READ THIS: The Way We Wore The story of modern fashion—from couture to mass market by Jim Heimann and Alison A. Neider
Many would argue that you don't know where you are going until you've known where you've been, so "The Way We Wore" is a must-read for everyone in the fashion industry! Also quite possibly the advertising industry as well...Whom You Know loves this historical hit by Taschen! The pictures are amazing and the book is broken down by decade. This work reminds us a bit of "The Model As Muse" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art earlier this year, but this book has twice as much fashion as it starts in 1900 whereas we believe that exhibit started at about 1950, and of course was a study on the supermodel, and this is a history of the last 100 years or so of fashion.
As we are devoted to The Great Gatsby and that decade, of course we were drawn to the 1920's chapter! The historical timelines are helpful indicators at the bottom of the pages, and as with all Taschen books we are familiar with, this is printed in three languages at once: English, German and French! Although not as populated as women's fashions, men's fashions are covered in each decade as well!
For many of us that are on the younger side, the advertisements are both a study in history and an amusing depiction of how our parents and grandparents dressed; however the joke could be on us in the future as fashion history can be known to repeat itself! Iconic brands of each era are different in name but similar we imagine in influence; fashion always plays a part!
The advertisements also boast of prices that are long gone now....imagine a Maidenform bra at $1.59 or a pair of boots for $5.88. But the ads take us to the more modern era of Calvin Klein and Guess Jeans...YSL and Fendi. We particularly like the photo towards the back of the astronaut suits alongside the Ermenegildo Zegna.
The 20th century saw fashion evolve from an exclusive Parisian salon business catering to a wealthy elite, into a global industry employing millions, with new trends whisked into stores before the last model has left the catwalk. Along the way, the signature feminine silhouettes of each era evolved beyond recognition: House of Worth crinolines gave way to Vionnet's bias-cut gowns, Dior's New Look to Quant's Chelsea Look, Halston's white suit to Frankie B.'s low-rise jeans. In menswear, ready-made suits signaled the demise of bespoke tailoring, long before Hawaiian shirts, skinny ties or baggy pants entered the fore.
20th Century Fashion offers a stylish retrospective of the last hundred years, via 400 fashion advertisements from the Jim Heimann Collection. Using imagery culled from a century of advertising, this book documents the unrelenting pace of fashion as it was adopted into the mass culture, decade by decade. An in-depth introduction, chapter text, and illustrated timeline detail the style-makers and trend-setters, from couture to the mass market; and how the historic events, design houses, retailers, films, magazines, and celebrities shaped the way we dressed—then and now.
Whom You Know recommends "The Way We Wore" - be sure to pick up a copy for your coffee table or a fabulous holiday gift. Instead of fashion week, it is fashion century!
About the editor:
Cultural anthropologist and graphic design historian Jim Heimann is Executive Editor for TASCHEN America, and author of numerous books on architecture, pop culture, and the history of the West Coast, Los Angeles and Hollywood. His unrivaled private collection of ephemera has featured in museum exhibitions around the world and dozens of books.
About the author:
Alison A. Nieder has worked in fashion since 1985, in retail, apparel production, and as a fashion business journalist. She is executive editor of California Apparel News, a fashion trade publication covering the West Coast apparel and textile industries.
