Traditional tailoring is a fascinating craft, which has not changed for many centuries, however, the techniques are now known only by a few practising in the best couture ateliers and bespoke tailor's workrooms. Nothing feels quite so luxurious or sophisticated as bespoke clothes, but the tailoring skills they require are often seen to be shrouded in mystery and the clothes therefore only accessible to the rich and famous. This practical book reveals the trade secrets of couture tailoring and brings vintage couture tailoring within the reach of all. With step-by-step photographs and professional tips throughout, it shows how a ladies' jacket is made and thereby introduces a range of fundamental tailoring techniques. These can be used for garments for either gender, as well as other sewing projects: moulding fabric to shape with the iron; employing loose interfacings; hollow shoulder construction; pad stitching canvas; interlining and weighting hems;making tailored and bound buttonholes;.... and many more forgotten techniques.Written by a tailor of international repute, Vintage Couture Tailoring is dedicated to all who appreciate the highest standard of craftsmanship, and who like using their eyes and hands to produce beautiful garments.Vintage couture tailoring is practised by only a few establishments around the world today and this practical book reveals the trade secrets of couture tailoring. An invaluable guide for professionals wishing to further their skills, and for enthusiasts with an interest in traditional tailoring. Shows how to make a ladies' jacket from preparation through to assembly and reveals the exquisite finishing details that are the hallmark of couture tailoring. Superbly illustrated with 417 colour step-by-step photographs.Thomas von Nordheim is a tailor of international repute.

The first guide of its kind to the amazing array of vintage clothing shops in Paris grouped by neighbourhood and complete with descriptions of what each shop specialises in and price ranges.

First published in 1956, What Shall I Wear? is revolutionary fashion designer Claire McCardell’s collection of fashion wisdom and philosophy, and a vivacious guide to looking effortlessly stylish. This new edition of the sought-after classic features a foreword by iconic designer Tory Burch and a color insert of photos from McCardell’s collections. “The testament to great design, Claire McCardell’s dresses look fresh, contemporary, and desirable eight decades after they were made, as the Costume Institute’s 2022 exhibit In America: An Anthology of Fashion demonstrated.” —Nicole Phelps, global director, Vogue Runway and Vogue Business “Among the many surprises and insights I discovered in McCardell’s valuable book is that she wanted to call it Fashion is Fun. That may also be the secret behind her genius and enduring influence—she refused to take fashion too seriously.” —Cathy Horyn, New York Magazine “The first designer to create a cohesive vision rooted in the American lifestyle of ease, McCardell and her contributions as a designer and a woman in business are often overlooked. Tory Burch’s new foreword . . .puts this American treasure in her rightful place.” —Constance White, fashion editor and author of How to Slay: Inspiration from the Queens and Kings of Black Style “Claire McCardell’s guiding philosophy of dressing with ease in afunctional, fashionable American look was groundbreaking—and feminist—for her times. And it continues to resonate globally on the runways and in closets today.” —Booth Moore, executive editor, Women’s Wear Daily

Charting over 100 years of knitwear history, Vintage Fashion Knitwear is a visual journey of fashion knitwear from the introduction of fashion handknitting to the current technical innovations that enable the designer to push the boundaries of knitwear. Fascinating archive images, stunning fashion photography and specially commissioned photographs of period fashions showcase the most collectable and innovative pieces ever made. The book looks at the development of knitwear during the turn of the 20th century, then charts the influence of Modernism in the 1920s, the emergence of the iconic Chanel two piece cardigan suit and sportswear, the Art Deco 1930s, and the wartime 'make do and mend' designs of the 1940s. By the 1950s cashmere twin sets and beaded sweaters became the casual uniform for women, while 1960s Op Art and psychedelia led to 1970s arts and crafts influences, moving on to the luxury knits of the 1980s. Each decade ends with a 'key looks' feature showcasing all the important shapes, patterning and designs that defined the time period. Vintage Fashion Knitwear concludes with a final chapter on the 1990s to the present day, looking at the work that is sure to become collectables of the future, including offerings from Alexander McQueen, Bella Freud, Louise Goldin and Julien Macdonald.

Sheets of patterns are in an envelope inside the front cover, each sheet is doubled sided.

