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There are a lot of places I find vintage style inspiration: on shopping excursions, in old magazines, social media, friends and strangers on the street. Another place I turn to for tips on building my dream wardrobe is the screen: classic movies and sitcoms and period dramas, to be exact. I’ve started a collection of fashion books detailing the vintage style of my favorite fashionable characters; these books dive into how the looks for iconic film and television shows were created. Not only are they interesting reads, but are also filled with both backstage and on-set photos to revisit again and again.
Here are three fun reads for vintage fashion lovers.
Best Vintage Fashion Books
Styling the Stars: Lost Treasures from the Twentieth Century Fox Archive
A must-read for fans of Old Hollywood films, Styling the Stars is a wonderful collection of behind-the-scenes trivia and photos taken on movie sets from the 1930s through the 1970s. See Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe and more major stars in continuity photos, which the wardrobe, hair and makeup departments would reference to ensure actors looked the same each time they returned to film a certain scene. Styling the Stars, $28-$49.95 on Amazon
Madly Marvelous: The Costumes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel can guarantee a few things: a lot of laughs, maybe some tears, and definitely amazing 1950s fashion. Madly Marvelous is a colorful look at how Midge Maisel’s signature style was created. It’s filled with photos of fabric swatches and vintage accessories that were sourced for different characters, and details the evolution of outfits for the Prime Video series. Author and costume designer Donna Zakowska won the Emmy for Outstanding Period Costumes for the “We’re Going to the Catskills” episode from Season 2—and has four more Emmy nominations for her work on the series. Madly Marvelous, $25 on Amazon
Dressing the Part: Television’s Most Stylish Shows
Written by fashion director and consultant Hal Rubenstein, Dressing the Part takes a look at iconic fashion on television shows from 1950s sitcoms through reality shows of today. Rubenstein reveals how memorable outfits were created for the popular period drama Downton Abbey and 1970s action series Charlie’s Angels, among others, with insight from actors, costume designers and vintage clothing store owners who contributed to putting looks together. Take a trip down memory lane with the sleek suits of Mad Men, the ornate gowns of Bridgerton, the glitzy designs on 1980s series Dynasty and more. Dressing the Part, $28.99 on Amazon
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