The Language of Fashion by Mary Brooks Picken 1938

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…