The 1950s were the golden years of haute couture, captured by iconic images of glamorous models wearing dramatic clothes. Yet the real women who wore these clothes adapted them to suit their own tastes, altered them to extend their life, and often could not bear to part with them long after the dresses had outlived their use. This gorgeously illustrated book demonstrates why so many of these designs are still in existence and why we are fascinated by them fifty years later. Couture and Commerce investigates how and why postwar couture fashion was important in its own day. The Paris couture houses survived due to the enthusiasm of the North American fashion press and commercial buyers. Alexandra Palmer traces the European haute couture trade with North America by following actual surviving couture dresses from the design house sketch, through the model used in New York fashion shows and as a template for copies and knock-offs, and finally to the consumer. Couture and Commerce is a remarkable mixture of accessible text, color photographs of the original garments, design house sketches and photographs, retailers’ advertisements, and society page images. Weaving together analysis of the clothes and interviews with those who traded, sold, and wore couture, Alexandra Palmer vividly recreates the 1950s fashion world.

In this surprising new look at how clothing, style, and commerce came together to change American culture, Jennifer Le Zotte examines how secondhand goods sold at thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales came to be both profitable and culturally influential. Initially, selling used goods in the United States was seen as a questionable enterprise focused largely on the poor. But as the twentieth century progressed, multimillion-dollar businesses like Goodwill Industries developed, catering not only to the needy but increasingly to well-off customers looking to make a statement. Le Zotte traces the origins and meanings of "secondhand style" and explores how buying pre-owned goods went from a signifier of poverty to a declaration of rebellion. Considering buyers and sellers from across the political and economic spectrum, Le Zotte shows how conservative and progressive social activists--from religious and business leaders to anti-Vietnam protesters and drag queens--shrewdly used the exchange of secondhand goods for economic and political ends. At the same time, artists and performers, from Marcel Duchamp and Fanny Brice to Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain, all helped make secondhand style a visual marker for youth in revolt.

Arguably the most famous fashion designer of the 20th century, Christian Dior's feminine fashions were desired, worn, and emulated by women around the world. This new publication by ROM Press explores in detail what it was about Dior's dramatic creations-the cuts, textiles and embroideries-that stimulated the entire Paris haute couture industry after the devastation of the Second World War. The book features the Royal Ontario Museum's collection of Christian Dior couture (1947-1957), and is accompanied by sketches and documentary material from Christian Dior Héritage, along with archival images and striking photographs of the museum garments taken by world-renowned Dior photographer Laziz Hamani. The collection features beautiful designs from daytime to evening wear. The publication breaks new ground as it explains key Dior design signatures, based on the use of innovative and historical dressmaking techniques to explain what made the New Look so successful and why his designs were worn and emulated by woman around the world in the 1950s. Christian Dior presents new information drawn from extensive research wedded with close examination of the designs within this catalogue, making it an essential read for those interested in fashion, art, culture, and history.

Unleash your imagination and transform colorful handkerchiefs into more one-of-a-kind fashion ensembles! Hankie Couture is back in this newly revised edition with even more stunning and original doll-sized fashions meticulously crafted from vintage handkerchiefs. With a gallery of 125 unique mix-and-match outfits and accessories, and accented with witty lifestyle advice from the Hankie Couture girl, this book showcases a limitless variety of doll-sized fashions for every occasion. Complete with a how-to and materials guide, this book is the perfect companion for crafters looking to transform treasured heirlooms or colorful flea-market finds into one-of-a-kind fashion ensembles -- whether an eye-catching color blocked dress, sophisticated great coat, or a go-everywhere purse and hat. With its beautiful design and unique, kitschy lifestyle advice, Hankie Couture makes a great gift for crafters, doll-enthusiasts, and vintage lovers alike.

Vintage Fashion is the ultimate guide to the most exemplary women's clothing from the turn of the twentieth century through the end of the 1980s. Along with a detailed, authoritative text, this gorgeous book offers more than 250 outstanding full-color photographs showcasing the quality fabrics, innovative techniques, silhouettes, shapes, and exquisite workmanship that are testimony to enduring and influential styles. Each chapter focuses on a specific decade and is a rich survey of each era, placing the evolution of women's fashion in a cultural context. The most important designers and signature looks are discussed in detail and emphasized through beautiful illustrations, photographs, and fabric swatches. Finally, each chapter ends with a Key Looks feature that offers an at-a-glance view of the important shapes, colors, and details that defined each era. Vintage Fashion concludes with a shopping guide, which not only offers tips on where to buy vintage pieces, but also how to care for them, and glossaries on fashion terms and the century's most collectable and important designers. The definitive word on the most influential designers and looks of the twentieth century, this book is an invaluable resource for lovers of fashion and vintage clothing as well as a source of inspiration for designers and those looking to spice up their personal style.