The Language of Fashion by Mary Brooks Picken 1938

The Language of Fashion - 1939 Fashion Dictionary

• Types of Stitches thru Tunics & Turbans
• Twill Weave to Yarns
• Last pages of The Language of Fashion
• Skirts thru sportswear – definitions and illustrations for vintage clothing identification
• timeline of Historical Fashion silhouettes thru the ages – Types of Satin continued
• 3 more scans from the Language of Fashion, a 1930s fashion dictionary
• Nets thru Robe de Style, and information about Rayon
• Types of Necklines Defined. Fashion Terminology, Lambswool to Nets
• Lace identification guide and illustrations, and I – Lambskin
• Types of heels to Hug Me Tights – Fashion Dictionary Scans
• Different types of hats, illustrated and defined.
• Different types of fancy dress and other pages from the Language of Fashion
• Décolletage, dots, Types of dresses, and other fashion definitions
• Cope thru Debutante – from The Language of Fashion
• Different types of Coats illustrated – from The Language of Fashion
• Carcanet thru Cloth Yard – From The Language of Fashion
• Different Types of Caps and Capes Illustrated- from The Language of Fashion
• Types of Blouses and More from The Language of Fashion, a Fashion Dictionary (Blouses thru Caps)
• Fashion Pronunciation Key, Preface, and Table of Contents
• The Language of Fashion by Mary Brooks Picken 1938
• The Language of Fashion: Dictionary scans aal through blotch

I am so excited to get The Language of Fashion by Mary Brooks Picken (1938 edition) as an early Christmas present! I am even more thrilled by my friend’s thoughtfulness. Even more excited that this book’s copyright has apparently expired (according to my search on the U.S. government copyright site)…. so I can scan the pages!

I couldn’t help skipping ahead to page 132, Silhouettes, to use as an immediate reference for dating clothing to help me identify, describe and date my vintage clothing. It’s interesting and informative to see the fashion authority of 1939’s view of the history of fashion…. although it seems that the silhouettes of 1880 and 1860 are reversed, because from what I’ve found, bustles were popular in the 1880s and the “bell” look was popular in 1860/Civil War era?

Here are the scans of the first few pages from this 1930s fashion dictionary... such a tease…