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Decades: A Century of Fashion
What Cameron Silver doesn't know about fashion is not worth knowing. For fifteen years he has owned Decades, the renowned vintage boutique on Melrose Avenue, hunting the world for couture from decades past, matching gorgeous red-carpet gowns to actresses including Chloe Sevigny and Michelle Williams, Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lopez. In Decades, Silver commits all his sartorial knowledge to paper in an over-sized, visually stunning book: ten chapters, each devoted to the iconic looks of a decade. Josephine Baker and Zelda Fitzgerald show off their legs in the 20s; Jackie O embodies feminine polish in the 60s; Calvin Klein's minimalism meets Jacobs' grunge remix in the 90s. This true fashion bible includes original designer sketches and patterns and photos of rare couture as styled decades ago and today. There are contributions from and interviews with movie stars, models, and style icons, fashion editors and revered designers. Decades is a fashion treasure: a century of colorful history to inspire the stylish of today for years to come.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 18, 2015
Just totally gorgeous. Amazing photos!
I wished they'd included a bit more about men's fashion, but otherwise I loved it. However, it took me forever to read because it's like two feet tall and weighs over five pounds, so the only place I could read it was literally on my coffee table!
I wished they'd included a bit more about men's fashion, but otherwise I loved it. However, it took me forever to read because it's like two feet tall and weighs over five pounds, so the only place I could read it was literally on my coffee table!
June 12, 2013
One of my recent guilty pleasures is the Bravo show "Dukes of Melrose," a reality show about Decades, the epicenter of vintage fashion. The store is run by two gay men ("we're not partners, we're business partners!"). Christos runs the downstairs, a shop that sells "affordable" (this is a world in which a $2,000 dress is deemed affordable) modern clothing, last season's Hermes, Alexander McQueen, and Chanel. Cameron Silver is the founder of the store and runs the upstairs, which is a rareified collection of couture that often has historical, artistic, or cultural value, and always costs a whole lot of money. There's something about watching how other people live (those with collectible Moschino army jackets or closets bigger than my house) that appeals to that brain-is-zoning-out guilty pleasure side, but I really feel that it's quite educational from the art side. I like watching Christos and Cameron do their "closet raids," in which they go into the closet of a young, trendy celebrity (Christos) or "woman of a certain age" (Cameron) and go through their most collectible items, sometimes showing them off for the camera and sometimes taking them to resell in their store. I'm impressed by their wealth of knowledge about fashion, particularly Cameron's, to recognize a piece from a particular designer, and a particular time period right away, as well as a quote of how much a particular piece will sell for at Decades. Cameron clearly has a natural-born eye for haute couture and a comprehensive self-taught fashion history education.
Last year, not coincidentally just before "Dukes of Melrose" aired, Silver authored his first book, Decades: A Century of Fashion. I actually tried to see him speak on a fashion panel at the LA Times Festival of books, but *d'oh!* I looked at the schedule all wrong and it turned out that the panel he was on was on Sunday (I was there on Saturday). So I sat in on a very confusing mystery writers panel. Anyway, I was excited to learn that one of the libraries I work at owns a copy of Decades: A Century of Fashion, because fashion coffee table books are expensive, y'all. (This one has a list price of $65, which is actually not too bad for a fashion coffee table book.) As you might expect from the title, and Silver's work and expertise, the book goes through every decade of the 20th century and takes a formulaic approach to describing the key fashions of each. Each decade discusses a key designer from that period and two women who emulated the fashion of that period. For example, Grace Kelly and Bettie Page are given as the two icons of the 1950s--Grace Kelly with her virginal princess persona, and Bettie Page, who was all sex appeal. I enjoyed the fashion education, though I found myself craving more information about certain decades. Certainly, if you're looking for something concise, this is undeniably so for something that spans such a long time period of fashion history.
It's a little difficult to categorize Decades: A Century of Fashion, because unlike a lot of coffee table books, there is actually quite a bit of text (about 3/4 of an immense page's worth every four pages or so) in addition to the stunning images, but it's difficult to actually READ because the book is SO. HUGE. My estimate is that it's about 10x15 inches, which is about twice the size of what I usually read. I hardly ever read a book while sitting at a table, almost always in bed or on a couch, and this was really heavy and unwieldy for that. This is probably revealing more about me than you wanted to know, but I often fall asleep clutching a book that I've been reading (probably 8 times out of 10, in fact), and this was, well, comically painful as I fell asleep and hit my face with the book. Decades: A Century of Fashion is definitely a book that needs to be read at a desk.
For the most part, I was really impressed by the quality of the images in the book. Each "decade" begins with a close up of the beading or material of one of the gowns in Decades' collection, and there are plenty of gorgeous historical photographs. One in particular, a photograph of Frida Kahlo, was so vibrant and clear I couldn't believe it had been so well preserved and reproduced. But there are some really disappointing omissions. For example, both Wallis Simpson's (1930s) and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's (1990s) wedding dresses are described as dresses that set trends and inspired hundreds of knockoffs, but there wasn't an image of either anywhere to be found in the book. I can only imagine that this must be due to copyright issues, but it would've been nice to at least have had these looks described.
