Vintage Fashion Books

This definitive guide to vintage clothing and accessories covers every major fashion epoch and designer from the 1880s to today--from Charles Worth to Vivienne Westwood. With snapshots of the key designers to the pivotal pieces that defined each decade, fashion expert Funmi Odulate takes you through the history of each era.
Included is an extensive country-by-country directory of vintage shops, fairs, and flea markets, with profiles of the major dealers and outstanding shops, from L.A. to Shanghai.
Packed with insider tips about what to look for when buying vintage, how to recognize something of value and most importantly, where to find it, this is a stunning and sophisticated reference for all lovers of vintage fashion.

The definitive guide to vintage couture and designer-made clothing, including how to recognize the most coveted items and what to pay for them.

Vintage clothing is the hottest trend in collecting, with major auction houses regularly holding well-attended auctions, and women on the cutting edge of fashion flocking to boutiques that specialize in second-hand designer garments. In Valuable Vintage, Elizabeth Mason, owner of The Paper Bag Princess in Los Angeles,a favorite shopping spot for Hollywood's hottest celebrities and models, presents a comprehensive guide on the subject.

Mason describes the elements of design and style that make it easy to spot the work of specific designers at a glance, identifies the most popular designers in today's collectible market, and offers informed predictions on trends. She provides great tips on buying, selling, and bartering, as well as expert advice on caring for your treasures. An easy-to-use index covers more than 150 of the most important and collectible designers through the 1990s, and a detailed price guide lists the most recent prices of hundreds of items sold at auction. Whether they're collecting for fun or profit, all vintage clothing fans will want to have Valuable Vintage at their fingertips.

For any woman who ever wondered how to wear vintage clothing with panache, at last there is Vintage Style, the book that takes the mystery out of buying, wearing, and caring for vintage clothes. This is not about Victorian whites, poodle skirts, or boogie-woogie-bugle-boy outfits with peplums, seamed stockings, and snoods. It's about vintage clothes as a mainstream choice, and this fully illustrated book shows just how easily the fashions of yesteryear can be incorporated into a modern wardrobe.

Vintage Style tells you--and shows you--exactly how to get into vintage. It features more than one hundred specially commissioned photographs of thirty-six women (and one man) from all walks of life modeling classic vintage pieces as part of three different outfits--casual, workday, and evening. It is on these pages that one can truly see the extraordinary versatility of vintage clothing and also appreciate how to achieve that "edge" that only one-of-a-kind fashion can create. The "classics" section, shopping tips, and care suggestions that are included are full of helpful information for creating and maintaining a uniquely personal look.

All in all, Vintage Style is nothing short of a money-saving source guide and an inspirational blueprint for understanding how to wear vintage clothes with style.

Alligators, Old Mink & New Money is a celebration of the clothes that capture our memories and imaginations, that leave their indelible stamp on each of our lives. Alison Houtte-a former fashion model who runs the beloved Brooklyn, New York, boutique Hooti Couture-knows that every article of vintage clothing has a story behind it, and she uses these items as a springboard to explore such universal topics as relationships, self-image, the bond between mothers and daughters, and that elusive thing called style.

Whether you're a flea market veteran who savors the thrill of the hunt, a couture shopper with a Vogue budget, or are simply drawn to the de rigueur world of vintage, Alligators, Old Mink & New Money offers a shopping adventure-through auctions, estate sales, flea markets, and clothing racks all over the world-to be savored, and inspired by!

About the Author
Alison Houtte is the owner of Hooti Couture, a vintage clothing and accessories boutique in Brooklyn, New York. Before opening her own business, she worked for more than ten years as a fashion model in Paris and New York, and has appeared in both French and American Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan and French Marie Claire. Her Brooklyn home is filled with assorted vintage furnishings and clothing.

From Library Journal
What woman wouldn't want to find a designer original at a fraction of its original cost or some long-gone artifact from another fashion era? With that goal in mind, Weil packs her guide to the secondhand clothing market (consignment, vintage, and thrift) with so much detail and coursework that one should have a Ph.D. by book's end. Weil insists that a good secondhand shopper needs to study fabrics (hard to do on paper), design qualities, and designers to make the most of the shopping experience. She recommends field trips to high-end department stores and boutiques to evaluate specific designers, with note-taking essential. Part 2 covers proper fit, and Part 3 discusses garment care. Weil tends toward the cutesy in her headers and superfluous sidebars. And would a woman really carry a kit containing a pocket flashlight, pocket mirror, and white travel soap in order to detect permanent stains? It all seems a bit cloak-and-dagger (oh, is that cloak Armani Couture?). At this price public libraries could certainly consider a copy or two of this tutorial, but most shoppers probably won't want to delve this deeply into their wardrobes.ABette-Lee Fox, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This new guide to vintage textiles promises a lot--and it delivers. Kurella (Guide to Lace and Linen) has compiled a very basic, practical, and informative resource for appreciating, understanding, collecting, and recycling old textiles. Following a brief introduction, the book is divided into five sections, the largest of which focus on materials--fabrics (manipulations and embellishments), fibers, threads, and yarns--and things--vintage fashions, home furnishings, and fabrics of society. Other sections provide information on milestones of textile history, a guide to shows and sales, and a resource directory arranged by state. The text is easy to read and sprinkled with definitions, explanations, illustrations, diagrams, and charts. The one disappointment is that there are far too few color illustrations. Otherwise, this book is a welcome and affordable purchase for both public and academic libraries.
-Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ. Lib., Johnson City
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An authoritative reference and a visual delight, with examples from the Far East to the Americas, from Africa to Scandinavia, and from Egyptian artifacts dating from 3000 BC to the most up-to-date modern craftwork and furnishings. Includes an expert guide to nine fundamental textile techniques, from rug weaving and tapestry to felt and bark cloth. Each is clearly explained, using line drawings and close-up color details from actual textiles, to show how people from many different traditions have made and decorated cloth through the centuries. The breathtaking wealth of illustrations drawn from major collections all over the world includes costumes, period interiors, archive photographs, and a vast range of fabrics, from the simplest handwoven cloths to sumptuous brocades and exquisite embroidery. 327 color, 98 b/w photographs.

Product Description
Essential in the everyday lives of all societies for providing protection and warmth, textiles also fulfill social, cultural, military, legal, and symbolic functions and have played a key role in the economic activity of societies from ancient times. This magnificent two-volume study brings together the leading experts on textiles from eight countries, ensuring authoritative coverage of the production and uses of textiles in western societies from the earliest times to the present day. With contributions from archaeologists, economic and social historians, historians of fashion and the history of dress, and museum curators, no other book offers the breadth of coverage of this one, in terms of time period, subject matter, or approach. The book's range and accessibility will ensure that it is a key reference for specialists and non-specialists alike. David Jenkins is Senior Lecturer in Economic History in the Department of Economics and Related Studies at the University of York. He is also Governor and Company Secretary of the Pasold Research Fund, which promotes research and publication in the history of textiles in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Jenkins has a special interest in the wool textile industry, where his major contribution is (with the late K.G. Ponting) The British Wool Textile Industry, 1880-1914 (Ashgate Publishing Company, 1982). For several years Jenkins was a member of Council and Honorary Secretary of the Economic History Society and is a member of the Editorial Board of Textile History.

Product Description
This book is based on the author's informative and interesting news column that has run in antique publications across the country since 1997. These articles are presented here, along with photographs of hundreds of pieces of vintage costume jewelry with descriptions, designer names, and current collector values. A section on costume jewelry on the Internet is also included, which profiles in detail, the best costume jewelery sites on the web, including biographies of each dealer and a synopsis of what makes the sites special. There are also hints for those wishing to sell their jewelry at auction. There are even vintage costume jewelry advertisements to add pizazz to the book. Finally, an informative section on where to buy replacement stones, how to restring beads and pearls, how to repair costume jewelry, and how to join vintage costume jewelry clubs rounds out the book. 2004 values. REVIEW: This book is useful for those who know little about shakers as well as those who are diehard collectors. It is organized by company, shapes, and patterns. Large, full-color photographs are presented, with current collector values given for every shaker shown.
Product Details

* Paperback: 272 pages

Product Description
This book provides beginning collectors with friendly one-on-one advice on how to begin a collection and how to recognize good quality costume jewelry. Background information for almost 130 different manufacturers, including the author's recommendations on which pieces from each designer are the most collectible, are provided. Over 750 color photographs of costume jewelry that is within the means of most collectors are featured. There are also tips on how to upgrade a collection by selling to dealers, selling on eBay, and trading with friends; tips on how to catalog a collection using a spread sheet or a notebook; and tips on repairing, storing, and cleaning jewelry. A glossary of jewelry terms and an index of patent and design numbers round out the book. 2004 values. REVIEW: This book is a companion to the Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass, 9th Edition, but can also stand alone as a handy reference guide to take along on your glass searches. Thousands of patterns, from Absentee Dragon to Zip Zip, are included, with all available colors and values listed.

Book Description
The much anticipated sequel to Collecting Costume Jewelry 101 is finally here! Collecting Costume Jewelry 202 will take students through another phase of jewelry collecting - the basics of dating jewelry, 1935 - 1980. This beautiful and informative volume simplifies the complex process of dating vintage costume jewelry into six easy-to-understand methods. Over 650 colorful photographs of vintage jewelry illustrate these methods. Beginning and experienced collectors will appreciate the large reference section featuring dozens of well-researched charts cataloging over 4000 design patent numbers and over 550 carefully chosen original patent illustrations. More than 160 intriguing and attractive vintage advertisements are scattered throughout the text. To round out this valuable reference, several useful appendices archive pertinent data needed to date costume jewelry designs in a clear, easy-to-reference format.

Product Description
This book is the first book of its kind, concentrating not only on costume jewelry, but also on those pieces that are unmarked or unsigned by the manufacturer. Over 1,000 photographs featuring 3,500 pieces of antique and collectible costume jewelry highlight this beautiful book. Brown carefully illustrates and discusses such details as the types of metal finishes used, the different cuts of stones, and stone setting techniques. Easy to read charts covering time lines, fashion dates, and jewelry introductions are provided for ease in identification of pieces. All photographs are indexed for easier research, and a helpful glossary has been included. 2000 values. AUTHORBIO: Marcia Brown published her first book, Unsigned Beauties of Costume Jewelry, in 2000. She is the host and co-writer of the award-winning Venture Entertainment books-on-tape series Hidden Treasures: A Collector's Guide to Antique Vintage Jewelry. She is a frequent contributor to the Vintage Fashion Costume Jewelry newsletter. An antique and vintage jewelry historian, lecturer, and collector, Brown also provides private consultations for many dealers, mall owners, and collectors. REVIEW: This book truly "sparkles" (like the author's name) and would make an ideal gift for costume jewelry fans. Thousands of jewelry items are illustrated in over 1,000 color photographs and are complemented by captions that include descriptions and values.

About the Author
Marcia Brown is an antique and vintage jewelry author, historian, lecturer, and collector. She is the host and co-writer of seven videos in the Hidden Treasures series that has received many national awards. The West Coast Peddler (a California publication) has named her one of the best authors for 2002.
Product Details