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Dressing the Decades: Twentieth-Century Vintage Style
A visually dazzling tour of 20th-century fashion, spotlighting the leading designers and dominant styles of the past 100 years
An authoritative and visually stunning look at the fashion of the 20th century, Dressing the Decades examines in depth the origins of the most important luxury garments. Each sumptuously illustrated chapter features a detailed overview of a particular decade, including the historical events, politics, technology, and advertising that inspired its most celebrated designs. By offering a thorough socio-economic context for the progress of high fashion through the years, the book provides a new perspective on such iconic items and significant trends as the cocktail dress, the Chanel suit, the tunic dress, boho chic, Futuristic chic, and others.
The century's most famous designers - including Lanvin, Chanel, Balenciaga, Dior, Givenchy, Versace, and Calvin Klein - are profiled here, their influence and imagery conveyed through annotated head-to-toe looks and photographs of signature pieces and outfits. Also included are other, all-but-forgotten designers whose work nonetheless changed the way clothing is designed, made, promoted, and sold. Beautiful illustrations include design drawings, fashion photographs, and vintage fashion advertisements; together with an introductory timeline, this exceptional volume presents a meaningful narrative for the creation and lasting appeal of the past century's fashion.
An authoritative and visually stunning look at the fashion of the 20th century, Dressing the Decades examines in depth the origins of the most important luxury garments. Each sumptuously illustrated chapter features a detailed overview of a particular decade, including the historical events, politics, technology, and advertising that inspired its most celebrated designs. By offering a thorough socio-economic context for the progress of high fashion through the years, the book provides a new perspective on such iconic items and significant trends as the cocktail dress, the Chanel suit, the tunic dress, boho chic, Futuristic chic, and others.
The century's most famous designers - including Lanvin, Chanel, Balenciaga, Dior, Givenchy, Versace, and Calvin Klein - are profiled here, their influence and imagery conveyed through annotated head-to-toe looks and photographs of signature pieces and outfits. Also included are other, all-but-forgotten designers whose work nonetheless changed the way clothing is designed, made, promoted, and sold. Beautiful illustrations include design drawings, fashion photographs, and vintage fashion advertisements; together with an introductory timeline, this exceptional volume presents a meaningful narrative for the creation and lasting appeal of the past century's fashion.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2016
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90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 8, 2023
Good walk-through but could be more in-depth sociology wise
February 10, 2017
Gorgeous pictures and a lot of interesting context. I heard of The New Look, but I didn’t get what was new about it, until I learned about the French fashion industry under occupation in WWII. Oh, well that changes things. Library copy.
September 15, 2021
Read this as a follow up to a book I just finished about the life of fashion designer Coco Chanel because our library doesn't carry one just on Chanel fashions over the years. This book touches lightly on the major fashion designers and developments of each decade and was a nice overview for a common-folk, non-fashionista like myself!
April 23, 2022
It does present an interesting high fashion/couture history. Some is oversimplified and repetitive, and then in other portions where styles are mentioned but not pictured in adjacent images, it's unclear information. In each chapter the opening broad strokes are followed by three designers and three design/style features, but that's where a lot of the repetition is, but also .
