The Hidden History of American Fashion: Rediscovering 20th-century Women Designers

Description

This book is the first in-depth exploration of the revolutionary designers who defined American fashion in its emerging years and helped build an industry with global impact, yet have been largely forgotten. Focusing on female designers, the authors reclaim a place in history for the women who created not only for celebrities and socialites, but for millions of fashion-conscious customers across the United States. From one of America's first couturiers, Jessie Franklin Turner, to Zelda Wynn Valdes, the book captures the lost histories of the luminaries who paved the way in the world of American fashion design. This fully illustrated collection takes us from Hollywood to Broadway, from sportswear to sustainable fashion, and explores important crossovers between film, theater, and fashion. Uncovering fascinating histories of the design pioneers we should know about, the book enlarges the prevailing narrative of fashion history and will be an important reference for fashion students, historians, costume curators, and fashion enthusiasts alike.

Nancy Deihl is Director of the Costume Studies MA program at New York University, USA, specializing in the history of fashion and textiles from 1850 to the present. Deihl is co-author, with Daniel James Cole, of The History of Modern Fashion (2015).

With copious notes, a few photos, and lengthy bibliographies following every chapter, this volume is especially useful for fashion historians and others who want to know more about the industry in the 20th century-and the women who helped it grow. * Library Journal * The book provides more than insight into the hidden histories of American fashion... this is altogether a useful resource to anyone considering twentieth century American fashion as a field of study. It may also inspire some dress curators and collectors worldwide to re-examine the collections in their charge. * The Journal of Dress History * [Offers] a wealth of information revealing a segment of the emergent American fashion industry that has long been overshadowed ... [The editors and contributors'] expansive research with primary sources ranging from archives and museum collections to personal interviews with designers assures the reader thorough and detailed content ... The book surely will prove to be a valuable resource for those doing research on these particular designers. * Dress: The Journal of the Costume Society of America * What will likely make [this] an invaluable resource for fashion historians and students, is not only the fact that under-valued female designers receive recognition, but also that the chapters highlight the interrelationships of some of America's most prominent fashion professionals ... Sixteen excellent chapters [are] all rooted in an exceptional use of primary sources including museum garment collections, trade periodicals, archive materials, and original interviews with key individuals ... These books are exceptional collections of essays, timely in their arrival and inspirational in terms of the continued broadening scope of work to be done on US and global fashion. * Journal of Design History (joint-reviewed with The Fashion Forecasters) * This excellent collection of biographical essays provides exceptional insight into the development of the fashion industry, and the designers who have toiled in anonymity to dress the American public. -- Jean Druesedow, Kent State University, USA These unique, previously untold stories of eighteen American women offer readers an unprecedented insight into the world of fashion in the 20th century. This inspiring collection will surely motivate scholars to follow in the footsteps of these authors. -- Patricia A. Cunningham, The Ohio State University, USA This welcome volume focuses on the contributions of little-known but influential designers, an important step in adding greater depth to the complex and compelling story of American fashion. -- Kristina Haughland, Curator of Costume & Textiles, Philadelphia Museum of Art