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As Seen in Vogue: A Century of American Fashion in Advertising (Costume Society of America Series)

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In the origins of the great American middleclass consumer market in the 1890s, "a symbiotic, tripartite relationship between clothing mass production, fashion journalism, and mass-media advertising became firmly established." The internationally-known women's fashion magazine Vogue put this new symbiosis to work to become the leading magazine in its field for more than a century. In the line of Godey's Ladies Book and Harper's Bazaar of the mid 1800s, Vogue published its first issue on December 17, 1892. By focusing entirely on fashion, it differentiated itself from the popular Ladies Homes Journal, which covered fashion only as one of many topics. Since its start over a century ago, Vogue has held its leading position by mirroring changing tastes in fashion by informative articles as well as its polished, sophisticated ads. The ads particularly, the subject of this book, have become a subject of interest in themselves.

Simply glancing at the ads running chronologically roughly by decades displays a social history of women's changing tastes in fashion. The buttoned-up look of the late Victorian era embellished by ruffles and flounces became the sparer, yet still essentially button-up look of the early 1900s seen in pictures by Christie and other illustrators. With the 1920s and '30s, bright colors and patterns mimicking art deco came into fashion. And in this era too, sport clothing became a significant vein of women's clothing. In the more liberated times of the 1960s and later, women's clothing became more revealing while becoming more casual; and it became more varied in incorporating the ideas of foreign designers and the elements of a multicultural, internationally-oriented society.

Attention to the settings of the ads and the poses of the models puts the fashions into the context of a period's surrounding social attitudes, image of women, and women's own assumptions and aims. One sees the empty backdrops of the late Victorian and early 1900s become detailed domestic, workplace, and outdoor scenes.

The text points out and comments on the numerous illustrations; with captions with many individual illustrations like brief annotations providing additional points and information. Author Hill has worked in the fashion industry as a creative director of fashion photography, among other positions.

This book provides great insight into the how and why of changing fashion styles. Historical context is included, as well as a detailed account of how the fashion industry evolved in the US, as seen through the pages of Vogue magazine. Lots of photos and ads make the story clear. Great reference book that provides easy-to-consume, enlightening reading.

No fashion magazine was more popular or had a larger impact upon the clothing styles of American women than 'Vogue'. Part of the Texas Tech University Press 'Costume Society of American' series, "As Seen In Vogue: A Century Of American Fashion In Advertising" by fashion expert and historian Daniel Delis Hill has drawn from this seminal fashion periodical's more than 600 fashion adds for a century-long overview beginning with the magazine's founding in 1893 through ten decades to 1993. Superbly illustrated throughout with black-and-white photos of advertisements showcasing the changes in fashion styles and the growing sophistication of the American Fashion Industry down through the years, "As Seen In Vogue" also discusses and documents the evolution witnessed within its pages of the evolution in American fashion, American society, and American culture. A fascinating and specialized history, "As Seen In Vogue" is a seminal and unique work of scholarship that makes it a critically important, informed and informative contribution recommended for personal, professional, academic, and community library reference collections and American Fashion History supplemental reading lists.

This is a lavishly illustrated, fun-to-read history of American women's fashions from the late Victorian era through the end of the 20th century. Daniel Delis Hill has chocked this book full of rare images and fascinating bits of info - a lot that was new to me. For instance, Hill explains (and illustrates) how the invention of the safety bicycle in the 1890s did more to advance women's dress reform (trousers, shortened skirts, and discarded corsets) than all the preceding efforts of feminist advocacy combined. Other little-known aspects of American fashion that Hill discusses include the push in the early 1900s to make America a center of world fashion comparable to Paris and London; the founding of NYC's "Fashion Avenue" (a.k.a. 7th Ave.) in the 1920s; and the emergence of American fashion designers when guidance from the French was no longer available during WWII.

But this is more than just a survey history of modern women's fashion. Throughout the book, Hill integrates what he calls the "symbiotic, tripartite relationship" between the U.S. ready-to-wear industry, fashion journalism, and fashion marketing. These threads are woven well throughout the text and provide a depth that most fashion histories lack.

A very readable, informational, and entertaining book. Every time I revisit it, I discover something new. Highly recommended.