Dressing the Decades: Twentieth-Century Vintage Style Hardcover – Illustrated, March 1, 2016

good condition

A lot of black Lancashire photography, but that's what was happening then. Good demonstrative photos for examples. Great addition to a fashion library.

A favorite of my fashion library now. Written in a concise and wonderful manner, spotlighting many unsung fashion designers.

At first glance, I flipped through and instantly thought "not enough color photos." But as another reviewer mentioned - it's not meant to be a coffeetable book, though it is quite attractive. It is full of really interesting information, not just about trends throughout the decades but about the socio-economic factors that caused the public to embrace a particular style over another. It has brief profiles of major/important designers of each era, as well as some of the designers that may not be as well-known but who influenced the public taste in other ways. And by "public" I mean all of the public, not just the fashion runways of Paris & Milan; but ordinary people like you and me who need affordable ready-to-wear and often make our own "fashion" out of more basic clothing.There are a lot of fashion books that are all glossy photos with very little information, and others that delve deeply into the fashion world and explores the designers and their influences much more thoroughly, but Dressing the Decades seems to strike the right balance somewhere in between. If you're a fashion scholar, you probably know all this information already (and much more), but anyone with a general interest will find this very accessible and quite fascinating. The photos, while beautiful (and largely black & white), primarily serve to illustrate an example from the text. Occasionally I find myself wishing for a few more, but overall I think it's a good balance between information and photography.For me, it's not just an exploration of fashion history, but a peek into the creative process that inspired the designers who influenced public taste. As an artist myself, with interests in clothing & fashion, I find it not only informative but also quite inspiring! I was honestly expecting a glossy coffeetable tome with pretty pictures, but this is much, much better.

This is a very beautiful, well written, and documented history book of the evolvement of fashions during each of the ten decades of the Twentieth-Century. Twenty pages is devoted to each decade. There is a seventeen-page introduction. The book is filled with both black and white and colorful photos and drawings of famous designers – such as Chanel, Dior, Versace, and Calvin Klein – and their stunning creations. The designers are profiled in this book with their influence conveyed in words and in photographs of their signature pieces. We read about famous models and movie stars, such as Jean Harlow and Clara Bow.The book examines the origins of the most luxuries garments worn and owed by "High Society," designs that set the tone for world elegance. It is filled with many details about each decade, subjects such as shrugging off the corset and wearing hats in the 1900s, the influence of the east and the coming of Coco Chanel and the Tunic Dress in the 1910s, the new woman and the youthful look and sportswear of the 1920s, accented shoulders and furs in the 1930s, and much more about each decade, seemingly everything one wants to know.This is a book that people will want to save in their libraries.

Its a good book if you don't know much about the fashions over the decades. But I found it to be a bit skimpy- I already know so much of this.

Great trip down memory lane.

Having lived through several of the decades featured in this book, I found each chapter to be extremely interesting. The photos are superb, both in black and white and in color. Some early images even evoke memories of the costumes from Downton Abbey.Each chapter shares a little of the history of the decade. It helps us to understand what was going on and why some of the trends became popular. Of course, most of the outfits are too fancy for normal folk, just as most people don't wear the fashions we see on the runway. Rather, we have toned down, more affordable versions.In the 60s, we all tried to dress like Twiggy, which was a little easier because of the simplicity of the fashions. But, JC Penney didn't really cut it and our Home Ec creations rarely looked like fashion from the teen magazines. Still, we followed the trends as best we could, just as generations before and after us have.The biographical information about each of the designers also serves to place them in their eras and explains their thought processes for the fashions they designed.The book doesn't really qualify as a coffee table book, but it's on my coffee table. It's easy to thumb through the pages and enjoy the fashions, but soon you'll find yourself reading about each decade. It's a good read and a nice relaxing tour through the decades, whether you're into fashion or just are forced to wear clothes every day.

Ich habe zahlreiche Bücher über Geschichte der Mode und Vintage Mode. Das ist eines der Besten. Nicht unbedingt wegen der Fotos und Illustrationen - diese sind tatsächlich weniger als in anderen Büchern (habe ich den Eindruck). Ich habe in dem Buch allerdings einige Dinge gelesen, die ich sonst bisher nirgends gelesen habe. Außerdem gibt es zu jedem Jahrzehnt eine kurze Beschreibung über die drei wichtige Designer, die es geprägt haben. Da kommen auch mal Designer zur Sprache, die sonst selten (genauer) vorkamen, zB Jeanne Paquin, Jeanne Margaine-Lacroix, Maison Lucille (alle drei 1900s), Jacques Doucet (1910er), Callot Soeurs (1920er) etc. Ich fand es daher besonders unter den vielen derartigen Büchern.