In the Northern Hemisphere, we are now officially in summer. I think that for many of us, despite it being “the break” season, we are busier than ever. However, that does not stop me from history-ing. While I enjoy it at any time of the year, I do a deep dive into fashion history in the warmer months. (Don’t ask me why, but sun makes me want to look at beautiful clothing!) So in honour of the vacations and time off that you will hopefully have, I’m sharing three easy ways to enjoy fashion history wherever you are for Style File Friday!
Fashion History in Period Dramas
If you are interested in fashion history and simply want to be entertained (and I am here for entertainment), period dramas are a fantastic way to take in fashion history. While some period dramas are better than others for their accuracy with costumes, there are several shows that are specifically about different moments/ periods in fashion history.
The wonderful Hisdoryan has written a fantastic blog post with her favourite period dramas that are related to fashion history: https://hisdoryan.co.uk/period-dramas-about-fashion. And yes, it does include one of my favourite period dramas, The Collection! (If you have not watched it, it is a must-watch.)
Documentaries About Fashion History
I enjoy documentaries for several different reasons. Firstly, they are a relatively short way to introduce yourself to a new subject or topic. Instead of spending five to eight hours reading a book, you can spend an hour or two watching a documentary to see if you are interested enough. Secondly, documentaries are incredibly helpful for subjects that have a visual component like fashion does. While photographs are obviously helpful, seeing the garments actually move helps me better understand what is being discussed and referenced. (ie. Once you see a garment with a bias cut move, you will understand why that innovation was so important in fashion history.)
I’ve gathered some of my favourite fashion history documentaries here: https://anhistorianabouttown.com/documentaries-to-watch-after-halston/! If you are struggling to find them, I would recommend checking out Hoopla or Kanopy through your library (if offered), as they have many documentaries like this.
V&A Fashion Perspectives Books
I cannot recommend these books enough- I am shocked that pretty much everyone is sleeping on them! These are (obviously) published by the V&A and feature some of the biggest names in fashion history. They include the autobiographies and memoirs of a number of fashion designers, buyers, journalists, editors, and more, and cover some of the biggest names in the last century and a quarter of fashion history.
There are six of these that are available as physical books (Norman Hartnell, Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior, Paul Poiret, Mary Quant, and Biba/ Barbara Hulanicki), and the rest are available as eBooks and are actually quite affordable. I’ve read over ten books from this series now, and I find they are all very easy to read. If you want direct insights into fashion history, these books are your best bet!
I hope these easy ways to enjoy fashion history will be helpful for you!
Cheers,
The Historian
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