From the styles of the early 1900s to those of the twenty-first century, John Peacock charts the development of women's fashion in all its aspects: couture wear, leisure wear, day wear, evening wear, bridal wear, underwear, and accessories. Fashion's greatest designers and designs are all here: from Worth's visiting dress, Chanel's suits, Balenciaga's classic gowns, Dior's New Look, and Mary Quant's mini-dresses to recent designs from the collections of Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and others.
Photography could never capture so faithfully the dazzling variety of these designs. Indeed, many that predate the advent of color photography have never been shown in their original colors. John Peacock's wide-ranging research, using paintings, photographs, and the garments themselves, has allowed him to reproduce in meticulous detail lines, shapes, weaves, patterns, and colors. Arranged by decade, the drawings are accompanied by complete descriptions of each garment and accessory, including the fabric, cut, and pattern.
In this revised edition of Peacock's standard book, 155 new drawings have been added, together with detailed descriptions. The updated reference section includes a time chart summarizing the development of fashion, biographies of couturiers and designers, and a bibliography.
I ordered this book to help me select costumes for a local theater group. Sometimes it is difficult to tell which era a donated dress or suit is from. I liked the way the clothing was drawn in pen and ink instead of photos. One can clearly see the defining lines of the styles. It will be a very useful book. It would have been more helpful to have had a greater number of drawings in the category of "daywear" and to have omitted the category of "underwear". However, I am sure that she did not just have costumers in mind when the book was written.
The full-page drawings are remarkable reproductions and essential for any comprehensive fashion hist
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Fashion Since 1900: The Complete Sourcebook is a pick for any college-level library interested in fashion history. Over 1250 color illustrations offers up a history of women's fashion in the modern era, covering the development of fashion styles from lingerie and leisure wear to evening and bridal wear. The best designers and their influences and contributions are provided in a series of fine color photos and reproductions using paintings, photos and the garments themselves, all reproduced in unique color and arranged by decade to accompany complete garment descriptions. The full-page drawings are remarkable reproductions and essential for any comprehensive fashion history collection. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch
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