I haven't read enough fashion history books to know whether this is unique or special, but it's certainly worth a look if the subject interests you. I don't find it to be something that I would reach for repeatedly. There's no denying that it's a beautiful book, but I'm not really into the coffee table stuff, in general.
Last year, not coincidentally just before "Dukes of Melrose" aired, Silver authored his first book, Decades: A Century of Fashion. I actually tried to see him speak on a fashion panel at the LA Times Festival of books, but *d'oh!* I looked at the schedule all wrong and it turned out that the panel he was on was on Sunday (I was there on Saturday). So I sat in on a very confusing mystery writers panel. Anyway, I was excited to learn that one of the libraries I work at owns a copy of Decades: A Century of Fashion, because fashion coffee table books are expensive, y'all. (This one has a list price of $65, which is actually not too bad for a fashion coffee table book.) As you might expect from the title, and Silver's work and expertise, the book goes through every decade of the 20th century and takes a formulaic approach to describing the key fashions of each. Each decade discusses a key designer from that period and two women who emulated the fashion of that period. For example, Grace Kelly and Bettie Page are given as the two icons of the 1950s--Grace Kelly with her virginal princess persona, and Bettie Page, who was all sex appeal. I enjoyed the fashion education, though I found myself craving more information about certain decades. Certainly, if you're looking for something concise, this is undeniably so for something that spans such a long time period of fashion history.
It's a little difficult to categorize Decades: A Century of Fashion, because unlike a lot of coffee table books, there is actually quite a bit of text (about 3/4 of an immense page's worth every four pages or so) in addition to the stunning images, but it's difficult to actually READ because the book is SO. HUGE. My estimate is that it's about 10x15 inches, which is about twice the size of what I usually read. I hardly ever read a book while sitting at a table, almost always in bed or on a couch, and this was really heavy and unwieldy for that. This is probably revealing more about me than you wanted to know, but I often fall asleep clutching a book that I've been reading (probably 8 times out of 10, in fact), and this was, well, comically painful as I fell asleep and hit my face with the book. Decades: A Century of Fashion is definitely a book that needs to be read at a desk.
For the most part, I was really impressed by the quality of the images in the book. Each "decade" begins with a close up of the beading or material of one of the gowns in Decades' collection, and there are plenty of gorgeous historical photographs. One in particular, a photograph of Frida Kahlo, was so vibrant and clear I couldn't believe it had been so well preserved and reproduced. But there are some really disappointing omissions. For example, both Wallis Simpson's (1930s) and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's (1990s) wedding dresses are described as dresses that set trends and inspired hundreds of knockoffs, but there wasn't an image of either anywhere to be found in the book. I can only imagine that this must be due to copyright issues, but it would've been nice to at least have had these looks described.
I haven't read enough fashion history books to know whether this is unique or special, but it's certainly worth a look if the subject interests you. I don't find it to be something that I would reach for repeatedly. There's no denying that it's a beautiful book, but I'm not really into the coffee table stuff, in general.
July 28, 2026
I borrowed the book from the library for the pictures -and the images are so SO good but I was pleasantly surprised how good the text was as well and read it cover to cover. I learned a lot and lot was mentioned that I'd like to read more about. I was also surprised how much I loved the fashions of the early 20th century. That was my favorite part of the book. The only thing keeping me from buying it is how big the book is!
November 6, 2014
I had my eye on this book for a while before I actually got it, I'm really glad that I did.
It was page after page of swoon worthy fashion through the ages. Oh, how I swooned for the early 1900's-1950. It was amazing!
I think that the selected photography perfectly captured the overall essence of each decade. I wanted to tear out and frame some of the photography, but that would have defeated the purpose of it being a book.
Anyhow, I loved the quotes and the many facts and tid bits about the eras, designers, and models. I learned quite a bit.
I would read it again, and I've already recommended it.
If you love fashion and photography like I do, you'll most likely enjoy this book.
It was page after page of swoon worthy fashion through the ages. Oh, how I swooned for the early 1900's-1950. It was amazing!
I think that the selected photography perfectly captured the overall essence of each decade. I wanted to tear out and frame some of the photography, but that would have defeated the purpose of it being a book.
Anyhow, I loved the quotes and the many facts and tid bits about the eras, designers, and models. I learned quite a bit.
I would read it again, and I've already recommended it.
If you love fashion and photography like I do, you'll most likely enjoy this book.
January 23, 2013
Gorgeous coffee table book about the last hundred years of couture fashion. Mouthwatering large format photos of BEADING and SILKS and lovely stuff like that. Written as if street style doesn't exist by a guy who runs a high-end vintage store in L.A.
August 22, 2013
Beautiful pictures!
November 25, 2013
Great pictures. Didn't read any text past the second page. I found the author pretentious and smug and impossible to read.
December 24, 2012
A beautiful coffee table book depicting fashion through the last century. A feast for the eyes and mind.
February 28, 2013
Very nice pictures that reassure us that fashion is timeless.
May 14, 2013
Nice overview., nothing original, but a good evening's read.
August 2, 2013
Gorgeous!
August 16, 2013
There’s a way to write something light and fluffy about the fashion industry without being so flippantly exclusive or lacking a voice. Pass.
December 14, 2012
Stunning visual treat.
January 26, 2013
Really good, really liked it!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews