20th Century Fashion – 100 Years of Apparel Ads

Taschen Publication Reviews Ten Decades of Advertising

Jul 21, 2009
Frances Spiegel

20th Century Fashion - Taschen, 2009

Publication explores 100 years of fashion ads. It looks at the changing image of women through the Century, as well as technology, and the development of the mass market.

At the beginning of the 20th Century exclusive Parisian couture fashion houses supplied their wealthy clients with the latest designs.

At the beginning of the 21st Century most of us wear mass-produced garments made of technologically advanced fibres.

(Taschen 2009) explores the years between, showing how the female figure has been constantly re-invented, from the shapely forms created by the rigid corsets of the 1900s, to the loose-fitting chemise dresses preferred by Coco Chanel in 1914, to the flat-chested super-skinny size zero of the modern fashion model.

20th Century Fashion – Layout of the Book

20th Century Fashion features more than 400 advertisements from Jim Heimann's own comprehensive collection.

The Introduction reveals the book's major themes, such as the changing image of the female model in advertising. The reader is reminded that the invention of the sewing machine and the rapid technological changes that followed, led to the advent of mass-produced clothing and the development of the mass market.

An illustrated timeline accompanies ten chapters, one for each decade of the 20th Century. Critical events that influenced fashion and design, such as the industrial age, the development of mass production, the two world wars, popular culture including mass media, films magazines and the influence of celebrities, are among the many themes examined.

Designs such as Vionnet's bias-cut gowns, Warner's Rust-Proof Corsets, Christian Dior's "New Look", Mary Quant's "Chelsea Look", Missoni's knitwear, Frankie B.'s low-rise jeans and many others, are discussed.

All the major designers are featured including Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Oleg Cassini, Missoni, Roy Halston Frowick, Claude Montana, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Vivienne Westwood, Pierre Cardin and many others.

Jim Heimann – Editor

Jim Heimann is a graphic design historian and cultural anthropologist. The one-time teacher has his own exceptional collection of advertising ephemera and has exhibited around the world. He has lectured widely and has published a number of books, including: Hooray for Hollywood (Chronicle Books) and All-American Ads of the 50s (Taschen).

Alison A. Nieder – Author

Alison Nieder is a fashion business journalist and executive editor of California Apparel News. She has worked in the fashion industry since 1985 and in 2007 received the Style & Substance Award presented by the Sustainable Style Foundation. The award is the highest honour given by the SSF to acknowledge the achievements of style professionals, public figures or celebrities, who have improved the quality of life for children across the globe.

20th Century Fashion – 100 Years of Apparel Ads has been published by Taschen as part of its 25th Anniversary celebrations. The 464-page book, printed in English, German and French, is easy to read and packed full of fascinating details. The hardcover edition (ISBN: 978-3-8365-1461-3) is available at £27.99.