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The Hundred Dresses: The Most Iconic Styles of Our Time
The dress is the last bit of femininity in our closets; it's the only item of clothing which (most) men and women don't share. Wearing a dress is a powerful way for women to express themselves--and every style conveys a different message. Inspired by the Eleanor Estes' children's classic The Hundred Dresses, Erin McKean's classic-to-be by the same title, with chic illustrations by Donna Mehalko, is a definitive look at the dresses, vintage and modern, that make an inarguable statement about the woman who wears them.
Each evocatively illustrated entry identifies one of a hundred different dresses accompanied by a witty and informative look at the history of that particular style, famous wearers (if applicable), and what message, subtle or overt, is conveyed by the dress. Notes on where such a style could be observed and accessories of the wearer are also included.
Featured are The Wench; The Sari; The Vreeland; The Wrap; The Austen; The Beckham; The Siren (any style, as long as it's red); The Chanel Ingenue; The Caftan; The Guinivere; The Jackie; The Slip Dress; The Biohazard (any dress dangerous to bystanders or the wearer: think Lady Gaga); and scores more. The book also includes a suggested reading list of fashion books, dresses from literature, and an index.
Part style commentary, part fashion blueprint, part clever field guide, The Hundred Dresses will ensure that no woman (or man) ever underestimates the power of the dress.
Each evocatively illustrated entry identifies one of a hundred different dresses accompanied by a witty and informative look at the history of that particular style, famous wearers (if applicable), and what message, subtle or overt, is conveyed by the dress. Notes on where such a style could be observed and accessories of the wearer are also included.
Featured are The Wench; The Sari; The Vreeland; The Wrap; The Austen; The Beckham; The Siren (any style, as long as it's red); The Chanel Ingenue; The Caftan; The Guinivere; The Jackie; The Slip Dress; The Biohazard (any dress dangerous to bystanders or the wearer: think Lady Gaga); and scores more. The book also includes a suggested reading list of fashion books, dresses from literature, and an index.
Part style commentary, part fashion blueprint, part clever field guide, The Hundred Dresses will ensure that no woman (or man) ever underestimates the power of the dress.
213 pages, Hardcover
First published June 11, 2013
8 people are currently reading
611 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 28, 2013
Fun look at 100 iconic dresses, their history, what accessories to wear,
the famous who wore them, the designers---it's a quick and easy read.
I really liked the illustrations for each dress. There is also a great
fashion bibliography at the end. Just plain fun! :-)
the famous who wore them, the designers---it's a quick and easy read.
I really liked the illustrations for each dress. There is also a great
fashion bibliography at the end. Just plain fun! :-)
May 19, 2013
This is a goodreads giveaway, and I am glad I won because this book is kinda cool.
If you look it up on here, it gives a very good description of what the reader can expect, so I will not be redundant. The older you are, the more of these dresses you will remember or have seen and most likeley to have worn a few of them yourself. There are quite a few that lend to a figure I do not see on too many women (like the J -Lo dress). There are some that most women would not be caught dead in (the Swan dress comes to mind). Then there are the dress that most everyone can look like a million bucks in (the Wrap dress).
The reader can expect to see every dress that has been fashionable throught history, or at least worn throught history. Donna Mehalko provides classic fashion designer illustrations. The advance copy has them in black and white, while the version that will be on the market will have them in color. The black and white sketches are still done well and look chic, in my opinion.
If you are as aspiring designer, or just like dresses, this book is a good reference and provides a few facts you probably have not heard of before.
If you look it up on here, it gives a very good description of what the reader can expect, so I will not be redundant. The older you are, the more of these dresses you will remember or have seen and most likeley to have worn a few of them yourself. There are quite a few that lend to a figure I do not see on too many women (like the J -Lo dress). There are some that most women would not be caught dead in (the Swan dress comes to mind). Then there are the dress that most everyone can look like a million bucks in (the Wrap dress).
The reader can expect to see every dress that has been fashionable throught history, or at least worn throught history. Donna Mehalko provides classic fashion designer illustrations. The advance copy has them in black and white, while the version that will be on the market will have them in color. The black and white sketches are still done well and look chic, in my opinion.
