If you’re considering spending the weekend with a book and a matcha, why not switch out the standard novel for a history lesson on fashion? Fashion, as most things, doesn’t exist as an anomaly. It has been curated, moulded, and endured through history, customs, and rules. And by reading through how dress-making endured, we get a deeper look into the socio-cultural fabric of the world. So if you’re thinking of switching up your reading list, these are the fashion history books worth putting a bookmark in.
A Perfect Red by Amy Butler Greenfield
A Perfect Red delves into the history of trading cochineal—a bright red dye produced by the Aztecs—which, at one point in time, was one of the world’s most precious commodities. Spanning from 1500 to the present day, the book recounts how the colour impacted civilisations through witty writing.
Cloth that Changed the World: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz by Sarah Fee
With rich illustrations, Cloth that Changed the World: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz weaves the story of India’s multicoloured printed or painted cotton, also known as Chintz. The book explains its origins, how it affected markets in Europe because of its popularity, how it sparked innovations that ushered in the Industrial Revolution, and its overall mark on design, technology, and trade.
Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History by Richard Thompson Ford
Exploring the historical laws of fashion across Western civilisation, law professor and cultural critic Richard Thompson Ford uncovers the rules and customs that have led to modern dressing today and how fashion has taken shape.
Dress Code: Unlocking Fashion From The New Look to Millennial Pink by Véronique Hyland
A collection of essays centred on fashion, this book similarly questions how fashion takes shape in modern dressing and how style represents ideologies. But instead of looking at historical laws, journalist Véronique Hyland looks at the institutions of fashion itself, how dress codes merged with the history of women’s rights, and the subtext of what clothes we choose to wear.
Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style by Susan Brown
For the beginners out there looking for an easy entry point to fashion history, this book covers it all. From ancient draping to current couture, this book recounts the world of clothing across three thousand years. It also takes a look at fashion icons in history and how they have influenced how we dress today.
Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber
An honest biography of Marie Antoinette through the lens of her style. Taking a look at her attempts to reshape royal fashion, how she developed her tastes, and the controversies that her clothes evoked, Weber paints a new side of the historical queen and how, ironically, the fashion that gave her power also led to her downfall.
The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History by Kassia St. Clair
Another entry point for beginners in fashion history, but this is exclusively on textiles. Design journalist Kassia St. Clair compiles the ingenious human innovation of how we make cloth. All the way from the very first threads found to how fabric paved the way for mankind’s achievements, this book is a fascinating look into how textiles can power more than fashion, and how clothmaking is the real foundation for our collective advancement.
The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, And Glorious Excess In 1970s Paris by Alicia Drake
For fashion fanatics looking to delve into the worlds of two design geniuses, The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, And Glorious Excess In 1970s Paris details the dramatic rivalry between Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. With over 500 interviews and a detailed analysis of the socio-cultural environment of 1970s Paris, this book is extremely immersive and an entertaining read.
