https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:11:17 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-478947 Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:58:45 +0000 Inge 478947@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You're so welcome, Christine, glad the suggestions are helpful.</p> <p>And WOW!!! You've certainly piqued my curiosity now!-) Your novel sounds fascinating. I hope you'll keep us posted and let us know when it is published, perhaps we can add it to our bookstore;-)</p> <p>Good luck with the writing! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-477479 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:58:39 +0000 crwilson 477479@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Inge - thank you SO much. You are amazing. This is exactly what I was looking for; they were harder to find than I thought they would be too, so I really, really appreciate your help and suggestions. It looks like almost all of them are available used from Amazon for quite a bit less, so I won't have to break the bank, and I'll check the library too. Makrame - thank you for your suggestion too. It's on my Kindle now. I'm excited to start this research. </p> <p>I'm working on a novel in which one of the characters wants to become a fashion designer in the late 40s and early 50s, and I realized that I have no idea what was going on in the fashion industry at that time and that it would be a lot more believable if I did know what was going on. To be honest, I don't know much about it at all, and I'm looking forward to learning a lot more.</p> <p>Thank you again for your help! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-477425 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:28:37 +0000 Isis 477425@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Inge, thank you for these suggestions! I look forward to reading these! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-477392 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:31:17 +0000 Makrame 477392@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Just wanted to add a book that I've read (checked it out from my library; I wouldn't buy it): The end of fashion by Teri Agins <a href="http://www.amazon.com/End-Fashion-Marketing-Clothing-Business/dp/0060958200" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/End-Fash.....0060958200</a> . This relates more to the mid- and end-of the 20th century but there are some interesting stories about mass-produced clothing, the rise and fall of American designers etc. Not exactly what you are looking for but tangentially related and may be available from the library. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-477364 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:44:12 +0000 Inge 477364@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Also: some of these are quite expensive, but it's always worth trying an online search or second-hand bookshops. And hopefully they are available in your local library too? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-477363 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:42:04 +0000 Inge 477363@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ok, I'm back.<br /> You were right that it's not easy to find one single more general-oriented title, especially for those decades, Christine. Most books talk about one era, movement or designer, and the more general ones seem to focus more on menswear.<br /> But here are a few suggestions:</p> <p>I think the first two books below resemble most closely what you're after? The first one is a bit older, but a quite renowned and apparently very interesting reference book.</p> <p>1. New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style by Caroline Rennolds Milbank<br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-York-Fashion-Evolution-American/dp/0810913887/ref=sr_1_64?s=books&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1322619718&#038;sr=1-64" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/New-York.....38;sr=1-64</a></p> <p>2. 20th Century Dress in the United States by Jane Farrell-Beck<br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/20th-Century-Dress-United-States/dp/1563674157/ref=sr_1_24?s=books&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1322620834&#038;sr=1-24" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/20th-Cen.....38;sr=1-24</a><br /> More info here:<br /> <a href="http://www.fairchildbooks.com/book.cms?bookId=306" rel="nofollow">http://www.fairchildbooks.com/book.cms?bookId=306</a></p> <p>And a few others that might be interesting:</p> <p>- Focussing on the 1930s-1940s<br /> The American Look: Sportswear, Fashion and the Image of Women in 1930s and 1940s New York by Rebecca Arnold<br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Look-Sportswear-Fashion-Image/dp/1860647634/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1322659192&#038;sr=1-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/American.....038;sr=1-1</a></p> <p>- Not limited to the US, fashion &amp; beauty in general, more of a sociological approach<br /> Decades of Beauty by Kate Mulvey<br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Decades-Beauty-Kate-Mulvey/dp/0600601056/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1322659288&#038;sr=1-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Decades-.....038;sr=1-1</a></p> <p>- Chicago's Fashion Industry by Mary Beth Klatt<br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chicagos-Fashion-History-1865-1945-Publishing/dp/0738584320/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1322582935&#038;sr=8-11" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Chicagos.....38;sr=8-11</a></p> <p>- Fashion Designers from the early 1930s to 2007<br /> American Fashion by Charlie Scheips<br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Fashion-Charlie-Scheips/dp/2759401618/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&#038;ie=UTF8&#038;qid=1322619342&#038;sr=1-2" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/American.....038;sr=1-2</a></p> <p>- Twentieth-Century American Fashion (Dress, Body, Culture)<br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twentieth-Century-American-Fashion-Dress-Culture/dp/B005IUJKC6/ref=pd_sim_b_5" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Twentiet.....pd_sim_b_5</a><br /> More info:<br /> <a href="http://www.bergpublishers.com/?tabid=2127" rel="nofollow">http://www.bergpublishers.com/?tabid=2127</a></p> <p>Is this helpful at all, Christine? Let me know if you want something in a completely different direction or if you need anything else. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-476555 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:45:34 +0000 Mochi 476555@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh, fun delving into that time! I don't have a need for info on the US fashion industry, but I did some minor research to know something about women's fashion in Germany in 1910 for some writing I'm doing...you get to learn about corsets and whatnot, and things starting to change rapidly for women. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-476549 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:39:09 +0000 Inge 476549@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Not odd at all, Christine! And I love getting "book requests":-)<br /> I'm going to do a little research (I can't access my "archives" right now) and I will get back to you asap. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/ask-inge-books-on-the-fashion-industry-in-the-us#post-476491 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:53:23 +0000 crwilson 476491@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a bit of an odd question, and semi-off topic. I'm looking for books about the history of the fashion industry in the U.S., with a particular focus (if possible) on the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. I'd like to find a few books (or just one book) that give a general overview, as opposed to focusing on a single designer or era. I thought that if anyone would know the answer to this question, it would be Inge, or other readers on the forum. Thanks! </p>