If you are as aspiring designer, or just like dresses, this book is a good reference and provides a few facts you probably have not heard of before.
May 13, 2013
I haven't received my copy yet, just received notice I had won. 05/13/13
Received this yesterday and started it this morning. 5/23/13
Haven't been on in a while. I have finished this but not sure exactly when.
The Hundred Dresses goes through all styles of dresses people wear and give a short history/description/fun facts about them. It then tells you other styles similar to it and who you would see normally wearing the style.
I am not a fashion fan so I was a bit worried I wouldn't like this book. I enjoyed it. There was some fun commentary and I know my niece will LOVE it so it is getting passed on to her. She is 12 going on 21 and loves clothes.
Received this yesterday and started it this morning. 5/23/13
Haven't been on in a while. I have finished this but not sure exactly when.
The Hundred Dresses goes through all styles of dresses people wear and give a short history/description/fun facts about them. It then tells you other styles similar to it and who you would see normally wearing the style.
I am not a fashion fan so I was a bit worried I wouldn't like this book. I enjoyed it. There was some fun commentary and I know my niece will LOVE it so it is getting passed on to her. She is 12 going on 21 and loves clothes.
July 3, 2013
This was a fast, fun romp through 100 iconic, archetype dresses. Erin McKean's sense of humor, fanaticism, and interesting historical notes make for a fun, informative, light read. I devoured this book in two days' worth of commuter train rides and lunch hours. Her annotated bibliography of 100 books on dresses is a fashion book must-read list. Donna Mehalko's illustrations are fab.
June 9, 2013
Full Disclosure: I won this book through FirstReads.
As a fashion girl, I was thrilled to receive this book, which details 100 different types of dresses that have made a mark in fashion. I love the wonderful illustrations, and the text itself has a nice tone throughout. It strikes a nice balance between conversational, informative, and a touch humorous. I also think the choices on the list are mostly well-informed and I also love the bibliography of fashion-related books in the back of this one. This is an excellent addition to the library of anyone who loves clothes.
As a fashion girl, I was thrilled to receive this book, which details 100 different types of dresses that have made a mark in fashion. I love the wonderful illustrations, and the text itself has a nice tone throughout. It strikes a nice balance between conversational, informative, and a touch humorous. I also think the choices on the list are mostly well-informed and I also love the bibliography of fashion-related books in the back of this one. This is an excellent addition to the library of anyone who loves clothes.
June 26, 2013
I didn't agree with all the selections on this list. I view a few as purely costumes. I did appreciate and enjoy the illustrations. I see myself as a #80 and I fantasize about wearing many of the other selections. This book also includes an index of 100 other books about dresses. Browse through this at your library and then go shopping!
July 10, 2013
Beautifully illustrated, very fun read. I agree with other reviewers who noticed that at least 10 of these are stupid costumes, but I loved reading this book cover-to-cover anyway. I'm not a fashionista by any stretch, but I love Ms. McKean's blog and her writing style - she did not disappoint in this book. Her clever, witty observations are always spot on.
June 6, 2013
I thought the book was a pretty fun book :) it was an easy read and it really did a good job showing all of the different ways women show their femininity by the way they dress. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun book to read!
June 20, 2013
Interesting and humorous histories of 100 iconic dress styles. I really like the simple illustrations.
August 11, 2013
Fabulous illustrations quick read it was fun to share with friends!
June 25, 2013
Beautiful and fun little book, this one.
June 26, 2013
Taking inspiration from the iconic The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes.
McKean takes the 100 dresses that made history such as the Mary Quaint the jane Austen among others . I want this book!!!!!!!
McKean takes the 100 dresses that made history such as the Mary Quaint the jane Austen among others . I want this book!!!!!!!
August 21, 2019
A quick, interesting read about 100 iconic dresses. Great illustrations.
January 16, 2018
At first glance this book might seem like fluff. Its an illustrated, quippy guide to the 101 most iconic dresses, some of which you can see why they were chosen, and some that you can think is pushing it in the name of quirkiness.
Still, it has nuggets of very interesting fashion history, and some fun illustrations, so its worth a look.
Still, it has nuggets of very interesting fashion history, and some fun illustrations, so its worth a look.
