Swing Style: Fashions of the 1930s-1950s [Hardcover]

Maureen E. Reilly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

Whether you're a collector, fashion historian, costume designer, or dancer, you'll delight in this story of vintage clothing that swings to the beat of a blue note or eight-to-the-bar. Come on a pictorial tour of groovy threads from the 1930s through the 1950s. Jump into the mid-1930s, when swing was launched as a national dance fad, with jewel-tone satins and sunny printed cottons. Dozens of original color photos share top billing with hundreds of vintage ads and sketches. This lively book includes thumbnail bios of the musical artists who made it happen, from Basin Street to Harlem and Southside Chicago, plus a valuation guide, a resource directory, a glossary of music and fashion terms, and even tips on creating your own vintage look.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

There is not much to like about this carelessly compiled book. Despite the author's obvious affection for the clothing, dances, lingo, and pop culture of the swing era, she fails to provide much information about any of these topics. Although costume is the primary focus, the fabrics in the items shown are not always identified. Captioning is often inane, and costume details called to the reader's attention are not always shown in the pictures--why point out a dress's "rhinestone jelly buttons" without benefit of a close-up shot in which they can be seen? The garments worn by the models--some from the author's collection, others from vintage clothing shops--are often ill fitting and badly wrinkled. Values are usually included, but there is no indication of how they were arrived at. Textile terms are defined in a glossary labeled "jive lingo," and the index is wholly inadequate. Skip this book, but take the author's advice about using back issues of fashion magazines: they are a great source of retro costume information.
-Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Maureen Reilly is an attorney and a fashion author who lives in California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Pub Ltd (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764310097
• ISBN-13: 978-0764310096
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #590,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointed..., January 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Swing Style: Fashions of the 1930s-1950s (Hardcover)

I was so disappointed with this book. Models with long blue fingernails and modern hairstyles dressed in poorly fitting (and ugly) swing style clothing. The photography looks like a high-school project. I was hoping to find a professional collection of pictures and background on the wonderful fashion of this era and this book is depressing. Don't buy it, don't even look at it at the library. A complete waste of time.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Huge Disappointment, June 15, 2009

By 

Catherine J. Esera - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swing Style: Fashions of the 1930s-1950s (Hardcover)

This book is a huge disappointment. Several of the photographs are out of focus. The models' hair styles, accesorries, fingernails & shoes do not match the periods. I even found a type-o during my first flip through the book. This book very much looked like a high school project that would not have received a good grade.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for costumers and fashion history enthusiasts., March 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swing Style: Fashions of the 1930s-1950s (Hardcover)

In Swing Style: Fashions Of The 1930s-1950s, Maureen Reilly takes the reader on a lengthy and in-depth survey of vintage clothing styles that ranges from postwar party dresses in chiffon and velveteen, to cocktail costumes in silk, to prom dresses in tulle. Along with the sock-hop standards of circle skirts and capri pants, this history of clothing fashions includes brief biographies of the clothing designers who were responsible for the fashion trends, tips on creating a vintage look today, a valuation guide, a resource directory, and a glossary of music and fashion terms. Swing Style: Fashions Of The 1930s-1950s is a "must" for any personal, academic, or professional costuming and fashion history reference collection.