The Style Thesaurus: A definitive, gender-neutral guide to the meaning of style and an essential wardrobe companion for all fashion lovers

by Hannah Kane

At once a lexicon of fashion and a style guide, The Style Thesaurus is the essential wardrobe companion for all fashion lovers.

Style can be used to fit in or to stand out, to send different messages and, with the right knowledge, it can also be adjusted according to mood or occasion. The Style Thesaurus examines a wide range of looks, investigates their roots in history and culture, and shows how they can be curated or combined.

Organized into groups reflecting the origins of the style - Utility, Music & Dance, Leisure etc - and fully illustrated, each entry includes examples, near synonymous styles, styling details, pairings and colour story. Entries include everything from Neo-Victoriana, Dandy and Rockabilly to Normcore, Modest or Afrofuturist.

Genres: Fashion

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2023

Reviews

[Edie Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea of this book, but there was definitely some problems with the execution.

Although there were many interesting historical tidbits , there were also enough truly glaring errors that made me question the credibility of the author. One such example was the reference to Sandra Dee as a “siren” known for her”pin-up” style. What?!? Even if you didn’t grow up with Sandra Dee movies, did you at least see “Grease”? I could go on and on making corrections, but you get the point

Another problem was too many descriptions without accompanied photos. Most often there would only be one picture which showed the high fashion interpretation of a look rather than the genuine street look.

I did, however, like some of the insights on subcultures. I just wish there was more.

[Drugs Are · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful book for learning the basics of varied genres of fashion. It’s intended to be used as a reference tool, but I still found it really captivating to read through like a book. I would note that it’s surface level knowledge on any trend and more of a starting point for any research. Plus, it’s biggest draw for me is how up-to-date it is for 2024 but that has a lifespan.

[Deacon Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great tome for building my fashion and design vocabulary and highlighting the lineage of style and culture and inspiration that lead to such a rich diversity of modern and classic styles