The Best-Selling Fashion History Books of All Time

The nineteenth century was a period of continuous change for women's clothing in England. The growing prosperity of the merchant class meant an ever-larger number of women for whom "dress" was a principal function in life, while the increasing availability of lower-priced ready-made garments enabled women of moderate means to purchase the fashions of the day. In addition, the development of the railways spurred the spread of new goods, while the removal of the tax on papers in 1854 produced an abundance of fashion magazines at cheap prices, bringing news of the latest styles to the multitudes.

The magnificent array of ladies' fashions that characterized the century are on display in this remarkably complete decade-by-decade overview. Drawing almost exclusively on contemporary sources — fashion magazines, newspapers, rare period photographs, memoirs, Victorian novels, periodicals, and other publications, as well as firsthand observation of actual garments — the author describes and explains the couture that evolved in response to changing social conditions, technological innovations, and cultural developments. Over 1,100 line and tone drawings and photographs depict hundreds of outfits ranging from lovely morning dresses and starkly attractive riding outfits to elegant carriage costumes, opulent evening dresses, and exquisite bridal gowns. Full-page plates also depict period millinery, footwear, underclothing, and other apparel, while three useful glossaries provide descriptions of materials, definitions of technical terms, and more. Museum curators, vintage clothes collectors, and fashion historians will find this carefully researched and well-written book an indispensable tool for dating, identifying, and authenticating vintage clothing. Not only are styles described and illustrated in detail for each year; all the small details of construction by which specimens can be dated are given wherever possible. Moreover, designers, illustrators, and fashion enthusiasts will be delighted by the superbly detailed illustrations, which painstakingly document the fashionable finery of the Victorian era.

The definitive guide to the history of fashion. From Ancient Egypt and Marie Antionette to Alexander McQueen and Chanel, this visually stunning fashion design book charts the evolution of clothing and shows how every generation reinvents fashion! The perfect fashion coffee table book! Here’s what you’ll find inside:. • Covers the most important fashion periods in vivid detail, from ancient times to the present day, in extensive catalog spreads. • From a crinoline to a Givenchy gown, specially photographed "virtual tours" of classic pieces spotlight the details that make up a masterpiece.

• Profiles showcase the key styles and works of trailblazing designers, describing how they have influenced the clothes we wear. • Beautiful double-page images from fashion archives show how people have embraced fashion in every era and place fashion in its cultural context. The fashion industry is yours to explore! Packed with a dazzling combination of original fashion plates, archive images and commissioned photography, Fashion takes you on a fabulous tour across the centuries! It catalogs the history of what people wear ― revealing how Western fashion has been influenced by design from around the world ― and celebrating everything from costumes to haute couture. Now fully revised and updated, this lavishly illustrated book about fashion includes recent subjects of interest including the increased role of social media, fast fashion, sustainable fashion, and the drive for improved diversity and beauty ideals. The illustrated glossary of technical terms and a comprehensive index help make this page-turning fashion book an indispensable work of reference for any fashion student or fashionista’s shelf. Look out for more titles in The Definitive Visual Guide series from DK. Experience the power of art and take a guided tour of the world’s most influential paintings in Art, or celebrate the history and evolution of design movements in Design.

Since the invention of photography there has not been a history of fashion completely illustrated by photographs — until this one. Photography historian Alison Gernsheim first studied Victorian and Edwardian fashion in order to be able to date photographs in her collection. Of course the photos soon proved to be the best of all fashion plates — authentic, detailed, as decorative and charming as top fashion illustration.

When united with identifications and descriptions of the chief costume articles, and a commentary that includes childhood memories of the period, the resulting history is doubly indispensable — equally useful and delightful to serious and casual readers. The invention of photography preceded that of the crinoline by about a decade. Pre-crinoline bonnets, stovepipe hats, and deep décolletage are featured in the first of these 235 illustrations — including a beautiful 1840 daguerreotype portrait of a lady that is the earliest study of its kind extant. From 1855 to the 1870s the crinoline gave shape (whether barrel, bell, teapot, or otherwise) to English women, and their shapes fill many of these full and half-page photos. English men went beardless in top hats and frock coats; as in other eras, the sporting wear of the previous generation became acceptable morning and evening town attire. Styles and accoutrements came and went — moustaches, straw hats, bustles and bodice line, petticoats, corsets, shawls and falsies, flounces, ruffles, lace, and materials — satin, silk, velvet, woolen underwear, full-length sable, and osprey feathers. Many of the models for these fashions were already fashionable enough — Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, Lillie Langtry, Winston Churchill, many archdukes, duchesses, counts, princes, and Queen Victoria herself. Photographers are identified where possible, and include Nadar, Lewis Carroll, and the Downeys. Every photograph is captioned and annotated.