Ashley Collects - Fashion Reads Part 3
It's finally time to finish my fashion book collection posts! Like my last two posts (Part 1 and 2), I have a variety of types of fashion books- coffee books, textbooks, designers, daily what to wear, and more! I will have prices and links to where you can purchase these fabulous books for yourself as well! :) Thanks for checking out this little series of posts, and I hope you have discovered some new books that have peaked your interest! Now, here is the rest of my collection for more enjoyable discoveries! ^_^
1. Survey of Historic Costume (5th Ed.) by Phyllis G. Tortora and Keith Eubank (2009)
I knew by the end of the semester I used this book for, I was for sure keeping this textbook for future reference and recreational reading. I go back to and read this book all the time! It's full of so much important, accurate terminology and information on fashion history. From this book, I get context of the culture and times from each period, actual names and great descriptors for different historical dress, many examples in pictures, and men and children's historical dress as well as womenswear. This book humongous (680 pages!), and it encompasses Western dress from the Ancient World all the way to the mid-late 2000s! I used this textbook for both of my Fashion History courses in
college, and since those were some of favorite courses, this is one of my favorite books in my fashion book collection! Fashion history is really fascinating, and it has everything to do with what we wear and see today in modern fashion. It's so important to know! :) As you can see from the example picture, I was pretty positive early on that this was a beneficial book to keep from all my highlighting for my courses. lol This page informs the readers on hair and headdresses for women from 1715 to 1730, and women's dress from 1730 to 1760. The pictures shown on this page are of extant examples of the popular mid-18th century robes à la française
(dresses), and a drawing of what would have supported these dresses, a frame called panniers. There's now a 6th Ed.
Where to buy: Amazon ($116.88 new, used available), Barnes & Noble ($88.63 used), Chegg ($23.99 used)
2. The Fashion Book by DK (2014)
This is a lighter, more selective, briefer overview of fashion history. The book was published by DK Children, but it's still a fun, interesting, and informative read! :) The basis of this book is for the young teen readers to create their own looks inspired by historical dress. However, it has many sections including fun tidbits of historical dress; "window-shopping the past" with layouts of extant garments and artifacts along with interesting facts; information and dress of different historical influential fashion leaders like Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, CoCo Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy, and Madonna; histories of different fabrics like silk, lace, and denim; quotes describing fashion from the past; behind the scenes of
women's dress like corsets, the many layers that went into the 16th to 19th centuries' dress, the language of the fan, and who sits in the coveted front row of fashion shows; and a year or day in the life of different, modern fashion professionals. It's a book that is full of quick facts and tidbits with tons of images on variety of topics and decades. The example above is of the grunge fashion trend in the early to mid-1990s. The left side goes through the elements of grunge dress with interesting facts, and then the right side shows how those elements can be translated to a modern fashion look inspired by the original grunge trend. It's a fun read that gets you inspired! :)
Where to buy: Amazon ($10.91), Barnes & Noble ($10.91), Target ($15.99)
3. The Fashion Book (Mini Ed.) by Phaidon (2013)
This "The Fashion Book" is all about the most influential and iconic fashion professionals of the past and today. The book provides a very brief overview of each- a little bit about what they're most known for and their influence, their beginnings, and where the professional or brand is at today if applicable. The different careers included are designers like CoCo Chanel, Issey Miyake, Alexander Wang, Emilio Pucci, and more, photographers, milliners, hairdressers, illustrators, textile designers, cosmetics creators, shoe designers, makeup artists, art directors, jewelry designers, retailers, models, editors, fashion schools, stylists, tailors, accessory designers, embroiderers, publishers, websites, and icons like Lady Gaga, Iris Apfel, The Beatles,
Elvis Presley, and more. The book goes from A-Z on all these many people who have created and inspired within the fashion world. It's really cool to see the whole industry and its professionals represented and appreciated! Each entry also has a focus of a picture that is considered one of the professional's most iconic work. The example picture above is of the shoe designer Christian Louboutin and opposite him is the designer Jean Louis who created Rita Hayworth's iconic dress in Gilda (pictured).