1900s-1950s: seems oversimplified, and the discussion of moving away from the curvy corseted figure towards "liberation" of a straight, flat, vertical lines annoyed me. Yes, obviously this started to happen, but it's the implication that corsetry was all torture, and that the curvy shape was all fake, when it's the style shape that changes, not people's bodies. Also it seems a thin person fashion focused view that corsetry was all for creating tiny waist and not also chest support (although in short side research I was reminded/learned that a 1900/1910s corset shape was underbust and a bust bodice was also worn for support and to keep the smooth shape). I'm not a dress/fashion historian but I've read/seen/heard enough to know now that it was the foundation layers including padding, and cut of clothes, that created the shape for those who might have had the straighter/flatter silhouette that would be popular in future eras, and the curvy/round people would need new different foundation layers to create the flatter/straigher silhouettes, if they wanted to go for them. Also for such a visual medium, I think there should be more images, or at least different ones when the text is describing something that is not obvious or common and not depicted in the nearby images. On pp. 90-91 on Hollywood designer Adrian his "Letty Lynton dress" is mentioned (which is supposed to be the dress and designer that spawned big poufy or strong shoulders), but is not pictured on these pages, though "the other Letty Lynton dress" is pictured (and it's mentioned that it "was copied by Roberto Cavalli for Fall 2005" but that's not pictured). On the next page, about "Accentuated Shoulders" (on p. 93) appears to be the Letty Lynton dress, yet the adjacent captions only mention another movie designer and feature, although Letty Lynton is mentioned again in the main text.
The discussion of the exoticism and "Orientalism" and basically inspiration from everywhere that wasn't Western Europe (1920s "The range of cultural borrowings now extended also to geometric Aztec and Japanese designs, tribal African and Native American details, Eastern European and Russian folk embroidery, Imperial Chinese motifs, and Moorish-inspired patterns." p. 60 and "Schiaparelli's first sportswear collection (1927) consisted of sweaters in Armenian stitch...she had to quickly hire more Armenian refugees for her atelier to keep up with demand." p. 75, and more of the same in the 60s among the hippies and 70s-90s past/foreign nostalgia) makes me want more fashion history of the non-Paris-centered world.
1960s-1970s: starts feeling more like an interesting, informative (high) fashion history. It would be interesting to know where the original hippies were sourcing their clothes, before boutiques and high fashion started copying their styles.
The griping in earlier decades' chapters about the shackling of corsetry, seems to have changed into the copying of masculine wardrobe from a desire for comfort and gender equality in career success - as if comfort (and career success) is equated with menswear and trousers/jeans, seeming to imply that despite the freed legs by the mini skirt or the flowing maxi skirts and stretchy knitwear, womenswear still wasn't comfortable.
1980s-1990s: at first I couldn't see how these fashion trends (ever more dispersed than in previous decades) of my childhood made it down to ordinary people, but I can see how the "grunge" (something I like except for the name) and a bit of "new glamor" (the shiny shirts) made it to my big sister and her peers in the 90s, but I'm still interested in more of that translation - like the history of Andy's cerulean sweater in The Devil Wears Prada.
1900s-1950s: seems oversimplified, and the discussion of moving away from the curvy corseted figure towards "liberation" of a straight, flat, vertical lines annoyed me. Yes, obviously this started to happen, but it's the implication that corsetry was all torture, and that the curvy shape was all fake, when it's the style shape that changes, not people's bodies. Also it seems a thin person fashion focused view that corsetry was all for creating tiny waist and not also chest support (although in short side research I was reminded/learned that a 1900/1910s corset shape was underbust and a bust bodice was also worn for support and to keep the smooth shape). I'm not a dress/fashion historian but I've read/seen/heard enough to know now that it was the foundation layers including padding, and cut of clothes, that created the shape for those who might have had the straighter/flatter silhouette that would be popular in future eras, and the curvy/round people would need new different foundation layers to create the flatter/straigher silhouettes, if they wanted to go for them. Also for such a visual medium, I think there should be more images, or at least different ones when the text is describing something that is not obvious or common and not depicted in the nearby images. On pp. 90-91 on Hollywood designer Adrian his "Letty Lynton dress" is mentioned (which is supposed to be the dress and designer that spawned big poufy or strong shoulders), but is not pictured on these pages, though "the other Letty Lynton dress" is pictured (and it's mentioned that it "was copied by Roberto Cavalli for Fall 2005" but that's not pictured). On the next page, about "Accentuated Shoulders" (on p. 93) appears to be the Letty Lynton dress, yet the adjacent captions only mention another movie designer and feature, although Letty Lynton is mentioned again in the main text.
