Vintage Fashion & Couture: From Poiret to McQueen

"I thought I knew almost everything about the history of fashion until I met Kerry Taylor. The inside-out knowledge she has of garments will inspire both students and designers to look at fashion with fresh eyes." - Sarah Mower, US Vogue

"This beautiful book by Kerry Taylor - the go-to woman for vintage and antique couture - is a treat for collectors and fashion lovers alike." - The Wall Street Journal

"Whatever my question about vintage, Kerry Taylor has the answer. Her expertise, knowledge and historical anecdotes have raised the level of interest in this subject hugely." -Lisa Armstrong, Daily Telegraph

Named one of Glamour Magazine's "Must-Read Style Books"!

Profiled by Vogue and The New York Times and courted by style icons with wardrobes to sell and top designers in search of inspiration, Kerry Taylor is one of the world's leading experts on vintage fashion and couture. In this lavishly illustrated book, Kerry tells the story of a century of fashion through the work of its key design talents and the memorable women who have worn their creations. All the fashion stars are here from Poiret to McQueen via Lanvin, Chanel, Schiaparelli, Madame Grès, Dior, Balenciaga, Mary Quant, Ossie Clark, Vivienne Westwood, Alaïa, and Margiela. For each designer Kerry explores their career through a dazzling range of clothes and accessories, explaining what makes each item so desirable to the collector or wearer of vintage fashion.

Each chapter includes at least one 'style icon' whose relationship with fashion has had a lasting impact, including Baba D'Erlanger, Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly, Catherine Deneuve, Paloma Picasso and Kate Moss. Illustrated with a mix of gorgeous fashion photography plus images from Kerry's own astonishing archive, this book is set to become an invaluable guide for collectors of vintage (whatever their budget) and all those who love fashion.

Contents includes...

Foreword by Hubert de Givenchy
Prologue by Christopher Kane
1900s
Paul Poiret
Lucile
Mariano Fortuny
1920s
Jean Patou
Jeanne Lanvin
Chanel in the Twenties
1930s
Elsa Schiaparelli
Style Icon Wallis Simpson
Madeleine Vionnet - The Architect of Couture
1940s
The effects of War on Fashion in Europe
American Fashion in the Forties
Christian Dior - The Saviour of French Haute Couture
1950s
Pierre Balmain
Cristóbal Balenciaga - The Master
Style Icon Grace Kelly
1960s
Mary Quant
Hubert de Givenchy 
Style Icon Audrey Hepburn
1970s
Yves Saint Laurent in the Seventies
Zandra Rhodes
Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren
1980s
Italian Masters
Azzedine Alaïa
John Galliano
1990s
The New Romantics
Thierry Mugler
Style Icon Kate Moss
2000s
Later McQueen
Style Icon Daphne Guinness
Collecting Vintage
Taking Care of your Collection