Everyday Fashions of the Forties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs (Paperback)

by JoAnne Olian (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
What American men, women and children wore in the 1940s, shown in 122 fully illustrated and captioned pages selected from rare copies of Sears catalogs, reproduced in large format on high-quality glossy stock. Hundreds of detailed drawings depict hats, overcoats and shoes, suits and dresses, sportswear, undergarments, corsetry, neckties, rainwear and personal accessories. JoAnne Olian is a curator of the costume collection at the Museum of the City of New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (January 31, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486269183
• ISBN-13: 978-0486269184
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #84,728 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a hat for thirty five cents - amazing!, June 10, 2004

By	Kelly Irish "Bootleg Girl" (PDX, Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book full of illustrations from vintage Sears catalogs. The clothing styles range from everyday wear to swimwear to underwear and accessories. It's fantastic to look at the styles, but my favorite parts of the book are definitely the captions that describe each of the items, along with their original price. It really is a hoot to see gorgeous hats going for thirty-five cents to a whopping dollar seventy-nine!

This book is a lot of fun to look through and would be the perfect gift for your favorite rockabilly kitten or vintage fashion lover.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for those looking into 1940's fashion!, March 17, 2004

By	Misha A. Thompson "kuswingkid" (KS United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I got this book though amazon's used books, and was completely pleased. Websites and library books often offer a very incomplete view of the 1940's fashions with very few pictures, and descriptions of the time as just being "utilitarian" or "militarized" - which is only PART of the story. This book is mostly ads from the Sears Catalog, showing REAL styles available to the middle class American public, not just the stuff the movie stars wore. You can see how the styles changed slowly over decade, including the introduction of the "New Look" and how it was incorporated into American style in the later part of the decade. Not necessarily for those wanting a history lesson complete with names of designers, price guides, or whatnot. But for someone already familar with the time period or wanting good examples/ideas for period dress or reproduction (with excellent pictures without collecting billions of sewing patterns like I do), this is a delightful resource!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 40's Fashion Feast!, April 9, 2003

By	Robyn Lee Markow "webcat1" (Northridge, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ok,I love the clothes of the 1940's anyway,thats why I bought this book. But it really is great fun for people who remember that time and a good history lesson for those who don't. I mean, a gown for 5 bucks?! Where's my time machine?;-) Enjoy!