The discussion of the exoticism and "Orientalism" and basically inspiration from everywhere that wasn't Western Europe (1920s "The range of cultural borrowings now extended also to geometric Aztec and Japanese designs, tribal African and Native American details, Eastern European and Russian folk embroidery, Imperial Chinese motifs, and Moorish-inspired patterns." p. 60 and "Schiaparelli's first sportswear collection (1927) consisted of sweaters in Armenian stitch...she had to quickly hire more Armenian refugees for her atelier to keep up with demand." p. 75, and more of the same in the 60s among the hippies and 70s-90s past/foreign nostalgia) makes me want more fashion history of the non-Paris-centered world.
1960s-1970s: starts feeling more like an interesting, informative (high) fashion history. It would be interesting to know where the original hippies were sourcing their clothes, before boutiques and high fashion started copying their styles.
The griping in earlier decades' chapters about the shackling of corsetry, seems to have changed into the copying of masculine wardrobe from a desire for comfort and gender equality in career success - as if comfort (and career success) is equated with menswear and trousers/jeans, seeming to imply that despite the freed legs by the mini skirt or the flowing maxi skirts and stretchy knitwear, womenswear still wasn't comfortable.
1980s-1990s: at first I couldn't see how these fashion trends (ever more dispersed than in previous decades) of my childhood made it down to ordinary people, but I can see how the "grunge" (something I like except for the name) and a bit of "new glamor" (the shiny shirts) made it to my big sister and her peers in the 90s, but I'm still interested in more of that translation - like the history of Andy's cerulean sweater in The Devil Wears Prada.
March 11, 2016
I'm not into fashion in my personal life. Not only have I never been in an economic class where it was possible to be part of high fashion but I've always thought that there was so much more to do with money than just get pricy clothes. Emmanuelle Dirix's historical look back on fashion of the 20th century offered this non-fashionable historian a lot to love.
The book is split into 10 chapters, one per decade, but within each we get social, economic, political, and cultural information about each period. Dirix is historically savvy enough to subtly point out that looking by decades is really quite artificial; fashion trends just as with every other aspect of human society, rather suddenly changes. She includes highlights the world that impacted fashion and mentions several designers but focuses on three per decade. I noticed that women disappear from the list after the 1950s and the only criticism I have is that I wish gender roles and power beyond fashion would have gotten even more focus than it did. Have women lost power in the fashion world or have they just not stayed the the most influential as they were in the early part of the 20th century?
I learned a lot from this book. While I may never desire to be fashionable, I can appreciate fashion, those who buy it, and those who create it, much more after reading this book.
The book is split into 10 chapters, one per decade, but within each we get social, economic, political, and cultural information about each period. Dirix is historically savvy enough to subtly point out that looking by decades is really quite artificial; fashion trends just as with every other aspect of human society, rather suddenly changes. She includes highlights the world that impacted fashion and mentions several designers but focuses on three per decade. I noticed that women disappear from the list after the 1950s and the only criticism I have is that I wish gender roles and power beyond fashion would have gotten even more focus than it did. Have women lost power in the fashion world or have they just not stayed the the most influential as they were in the early part of the 20th century?
I learned a lot from this book. While I may never desire to be fashionable, I can appreciate fashion, those who buy it, and those who create it, much more after reading this book.
February 17, 2018
This has to be my favorite "vintage style" book. Mostly because it goes lightly into what influenced fashion in the decade we are Reading about. I enjoyed it. You get what the tin says.
One thing that I would have liked more of, was more Pictures. But I guess that that's something you can google on your own, I still would have liked some more in the book. It also suffers from format, every decade gets the exact same amount of pages, regardless of content. It makes sence to have some rules, for instance, each chapter takes up 3 designers that get a it more room. But some chapters felt like; onepage Pictures to fill room and others cut off text and/or have smaller Pictures where you could't see details (even if the Picture was there because of the detail).
