Vintage Style : The Art of Dressing Up

by Tracy Tolkien

Covering 50 years of fashion history, Dressing Up Vintage examines times past and what women wore in response to them. Starting with the '40s and the somber mannish suits worn during WWII, Dressing Up Vintage takes us through the beaded cardigans of the '50s, the mod explosion of the '60s, the '70s disco and wrap-dress rage, the broad-shouldered power suits of the '80s, and ends up with an understandably short chapter on the '90s and the popularity of the grunge look and retromania. Spying and collecting vintage wear takes the same skill and competitive edge as does collecting fine art or antiques. Author Tracy Tolkien, owner of a very successful vintage shop in London, has been honing her hunting skills for many years and shares them with us in this thoroughly researched, entertaining book. She explains why certain fashions came into being and why they are now collectible. Did you know corsets came back into style because of Dior's wasp-waisted dresses? Tolkien also gives hints on where to find the best vintage wear (there's a long list of shops in the back of the book, both American and British) and what to look for (labels, tears, staining). "One of the best, often overlooked, sources though is probably out there in your own backyard," she says, "tucked away in the darkest corners of your friends' and relatives' wardrobes." Each section is filled with examples of vintage fashions, including hats, gloves, shoes, and costume jewelry.

An interesting journey into our fashion past--great finds and faux pas all--Dressing Up Vintage could be helpful to the beginning collector and just plain fun for those who like to browse, shop, and heed the words of mini-making mogul Mary "Fashion allows you to be what you want. You can dress the part and--my God, it happens!" --Dana Van Nest

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Nicole Bosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing groundbreaking but nice surface level information about lots of different styles of the 1940s-90s. Heavy lean towards punk style in the latter decades. Easy read with nice pictures, perfect for those uninitiated into the world of vintage dress.

[Marcie Lovett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of photos of mostly high-end vintage clothing and accessories from 1940s-1990s, fashion facts, cultural significance of period styles, trade gossip and an international source list.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Not a huge hit for me, though, because I'm not as interested in the designers and collecting valuable vintage fashion. I enjoyed reading the text on punk and on Jackie O, though. Loads of interesting pictures of the fashions-- nice and big, some close-ups for detail, too. Oh, and I found a blurb about purses with slipcovers-- shedding some light on Ma's slipcovered purse "collection" from the 80's. I don't think that fad will be resurrected.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an interesting compilation about the most influential designers, it's simple and straightforward, with lovely photographs that work like a time travel.

I am not a collector but I have been practicing fashion illustration and I found this book very useful to know a little about history and vintage clothes.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well done book about fashion in each decade from 1940's-1990's. I was totally absorbed in this trip down memory lane.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting journey into our fashion past--great finds and faux pas all--Dressing Up Vintage could be helpful to the beginning collector and just plain fun for those who like to browse and shop.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a nice overview of fashion since around the mid 1900s. Great photos. However, it does concentrate on high end clothing.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the 50s beaded cardigans!