Fashion
Getting Started: How to Research Fashion
Source: https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/how-to-research-fashion/
GETTING STARTED
[Note: While the steps below are static text that dates to whatever the date is at the top of this post, the resources listed below this text are constantly and dynamically updated. You can also see them in our Zotero Library.]
- LOOK – Examine the garment carefully and try to fully describe it in as much detail as possible. It can be helpful to sketch the silhouette or key details.
- IDENTIFY THE DATE – If you already know the date, go to the relevant decade page to find further resources on dress in that period. If you don’t know the date, head to the century overview pages and look for the century and then decade that seems closest.
- COMPARE – Once you know the correct decade, it can be very useful to compare your garment to what was fashionable at the same time. Was it typical? What kind of context would it have been worn in?
- DIG DEEPER – Review the suggested primary and secondary sources for your decade (and perhaps century) and select the ones that sound most promising. Look online or find sources at the library and see what they have to say. Remember one good source can often point you to others, so see what sources they’re citing and find those as well!
- ASSESS – What have you learned? What can you say about the purpose, style, materials, construction and fashionability of your chosen garment (whether depicted or real)? How does it fit within its time period?
Selected Fashion Resources
Researching the Fashion Industry in Los Angeles? Interested in the fashion industry in general? Download the free industry profile listed below and consult the Library of Congress' Research Guide.
- The Fashion Industry: Selected ReferencesCompiled by Ellen Terrell, Business Reference Services, The Library of Congress.
- Women's Wear Daily Archive This link opens in a new window A comprehensive archive of the fashion trade magazine Women's Wear Daily, from the first issue in 1910 to material from within the last twelve months. Contains all content, including covers and advertisements.
Use call numbers to search for fashion resources in the UCLA Library Catalog (select "Call Numbers" in the drop down menu next to the search box) or to browse the shelves in the library.
“Fashion” - GT 500-2370
“Fashion” - TT 500 - TT645
“Fashion and art” - GT 529.A7
“Fashion design” - TT 507
“Fashion drawing” - TT 509
“Fashion in film” - PN 1995.9 C56-C58
“Fashion merchandising” - HD 9940
“Fashion photography” - TR 679
“Fashion shows” - TT 502
“Fashion writing” - TT 503.5
Here is a list of suggested subject headings to search for resources on costume in UCLA's Library Catalog.
Enter the subject heading in the search box and click on "Subject List" or "Subject List (start of) in the drop down box.
Clothing and dress
Clothing and dress - social aspects
Dress accessories
Dressmaking
Dressmaking - Patterns
Fashion
Fashion and art
Fashion - history
Fashion - periodicals
Fashion - pictorial works
Fashion - psychological aspects
Fashion - social aspects
Fashion design
Fashion design --Study and teaching
Fashion designers
Fashion drawing
Fashion in motion pictures
Fashion photography
Fashion shows
Garment cutting
Jewelry
Lingerie
Men’s clothing
Motion picture actors and actresses - Clothing
Sewing
Tailoring - Pattern design
Textile fabrics
Textile industry
Textiles printing
Textiles
Underwear
Women designers
Women fashion designers