Customer Reviews

Everyday Fashions of the Twenties as Pictured in Sears and Other Catalogs (Dover Fashion and Costumes)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you love fashion from the 1920's or just saw "Chicago" and would like more background on it,this is a worthwhile book to flip through. Some the pics are not the best quality and childrens clothes are only on one page. However, You really do,get an idea of what the average person wore back then,which may surprise some readers.All in all, A decent book for fashion history buffs.

A great source of information on the cloths worn by ordinary people of this time period.

Pity people don't dress like this anymore.

This is a great book if you're looking for an overview of fashions from 1909 to 1930, concentrating on clothes available from Sears catalogs of the period. The book includes women's, men's, children's, and infant's clothing. The text is entertaining to read. I was a little disappointed that there were not more examples of fashion in the 20's. Nevertheless, it is an informative and fun book to refer to if you have an interest in period fashion

This is a very useful source book for every day clothing, particularly things like men's clothes,kid's outfits, maid uniforms, and other things that aren't the high fashion clothing that many books feature. I design theater costumes, and have found this very helpful.

I loved looking at this book. It was facinating to see what people wore back then, and to see how little things cost. i totally enjoyed this book because it was like stepping back in time. i highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoyed/enjoys the 1920's.

My mom and I have browsed catalogs since I was a child. We made looking through them fun. Going through this book with her was just as fun! We were able to talk about fashion in her generation and her mothers, as well as see what styles are still worn today; and how the slender and breastless models compare to today's anorexic and large barbie breasted models. It is interesting to look at how some things changed dramatically, and other things have not changed at all.

I love these books and have several! I get for costuming ideas and they are perfect as they are actual reproductions from the Sears Catalogs. Just wish they were even bigger!
You'll laugh at the prices! The introductions are excellent. They discuss the cultural changes as seen in the ready to wear apparel, the style changes from the previous decade and the nuances of the current decade. This is not haute couture, these are the style everyone wore on a daily basis!

Hello fellow fashion fans and tailors - The actual dimensions of this book are 12 x 9 x .5 inches - it is quite a bit larger than described in this Amazon listing. Actual pagination is 52 pages + the cover page.
ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DOVER PUB with crystal clear reproductions of original catalog pages. In those days the ordinary catalogs were in black & white, so that's how the illustrations are. Along with the Sears Roebuck illustrations, there are others from Charles Williams (laces and collars, corsets) and Savage Millinery (shoes, outer wear).
NOT TO BE MISSED: the ladies' undergarments! They were so detailed, so finely made, and so comfortable, excluding the heavy corsetry. I grew so tired of synthetic, binding, and poor-fitting modern undergarments, even the more expensive brands, that I hunted down patterns for undergarments similar to those shown in this book, and made them. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE SILK AND COTTON UNDERWEAR - See pp 43 and 130 for comfortable, non-binding undergarments. Wish these were still available today in the retail stores.
ALSO DIG: the Charles Williams swim suits on page 63. Even thin women covered up their treasures...
I own all of the Dover historic fashion books and have used all of them to design elegant though more modern garments for myself and our 2 daughters, most especially for evening and holiday dressing.
ENJOY...

The pictures and fashions are wonderful. I ordered this catalogue to have ideas for creating appropriate vintage clothing for touring with our Model T Club. My college age daughters picked it up off the kitchen counter and loved the fashions! It will give the women of our club a broader glimpse into the era, since vintage patterns are limited.

I bought this book along with the 30s and 40s editions to use as reference materials when making period outfits. It is easy to see "style", but these books are good reference materials as they also provide information on the fabric used, etc. I also love the commentary that accompanied the ads. Great educational book.

The decade-by-decade images from all the books in this series are, IMHO, required references for those interested in fashion and costume design in the 20th century.