Vintage Costume Designing : 100 Best books you should read as Reference

If you love to recreate the fashion styles of years gone by in your clothes, you are not alone. It is not just costume designers who work for big period films and theater productions that want to go back in times when it comes to clothes. You are in this desire together with a lot of people all around the world.

In big budget movies there is a bunch of research going on behind the scenes of costume making. But can you create authentic costumes or even dream of them sitting at home. Yes, you can, if you do a little reading. Here are the best resources for researching vintage costumes. 

Books on History of fashion

A History of Fashion (Author – J. Anderson Black & Madge Garland)

Costumes Throughout the Ages (Author – Mary Evans)

Fashion Through Fashion Plates 1771-1970 (Author – Doris Langley Moore)

The Complete History of Costume & Fashion (Author – Bronwyn Cosgrave)

History of Costume (Author – Carl Kohler)

Costume History and Style (Author – Douglas Russell)

Costume Throughout the Ages (Author – Mary Evans)

20, 000 Years of Fashion (Author – Francoise Boucher)

History of Costume: from the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century (Author- Payne, Blanche)

Books about Fashion in the Greek period

Costumes of the Greeks and Romans (Author – Thomas Hope)

Survey of Historic Costume (Author – Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank)

Ancient Greek, Roman & Byzantine Costume (Author – Mary G. Houston)

Books about Fashion in the Roman Period

Costumes of the Greeks and Romans (Author – Thomas Hope)

Roman Clothing and Fashion (Author- Alexandra Croom)

Historic Costume for the Stage (Author – Lucy Barton)

Books about Fashion in the Middle Ages

A Picture History of English Costume (Author – C. Willett and Phillis Cunnington)

Medieval &Tudor Costume (Author – Phillis Cunnington)

Fashion Rules!: A Closer Look at Clothing in the Middle Ages (Author – Gail Skroback Hennessey, Tracy Sabin)

Fashion in the Middle Ages (Author- Margaret Scott)

Books about Fashion in the Gothic age

A Short History of Costume & Armour (Author – F. M. Kelly & Randolph Schwabe)

Historic Costume for the Stage (Author – Lucy Barton)

Medieval & Tudor Costume (Author – Phillis Cunnington)

Books about Fashion in the Renaissance age

Renaissance Fashions (Author -Tom Tierney)

Costume History and Style (Author – Douglas Russell)

Medieval and Renaissance Fashion: 90 Full-Color Plates (Author – Rapha Jacquemin)

Renaissance Portraits: European Portrait-Painting in the 14th, 15th and 16th Centuries (Author – Lorne Campbell)

A Short History of Costume and Armor (Author – F. M. Kelly & R. Schwabe)

The History of Costume (Author – Blanche Payne)

Books about Fashion in the Tudor Period

Costume Throughout the Ages (Author – Mary Evans)

Medieval & Tudor Costume (Author – Phillis Cunnington

Renaissance Portraits (Author – Lorne Campbell)

History of Costume (Author – Blanche Payne)

20, 000 Years of Fashion (Author – Francoise Boucher)

Books about Fashion in the Elizabethan England

Elizabethan Pageantry (Author – H.K. Morse)

Costume History and Style (Author – Douglas A. Russell)

A History of Fashion (Author – J. Anderson Black & Madge Garland)

Historic Costume for the Stage (Author – Lucy Barton)

Elizabethan Costuming for the Years 1550-1580  (Author – Janet Winter and Carolyn Savoy)

Books about Fashion in the 17th century England

Handbook of English Costume in the 17th Century (Author – C. Willett & P. Cunningham)

Costume History and Style (Author – Douglas Russell)

History of Fashion (Author – J. Anderson Black & Madge Garland)

A Short History of Costume and Armor (Author – Francis M. Kelly & Randolph Schwabe)

Fashion (Author – Milia Contini)

The Handbook of English Costume in the 17th Century Phillis & C.W.Cunnington

20,000 Years of Fashion (Author – Francois Boucher)

The Cut of Women’s Clothes: 1600 – 1930 (Author – Norah Waugh)

Historic Costume for the Stage (Author – Lucy Barton)

History of Costume (Author – Blanche Payne)

Books about Fashion in the 18th century England

Handbook of English Costume in the Eighteenth Century (Author – C. Willett & Phillis Cunnington)

History of Costume (Author – Blanche Payne)

Survey of Historic Costume: A History of Western Dress (Author – Phyllis G. Tortora & Keith Eubank)

Dress and Society 1560-1970 (Author – Geoffrey Squire)

20,000 Years of Fashion (Author – Francois Boucher)

The Eighteenth Century Woman (Author – Paul M. Ettesvold)

Revolution in Fashion 1715 – 1815 (Author – Kyoto Costume Institute)

Ackerman’s Costume Plates 1818 – 1828 (Editor – Stella Blum)

Dress and Society 1560 – 1970 (Author – Geoffrey Squire)

Ackerman’s Costume Plates (Editor- Stella Blum)

Books about Fashion in the Victorian Period

Victorian Costuming (Author – Janet Winter and Carolyn Savoy)

Victorian & Edwardian Fashions for Women 1840-1919 (Author – Kristina Harris)