I would also have liked a closing chapter/epilogue, as soon as you are finished with the 90's, the sources are precented. Again, felt cut off.
Recommend?
Yes, and you will probably want some google time as well when you find something special.
One thing that I would have liked more of, was more Pictures. But I guess that that's something you can google on your own, I still would have liked some more in the book. It also suffers from format, every decade gets the exact same amount of pages, regardless of content. It makes sence to have some rules, for instance, each chapter takes up 3 designers that get a it more room. But some chapters felt like; onepage Pictures to fill room and others cut off text and/or have smaller Pictures where you could't see details (even if the Picture was there because of the detail).
I would also have liked a closing chapter/epilogue, as soon as you are finished with the 90's, the sources are precented. Again, felt cut off.
Recommend?
Yes, and you will probably want some google time as well when you find something special.
June 14, 2020
History of modern-day fashion & style......
July 26, 2016
I really liked this beautiful book that portraits a really comprehensive list and illustrations of the most prominent examples of the fashion styles that characterized each decade. Here is the cover of the book I read:
The book walks the reader through all the mythical stores where the great ideas of fashion are developed, such as Prada, Versace, YSL:
And there is a nice timeline with a little sampling of each one of the decades:
There are also little notes about some of the most prominent names in the world of fashion such as Balenciaga, Halston, Cardin and others. Here is a sample of seven of them:
In this beautiful and well-crafted book it is not rare to find, a great variety of very nicely depicted works of art, that served as inspiration for fashion trends. Here three of the ones that impressed me the most, including one that depicts a real woman, with her curves and volumes. Not at all like those stick-like models of the present day.
For each decade, there are carefully selected examples with very nice photographs to look at. Here are some of them:
The 1940's (Housewives):
The 1950's (Audrey Herpburn):
The 1960 and 70's (Twiggy and the decadence of Studio 54):
1980's (The powerful woman):
1990's (Crazyness):
One may also find a little explanation for some of the most visible dressing-code precursors of all time, such as the cocktail dress or the Channel suit:
A final word to say that I loved this book and I think it is a great addition to my collection. It is really entertaining and refreshing to leaf through it every once in a while, and it also makes a great coffee-table book for a while.
I hope you liked this entry. If you feel like viewing more of the books I read, you are welcome to visit my blog: http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com
The book walks the reader through all the mythical stores where the great ideas of fashion are developed, such as Prada, Versace, YSL:
And there is a nice timeline with a little sampling of each one of the decades:
There are also little notes about some of the most prominent names in the world of fashion such as Balenciaga, Halston, Cardin and others. Here is a sample of seven of them:
In this beautiful and well-crafted book it is not rare to find, a great variety of very nicely depicted works of art, that served as inspiration for fashion trends. Here three of the ones that impressed me the most, including one that depicts a real woman, with her curves and volumes. Not at all like those stick-like models of the present day.
For each decade, there are carefully selected examples with very nice photographs to look at. Here are some of them:
The 1940's (Housewives):
The 1950's (Audrey Herpburn):
The 1960 and 70's (Twiggy and the decadence of Studio 54):
1980's (The powerful woman):
1990's (Crazyness):
One may also find a little explanation for some of the most visible dressing-code precursors of all time, such as the cocktail dress or the Channel suit:
A final word to say that I loved this book and I think it is a great addition to my collection. It is really entertaining and refreshing to leaf through it every once in a while, and it also makes a great coffee-table book for a while.
I hope you liked this entry. If you feel like viewing more of the books I read, you are welcome to visit my blog: http://lunairereadings.blogspot.com
May 16, 2017
This book seemed to focus more on the first half the 20th century than the second and I think both are equal in importance. The first half overwhelmed me because it was so long. The second half seemed to skip chunks of fashion that I valued.
May 25, 2018
One if the most thorough histories of fashion that I've read, though the pictures could be better.
February 21, 2022
Learned quite a few tidbits from this. The focus is on designers and their influence.
