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01/2005. xi, 226 pages. 32 color, 600 b/w illustrations
0896725340
978-0-89672-534-8

As Seen in Vogue: A Century of American Fashion in Advertising

By Daniel Delis Hill

"In the 1920s, American women morphed from alabaster Victorian homemakers to painted jazz babies. The conformist '50s mom vacuuming in heels made way for braless, mini-skirted, go-go-booted iconoclasts. Thirty years laters, the opulence of the styles in TV's prime-time soaps became outre in the wake of grunge and the heroin chic look. The depictions of dramatic, daring, and dazzling revolutions in women's clothing from one era to the next document much more than fashion. . . . A trunk full of design and delight."--ForeWord Magazine

"The first chapter is devoted to the story of Vogue's evolution from society magazine to prominent fashion journal, and much of the text is based on Vogue's editorials. This approach works well, allowing Hill to highlight his central theme: an examination of how manufacturers translate complex couture designs into easily replicated pret-a-porter styles for the masses. . . . This work is very valuable for its clear overview of trends. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice

This lavishly illustrated chronicle of American women’s fashions examines relationships between the mass-market ready-to-wear industry, fashion journalism, and fashion advertising.

Throughout the twentieth century, these industries fueled one another’s successes by identifying an ever-widening consumer class and fanning the desire to be fashionable. Daniel Hill employs a wealth of primary source material to document not only this symbiosis but also an evolution in American fashion, society, and culture, as evidenced by more than six hundred fashion ads that appeared in Vogue from the magazine’s debut in 1893 through the next ten decades.

These American vignettes document more than the looks and fashions of their eras; they reveal dramatic transformations in women’s roles and self-image—witness the metamorphosis from alabaster Victorian homemaker to painted flapper in just a generation, from conformist fifties mom to miniskirt-clad iconoclast only a decade later.

In this comprehensive study, Hill offers a fathomless trove for fashion historians and pop-culturists, an invaluable resource for students and professionals in advertising, marketing, and business history, and a niche perspective on cultural influences for women’s studies.

Daniel Delis Hill has worked as a retail fashion illustrator, creative director of fashion photography, and assistant professor in the Department of Fashion, Virginia Commonwealth University. He now works in internet marketing.