Where to buy: Amazon ($11.86), Barnes & Noble ($12.03), Overstock ($10.21)
4. The One Hundred: A Guide To The Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia (2008)
Nina Garcia was once the Fashion Director at both Elle and Marie Claire magazines, and is a fashion journalist, critic, and author. She is perhaps best known though as being a judge on the show Project Runway. Exactly what the title indicates, this book goes through 100 essential, classic fashion pieces every woman should have in her closet to be a stylish, put together woman. Of course as Garcia puts it, "Style is a deeply personal expression of who you are, and every time you dress, you are asserting a part of yourself...Thus, if you are not altering each or some of the items on this list to suit your personal style, you are not playing the style game correctly for your benefit." So really, there is some play here depending on your own style and tastes! The book goes in alphabetical order,
starting with the A-Line dress, going through diamond stud earrings, the motorcycle jacket, the safari jacket, wide leg trousers, etc., and ending with the casual zippered hoodie. Throughout Garcia states why this is a classic, must have piece; gives advice on styling, fit, tailoring, brands, shopping and money tips, and more; fun facts and lessons on terminology and information of fashion pieces; and fun, inspiring fashion quotes! I really love the illustrations by Ruben Toledo that are included, their so stylish and cute! Above shows an example from the book of #88, the tuxedo jacket. This page informs the reading about the history of the tuxedo jacket, often known as le smoking or smoking jacket. Before, it was traditionally a men's only garment, until Yves Saint Laurent designed his 1966 Spring/Summer collection that included women in this men's style. The bottom section of this page, under "Nip/Tuck" gives advice on fitting and wearing your own tuxedo jacket. Want to be stylish, timeless, and classic? Get this book. Shown here is the hardcover (what I have), but there is also a paperback version.
Where to buy: Amazon ($16.97), Barnes & Noble ($16.88)
5. The Secrets of Fashion Drawing by Noel Chapman and Judith Cheek (2014)
This is the fashion book I'm currently reading, and it's so interesting! It doesn't really go into detail on how to draw fashion figures, but it gives great tips on essential tools, industry terminology, the importance of and the way fashion professionals use color, examples and descriptions of different drawing techniques and styles, how to create professional and eye-catching sketchbooks and narratives, where research and inspiration can come from, drawing tricks like using light boxes and fabric swatches, picture examples of different drawn fabrics using different mediums, the importance of and information on digital drawing, the future of fashion illustration, how to create layouts and presentation boards, and working in the fashion industry. One of my favorite parts so far in this book is the
exercise on drawing, in detail, from real, hanging garments- I would really like to practice this more often! I also really like that this book includes so many pictures, examples, quotes, and interviews from actual industry professionals. You can get very inspired from seeing all the innovative, interesting illustrations, presentation boards, color mood photos, mood boards, and more! The image to the left is of some of those drawing tricks. At the top of the page is an explanation of using paper masks, the middle is using printed papers as guidelines under layout paper or a lightbox, and the bottom section is using folding and a lightbox, layout paper, or transfer paper to trace the other side of drawing to ensure that technical flats are symmetrical!
Where to buy: Amazon ($17.83), Barnes & Noble ($17.94)
6. Very Vintage: The Guide To Vintage Patterns and Clothing by Iain Bromley and Dorota Wojciechowska (2008)
This is another fashion history book with stunning images of both photographs and illustrations, but it also has information on vintage patterns as well, which I thought was pretty cool! I bought this a long time ago during my senior year of high school on my Europe trip in London, but I confess that I haven't gotten around to finishing it. :( With that, I have read that there are actually many errors within this book. For example, the book states that Edith Head designed Grace Kelly's wedding dress, when in fact it was Helen Rose. So now I'm not too sure on how reputable this book is for accurate historic dress information and reference. That aside, the pictures are stunning and provide lots of inspiration on their own!
Just maybe do some more research beyond this book if you use this as inspiration, a reference tool, or just an informational read. The book goes through the 20th century, and discusses major trends like the beginning of haute couture, Orientalism, the New Look, mods and rockers, and more; topics like the beginning of the teenagers in the 1950s, costume design, war and fashion, and paper patterns; and major designers and icons like Charles Fredrick Worth, Edith Head, Givenchy, Sophia Loren, Adrien, and Halston, among others. The picture above shows the section on the costume designer Adrien, who designed for such stars as Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Marilyn Monroe. It's beautifully set up and presented, but be cautious of the accuracy of the information.