February 2, 2024
Would have loved even more pictures and insight into accessible fashion of the decades rather than just fashion designers and how they compete and change the trends
October 8, 2019
An amazing book to start your fashion history collection! I can't talk for the latter part of the book, as I have no interest in 70s fashion and later, but it puts down a nice basic for the 1900s to 1960s.
January 16, 2017
Emmanuelle Dirix's Dressing the Decades: Twentieth-Century Vintage Style is a fascinating, and well-written, look on the philosophy, reasoning, and change in fashion from the 1900's to the 1990's. I've learned so much about fashion history just by reading this book - I had no idea how 70's fashion had borrowed so much from the 1920's in some ways until I started looking up the designers mentioned. Some of these designers, I had never seen work from before. Madame Gres was beyond everything - using 22-48 yards of fabric that she pleated meticulously and then draped on the body. And I have a new-found love for all things Pierre Cardin as well as a new appreciation for Yves Saint Laurent.
I'll write something more later and hopefully include a Pinterest board with it. I've been collecting images of all the designers' (those mentioned, anyway) most notable contributions to fashion.
I'll write something more later and hopefully include a Pinterest board with it. I've been collecting images of all the designers' (those mentioned, anyway) most notable contributions to fashion.
August 22, 2016
Yale University Press published this, and all I can say is "unbelievable." Horrible. Junk. How did she get it published? A history of fashion, from say...the beginning of haute couture with Worth in the late 1800's to the present, and each decade from the 60's on was a disaster. Halston and you show a rainbow chiffon? Alexander McQueen and you ONLY show an antler headdress...and not one of his more elaborate ones? I could go on and on. Pick any designer. Vionnet? Chanel? Poiret? YSL? LaCroix? Don't tell me she couldn't get photo rights to better images. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief as I type this. Go look for other books. I don't even know WHO this would appeal to, because you can certainly find better overviews, let alone books about the designers themselves. Don't waste your time. I did it for you.
August 8, 2016
I'm not a fashion expert, but there seems to be many flaws in this book covering fashion by each decade of the 1900s. The images are not the best to depict certain designers and examples of fashions. For a fashion book, it just needs more images overall as some of the styles I had no clue about without a pic. It's a little too heavy on high fashion (come on, who wore "terrorist chic" clothing) as opposed to the fashions you more readidly saw. Nice book to flip thru but I wouldn't bother reading it cover to cover like I did.
December 28, 2021
I thought the layout of this book worked well. Each decade has a section, with a general overview followed by a spotlight on a few key designers and styles for the time period.
There were a number of sections where the author takes umbrage with existing fashion historians and finds it necessarily to clarify their own opinion of the cause and effect of a movement, or the meaning. Those snide digressions felt unnecessary, especially in an overview that is mostly cursory and spends at most a page on a single designer or look.
There were a number of sections where the author takes umbrage with existing fashion historians and finds it necessarily to clarify their own opinion of the cause and effect of a movement, or the meaning. Those snide digressions felt unnecessary, especially in an overview that is mostly cursory and spends at most a page on a single designer or look.
August 31, 2016
I enjoyed this book because I liked seeing the photos of styles gone by. It is amazing how many of them would still look stylish today. Reading the history of how these styles came about, and some about the designers were also enlightening. I would have enjoyed seeing more examples of every-day styles mixed in with the couture, but still an enlightening book.
July 11, 2016
Breathtaking illustrative history of 20th century fashion. Comprehensive, but easy to read. Would make an interesting book for lovers of fashion, or those researching the costume/dress, and how it's changed, throughout the decades. Mostly focuses on women's fashion.
July 12, 2016
A beautiful retrospective and a damning condemnation of 1990s fashion. Seriously, WTF guys?
July 27, 2016
Interesting trove of designs over 20t C. Good photos, bios of designers, overlap and duplication of info
December 26, 2016
Great photos, great stories.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews