BOOK REVIEW

Fashion Sourcebooks

When was your heyday? When did you wear
the clothes that made you feel SO good?
I have on my desk four books that are great
to browse through, get nostalgic, and get a
real idea of what was being worn when, in the
20th Century. All this is covered in the
Fashion Sourcebooks published by Thames
and Hudson.

Fashion Sourcebooks are a series of paperback books written by John Peacock who was Senior Costume Designer for the BBC and later worked as Head of Costume for The BBC Birmingham, England. His series outlines the history of men's and women's clothing for the 1920s, 1930s, 1950s, and 1970s.

Each book is split into ten sections with four sub-sections. The year-by-year format lets you see the developement of fashion and gives a very detailed description of each garment accompanied by an illustration. Each book has around 300 illustrations comprising day wear, evening wear, leisure wear, knitwear, wedding wear, underwear and accessories.

A section in the back presents the decade 'at-a-glance', lists biographies of the important designers of that decade, and further sources of interest. It's an invaluable reference of that decade.

If you're interested in fashion in any way, as an historian, a design student, a collector or fashion enthusiast, these books should go in easy reach on your bookshelf.

Titles:
- Fashion Sourcebooks: The 1920s ISBN 0-500-27932-2
- Fashion Sourcebooks: The 1930s ISBN 0-500-27973-X
- Fashion Sourcebooks: The 1950s ISBN 0-500-27931-4
- Fashion Sourcebooks: The 1970s ISBN 0-500-27972-1
Author: John Peacock
Published By: Thames and Hudson

You may be wondering about the 1940s and 1960s. At the time of writing, these editions are yet to be published.