Fashions & Costumes from Godey’s Lady’s Book (Author – Stella Blum)

Period Costume for Stage & Screen: Patterns for Women’s Dress, 1800-1909
(Author- Jean Hunnisett , Janette Haslam (Illustrator)

American Victorian Costume in Early Photographs (Author – Priscilla Harris Dalrymple)

Myth America: Picturing Women 1865-1945 (Author – Carol Wald & Judith Papachristou)

American Dress Pattern Catalogs, 1873-1909 (Author – Nancy Villa Bryk, editor)

The Complete History of Costume & Fashion (Author – Bronwyn Cosgrave)

American Victorian Costume in Early Photographs (Author – Priscilla Harris Dalrymple)

Myth America: Picturing Women 1865-1945 (Author – Carol Wald & Judith Papachristou)

American Dress Pattern Catalogs, 1873-1909 (Author – Nancy Villa Bryk, editor)

Victorian Fashions 1880 – 1890 (Author – H. Ulseth & H. Shannon)

A Nervous Splendor Vienna 1888/1889 (Author – Frederic Morton)

Mirror, Mirror: A Social History of Fashion (Author – Michael & Ariane Batterberry)

Books about Fashion in the La belle epoche Period 1871 -1914

Paris Fashions of the 1890’s : Picture book (Stella Blum, Editor)

The Wonderful World of Ladies’ Fashions (Joseph Schroeder, Jr., Editor)

In Style: Celebrating 50 Years of the Costume Institute (Jean Druesedow, Editor)

Books about Fashion in the Edwardian Period

Myth America: Picturing Women 1865-1945 (Author – Carol Wald & Judith Papachristou)

Fashion Through Fashion Plates 1771-1970 (Author – Doris Langley Moore)

The Edwardians (Author – J. B. Priestley)

Victorian & Edwardian Fashions for Women 1840-1919 (Author – Kristina Harris)

Books about Fashion in the 20th century fashion

Fashions of a Decade : The 1920s (Author – Jacqueline Herald)

Costume Since 1945 : Couture, Street Style and Anti-Fashion (Author – Deirdre Clancy)

Authentic French Fashions of the Twenties : 413 Costume Designs from L’Art Et LA Mode( Joanne Olian Editor)

Revolutionary Costume : Soviet Clothing and Textiles of the 1920s (Author – Fabio Ciofi Degli Atti )

What We Wore : An Offbeat Social History of Women’s Clothing, 1950 to 1980 (Author – Ellen Melinkoff )

Jocks and Nerds : Men’s Style in the Twentieth Century (Author – Richard Martin, Harold Koda)

Fashion in Photographs 1920-1940 (Author – Elizabeth Owen)

History of Twentieth Century Fashion (Author – Elizabeth Ewing, Alice MacKrell)

The Guinness Guide to 20th Century Fashion (Author – David Bond)

Designing by Draping : 1930’s Draping Methods Designing Techniques (Author – Sandra Ericson)

The 1930s and 1940s (People in Costume) (Author – Jennifer Ruby)

American Costume, 1915-1970 : A Source Book for the Stage Costumer (Author – Shirley Miles O’Donnol)

Vintage Clothing 1880-1980 : Identification and Value Guide (Author – Maryanne Dolan)

Vintage Fashions for Women 1920’s-1940’s : With Values (Author – Kristina Harris)

Wedding Fashions 1862-1912 : 380 Costume Designs from ‘LA Mode Illustree’ (Author – Joanne Olian)

Women of Fashion : Twentieth-Century Designers (Author – Valerie Steele)

Fashions of a Decade Series

Fashions of a Decade : The 1930s (Author – Maria Costantino)

Fashions of a Decade : The 1940s (Author – Patricia Bake)

Fashions of a Decade : The 1960s (Author – Yvonne Connickie)

Fashions of a Decade : The 1970’s (Author – Jacqueline Herald)

Fashions of a Decade the 1950s (Author – Patricia Baker)

Fashions of the Roaring ’20s (Author – Ellie Laubner )

Fashions of the Thirties  (Author –  Carol Belanger Grafton)

Designs by Erte: Fashion Drawings and Illustrations from Harper’s Bazaar 1915 to 1936 (Author – Erté, Russian Designer)

The Cutting Edge : 50 Years of British Fashion, 1947-1997 (Author – Amy De La Haye) 

20th-Century Fashion : The Complete Sourcebook (Author – John Peacock)

Art Deco Fashion : French Designers (Author – Martin Battersby)

Books on General period Costume Designing  

After a Fashion: How to Reproduce, Restore, and Wear Vintage Styles  (Author – Frances Grimble)

The Beginning Costumer’s Handbook: A Primer for Costume Fandom (Author – Denice Girardeau and Toni Lay)

Elegantly Frugal Costumes (Author – Shirley Dearing)

Reference : goodreads.com

Related posts : History of fashion; 1920’s fashion highlights; Fashion in the 1930s; 1950s fashion highlights; Fashion in the 1960s; 1980s fashion highlights; 1990s fashion highlights ; Fashion in the 2000s ; Fashion in style today