for their indisputable sense of style, the carefully crafted characters portrayed by the likes of Clark Gable, Julie Andrews, and Audrey Hepburn came as the result of meticulous hairstyling, makeup artistry, and lavish costume design. In Hollywood’s trendsetting word of glamour and glitz, continuity photographs ensured that these wardrobe elements remained consistent throughout the filming process. Once fully styled, st... [Read More]

Experience the twentieth century through the people and events that made headlines--a unique collection of voices, images, and unforgettable cultural touchstones. The Twentieth Century in 100 Moments A Visual History groups and explains the most important events of the twentieth century in the United States, creating a textured, entertaining, and riveting narrative. Images from and ideas about the twentieth century are brought into focus through the following five themes. Triumph Great and rousing moments that signal achievement and mark monumental accomplishments. Struggle The hard work and long odds that bring deeper meaning to life. Living How Americans indulge their spirit

9781138504776

9780816059515