Staff Pick
Ooh la la! Fashion Plates is a walk through our fashionable past. What sets this book apart from some other books of historical fashion plates are the welcome descriptions that help to explain how the clothes function (often a mystery to our modern sportswear-oriented selves). The background descriptions often set the plate within their time in history, showing how and why some fashion stylings came about. (Bustles started out as a sort of crinoline reduction — straight dress in the front with only a half crinoline in the back.) This is a charming read for fashion geeks and historical romance fans. Recommended By Tracey T., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Prior to the invention of photography, European and American magazines used colorful prints to depict the latest fashion trends. These illustrations, known as andldquo;fashion plates,andrdquo; conveyed the cutting-edge styles embraced by the fashion-conscious elite and proved inspirational to the upwardly mobile.
Fashion Plates: 150 Years of Style is a comprehensive survey containing 200 fashion plates, many reproduced at actual size, from publications dating from 1778 to the early 20th century.
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A number of these charming illustrations are extremely rare, and have not appeared in print since their publication in the periodicals in which they first ran. Organized chronologically and featuring both menandrsquo;s and womenandrsquo;s garments, these lively and colorful vignettes not only are beautiful, but also clearly illustrate the evolution of fashion over time. Many of the plates were produced by important artists of the day, including Landeacute;on Bakst, George Barbier, and Georges Lepape. With texts by April Calahan on the social, political, and economic significance of fashion and its industries, and a foreword by award-winning fashion designer Anna Sui, this exquisite slipcased publication fills an important gap in the literature on the history of fashion and provides an entertaining historical overview for the general reader.
Synopsis
Fashion designers will delight to see the evolution of silhouettes and the myriad of inspirational details, which reveal themselves with the turn of each page. andndash;From the foreword by Anna Sui
Synopsis
A sumptuously illustrated, encyclopedic chronicle of fashion and its trends, from the 18th to the early 20th century
Prior to the invention of photography, European and American magazines used colorful prints to depict the latest fashion trends. These illustrations, known as fashion plates, conveyed the cutting-edge styles embraced by the fashion-conscious elite and proved inspirational to the upwardly mobile. This lavishly illustrated book provides a comprehensive survey of 200 color plates from publications dating from 1778 to the early 20th century, accompanied by authoritative and fascinating texts. Organized chronologically and featuring both men s and women s garments, these lively and colorful vignettes not only are beautiful, but also deftly illustrate the evolution of fashion over time.
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Synopsis
In this exquisite survey, authoritative texts and vibrant color images convey the evolution of style and culture via fashion plates from the 18th to the early 20th century.
About the Author
April Calahanand#160;is a fashion historian, writer and art appraiser, as well as special collections associate at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.and#160;Karen Trivette Cannelland#160;is assistant professor and head of special collections and the archive at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York.and#160;Anna Suiand#160;is a fashion designer living in New York City.