Where to buy: Amazon ($32.96), Barnes & Noble ($33.24)
7. Vogue & The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute: Parties, Exhibitions, People by Hamish Bowles (2014)
This book is seriously so beautiful, and I love looking through any book from fashion history or costume institute museums! This is definitely more of a coffee book, as the pictures are very large, most of the time taking up the entire page, and are obviously the main focus. This creates stunning images where you can really examine the details, design, and construction! According to the official description, "Covering The Costume Institute's history and highlighting exhibitions of the twenty-first century curated by Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton, this book offers insider access of the first order. Anchored by photographs from the exhibitions themselves in
tandem with the Vogue fashion shoots they inspired, it also includes images of exhibited objects and party photos from the galas." The fashions are historic, iconic, crazy, spectacular, and the photos truly breath-taking! The images above are from the book, and show designs from Alexander McQueen showcased in the Alexander McQueen "Savage Beauty" Costume Institute Exhibition Gala in 2011.
Where to buy: Amazon ($38.99), Jet ($38.99), The Met Store (official site) ($50)
8. What to Wear, Where: The How-to Handbook for Any Style Situation by Hillary Kerr & Katherine Power of WhoWhatWear (2011)
Here is another what to wear styling book for the everyday woman! I love this book, and have used it on multiple times when finding something to wear to different occasions. The authors are also the creators of the popular WhoWhatWear, a website of the latest celebrity styles, runway trends, and shopping suggestions. The book is set up by occasion, and both Kerr and Power show their own take on what to wear for that event. Occasions include Beach & Pool, Birthday Party, Cold Weather, Concert, Dates, Errands, Graduation, Job Interviews, Picnic, different types of weddings, and so many more! At the beginning of each section is an overall goal for the perfect outfit, and then a short, entertaining
explanation of the occasion, what to wear, what not to wear, and why. Next to the pictures of Kerr and Power posing in their chosen outfits, is a quick reference on other outfit ideas, what you should wear, what to steer clear of, and what might be acceptable but risky to wear. It's a really fun, useful, and stylish book! I love it! The image above shows the occasion, First Date. You can see the goal, Kerr's outfit, and other outfit ideas. For this certain occasion, a section on beauty is included as well, where they advise women to wear more natural, flirty makeup and touchable hair instead of obvious makeup and product full hair.
Where to buy: Amazon ($15.42), Barnes & Noble ($15.42), Jet ($22.07)
9. Why'd They Wear That?: Fashion as the Mirror of History by Sarah Albee (National Geographic)
I love this book so much, it's definitely a favorite in my collection- it's so interesting, fun, well written and presented! It is considered a children's book, but it is entertaining and informational for all ages! It's a more humorous, light hearted look at fashion history. "...learn about outrageous, politically-perilous, funky, disgusting, regrettable, and life-threatening creations people have worn throughout the course of human history, all the way up to the present day. From spats and togas to hoop skirts and hair shirts, why people wore what they did is an illuminating way to look at the social, economic, political, and moral climates throughout history."
This book does an excellent job at providing explanations for why people wore what they did, what was popular, what the times were like, innovations in fashion and the industry, and excellent examples and photos as well as an entertaining and attention-keeping narrative! The book goes through the Ancient World, The Middle Ages, The Age of Exploration (1400s-early 1500s), The Renaissance, The Age of Reason (1600s-1700s), Revolutionary Times (mid-1600s-early 1800s), mid-1700s-early 1900s, The Industrial Revolution (mid-1800s-early 1900s), World Wars (20th century and beyond). I love all the cultures, small inserted tidbits and fun facts included, and how they discuss the creation of dyes, textile machinery, and what some fashion industry jobs like tanners and milliners used to be like! The image above is from the book on the beehive hairdos of the 1950s. If you can't read the text, it explains that during World War II, the U.S. government funded a research project on portable spray cans so soldiers fighting on Pacific islands could kill disease-causing bugs. This is where our cans of hairspray came from! Can you believe it?! :) In the 1950s, hairspray was widely available causing the beehive hairstyle to become popular. Back then though, they cans for hairspray contained ozone-eating chlorofluorocarbons, which were liquefied gases mixed with the contents of the can to create the pressure needed. Crazy, right?
Where to buy: Amazon ($13.27), Barnes & Noble ($13.27), Target ($13.99)
Do you own any of these books, if yes, which ones? What book do you find most intriguing and want to read? Who is your favorite designer? What is your favorite era in fashion? Let me know all your thoughts and comments in the comment section! ^^
Thanks for reading...now go relax and read a good book! ;)
*currently listening to "Loser" by BigBang
xoxo~ Ashley
