There are a lot of amazing books out in the world, from actual historic costume textbooks to big coffee table photo books on old Hollywood costuming. I’d love to have an even larger library of them all someday, but for now here are some of my favorite books for learning about vintage style and clothing.
Books Mentioned:
1- The collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute : Fashion – a history from the 18th to the 20th Century (French)
by Akiko (Chief Editor) Fukai (Author)
(This huge book includes both historic and vintage fashion, perfect for anyone interested in both. This is the edition I have but there are several others I assume are just as great. Mostly full of just gorgeous photos, this book gives a great visual overview of fashion through the ages and I have always found it endlessly inspiring)
2- Twentieth Century Fashion in Detail (V & A Fashion in Details)
by Valerie Mendes (Author), Claire Wilcox
(Fashion in Detail are a series of books by the V&A Museum and are great for historic costumers as well as vintage fashion devotes. This book covers some of the great details and couture finishes common in clothing before the fast fashion craziness we live amongst now)
3- Vintage Fashion Complete Hardcover
by Nicky Albrechtsen
(Another huge book that would be a great first resource for anyone just getting into vintage style or buying and selling vintage. Has overviews of each decade, each kind of accessory, and important style movements or influences. I just bought this book a few months ago and I really enjoyed it!)
4 & 5- 1930s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook & 1940’s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook
by Emmanuelle Dirix (Author), Charlotte Fiell (Author)
(These are great books full of photographs and fashion plates for each era. Really good for when you narrow down your interest to a specific era, or if you want to absorb the visuals and styles of each decade in a very thorough way.)
6- The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and ’40s and Our World Since Then
by Marsha Hunt
(I loooove this book. A Hollywood actress in the 1930’s and 40’s, Marsha Hunt really wore the clothes we still so admire today. In this book she includes hundreds of photos, film stills, and anecdotes about 30s and 40s fashions. She seems like such an inspiring lady too! This book can be harder to find, I got my copy used on Amazon and it seems to be a de-accessioned library book. Try and snap this one up if you see it, it’s a true treasure!)
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