March 27, 2025
I loved this book. Loved the witty descriptions. Loved the drawings. Love fashion. Just loved it. And I learned two or three new names (the vionnet, the duro, the fortuney, the cheongsam). Great fun and great reference.
June 22, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyable!
February 20, 2018
A light-hearted, informative romp through fashion history. Not sure I agree with all the descriptions, but the illustrations were delightful, and the accessory suggestions both funny and helpful
August 30, 2018
Just a lot of fun.
September 19, 2019
Divine!
Read
April 23, 202311. A book about or set in Hollywood
May 10, 2023
Fairly easy to read with 100 short chapters. I am not sure how interesting this is to a fashionista but to the layperson this should serve as an interesting introduction to clothing design.
February 14, 2017
A fun little book!
July 27, 2021
2.5 stars. This was cute and fun but lacked substance. I laughed at times. Lots of references I didn’t get.
February 13, 2017
This was a good book. I enjoyed Erin's humor with the many dress styles that have graced the past few generations. There were a few dresses that were very similar to each other, otherwise I would have given it five stars. Along with the humor, Erin shares the various designers and popular people who have worn the dresses. My favorite was the the Stunt Dress. The example she gave was the dress worn by Lizzy Gardiner at the 1995 Academy Awards, which was constructed of 254 American Express cards. Now if you can name a dress that's made of anything you want, create something that no one would think of and you will go down in the history books as either absurd or famous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2013
This book was not as helpful as I wanted it to be. I'm thinking about sewing my own clothes and was hoping for something to help me discover many styles of dresses (in the hopes of figuring out what I might want to sew for myself). Rather, in order to get to 100, some of the dresses don't seem to be quite as "iconic" as the subtitle claims. Some also seem to be similar (as in, isn't the meat dress just another form of the stunt dress?).
But, I did enjoy the stories and the illustrations are fun.
Plus there is a nice list of suggested books in the back, from which I hope to find the kind of book about fashion that I'm looking for!
But, I did enjoy the stories and the illustrations are fun.
Plus there is a nice list of suggested books in the back, from which I hope to find the kind of book about fashion that I'm looking for!
September 1, 2013
Not as interesting as the author's Dress a Day blog, but still interesting. A hundred (sometimes repetitious) different dress styles with McKean's insightful commentary and some nice fashiony illustrations. I liked best the fashion history bits and real dress styles ("The Vionnet" "The Mondrian") rather than the concepts like "The Titanic". Three stars 'cause I was annoyed at too many Mad Men references especially when Mae West was forced to share a dress name with a character. That felt like a publisher decision and was sort of thing dates a book awfully fast.
October 25, 2014
Get this book out of the library or buy it to treasure, then one morning when you wake up in the morning and it's raining, and you don't have anywhere to go, get it out, make yourself a nice drink, put some little fondant fancies on a plate, and just wallow in the girlyness of this fabulous book. It will only take you an hour to read.
It's full of pop culture references, fashion history and humour. It's frothy, funny and feminine and the illustrations will take you back to your dressing up dolls days and simply make you happy. It's also deceptively clever. Highly recommended.
It's full of pop culture references, fashion history and humour. It's frothy, funny and feminine and the illustrations will take you back to your dressing up dolls days and simply make you happy. It's also deceptively clever. Highly recommended.
November 1, 2013
This book is not at all what I thought it was going to be! I was thinking that it would show me specific dresses that have made their way into the public consciousness, and I suppose there was some of that. But it was mostly a collection of types of dresses--the shirtdress, the tennis dress, the garden party dress--with fun descriptions. All in all, I found it oddly aspirational (I wore a dress this week, after all).
February 2, 2015
Kind of a disappointment. I thought it would be a modern mature remake of the 1940s children's book The Hundred Dresses that discusses poverty and bullying (it was kind of a favorite growing up). This book is just a bunch of dress illustrations. Such a dissappointment because I did like the author's first novel.
March 16, 2014
It wasn't a stand-out fashion book, but it was nice to see a fashion book that actually has a niche--in this case, dresses. A lot of the content is subjective, but it made for a nice, light read for those who aren't into fiction.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews