The Way We Wore

The Way We Wore is a passionate and personal account of the dazzling array of street styles and trouser tribes Britain produced from the 1950s to 1990s. Robert Elms' memoir takes us from Teddy Boys to Acid house, from Notting Hill to Soho. A love letter to London Town and the overdressed, undervalued youth who made this city such a hotbed of cool. This is the story of a life's obsession. From Ben Sherman shirts to boxtop loafers, from bondage trousers to Comme de Garcons, Elms has been there, seen it, and worn it out. It's about why you'd rather not go out at all than go out in the wrong sort of brogues, and why you just had to have a Budgie Jacket to cut it in the playground in 1970. It is ultimately a hilarious, passionate social history of London street fashion from the Teddy Boys and rude boys battling it out in his homeland of Notting Hill in the 50's to its end in Acid House in the 90's. A fond memoir of working class lads in tumultuous times and lary schmutter. One day in 1965 the five-year-old Robert Elms fell in love with clothes. His brother had just returned to the family's Burnt Oak council house in a new suit he'd picked up from a tailor in Kilburn. Otis Redding was playing in the front room. This, as his mum would say, was "all the go" - whatever that meant. This, Elms realised, was what you grew up for.

A collection of original photographs featuring black men and women looking their "best" offers a glimpse of black style through decades of the twentieth century.

HISTORY OF FASHION. Daphne Selfe has been photographed by Mario Testino, Nick Knight and David Bailey. She has modelled for Dolce and Gabbana, Red or Dead and high-street chains such as TK Maxx, and regularly appears in newspaper fashion pages and glossy magazines. She is one of Britain's most in-demand supermodels and has worked non-stop for almost twenty years. But what makes her really rather extraordinary is that she is now in her late eighties. Daphne grew up in an age when dresses were lovingly run up for you by your mother, when needlework for even the most basic outfit was an art form, and when a new Simplicity Pattern was almost more exciting than a new dance tune. Perhaps as a result, she has had a lifelong love affair with clothes and fashion. The Way We Wore is a heart-warming account of that love affair, taking readers from the organdie party frocks of a 1930s childhood to the pages of Vogue.

Illustrates the fashion of the 1930s and '40s, discussing fabrics, colors, and prices from each era, and outlines what fashion changes have occurred since the 1950s

Filled with images selected from the personal photo albums of the British public, What We Wore provides a visual timeline of UK fashion since the 1950s. In What We Wore, crowdsourced family and amateur photos come together to create a makeshift style history of Britain. Taking readers into homes, onto city streets, into shops, and out to nightclubs and holiday spots, this book features a combination of original images and intriguing personal anecdotes that document changes in British fashion and style. The book encompasses the worlds of Mods, punks, ravers, grime kids, and everything in between, with photos submitted by everyday British people as well as celebrities, including Tracey Emin, Jeremy Deller, Jazzie B., DJ Harvey, and Don Letts. From black-and-white photos taken with Rolleiflex cameras and Polaroid party shots, to 35mm film and "selfies," these images and words combine to create a collective family album that feels both private and public, satisfying our yearning for nostalgia as well as our voyeuristic tendencies. Most importantly, this book records and explains British fashion trends and gives the reader a rare insider's glimpse into youth tribes and subcultures from the past 60 years.

A COOKBOOK FOR YOUR CLOSET Personal style expert Jessica Quirk approaches getting dressed just as you would plan the perfect meal: With a smartly stocked pantry and a few gorgeous “spotlight ingredients,” inspiration comes easily. In What I Wore, named after her enormously popular blog, Jessica shares recipes for creating a stellar wardrobe to get you through spring, summer, fall, and winter. From delicates (bras, slips, lingerie) to the basics every woman should have (black pants, white shirts, knee-high leather boots) to the dramatic touches that set just the right tone (scarves, jewelry, handbags), she shows you how to take your look from ordinary to outstanding without breaking the bank. Inside you’ll discover how to • remix the clothing you already have for dozens of fresh, pulled-together looks • become a smarter shopper and always get the most bang for your buck • create wow-worthy ensembles for special occasions, weekends, and the office • supplement basics and investment pieces with fun and inexpensive accessories Plus you’ll learn tailoring tricks, handy hints, and packing tips to ensure that you always leave the house looking your best. Loaded with hundreds of vibrant, original illustrations and unique suggestions for combining colors, patterns, and textures, What I Wore will help you feel stylish and confident, each and every day.

Discover the signature sartorial and literary style of fifty men and women of letters, including Maya Angelou; Truman Capote; Colette; Bret Easton Ellis; Allen Ginsberg; Patti Smith; Karl Ove Knausgaard; and David Foster Wallace; in this unique compendium of profiles—packed with eighty black-and-white photographs, excerpts, quotes, and fast facts—that illuminates their impact on modern fashion. Whether it’s Zadie Smith’s exotic turban, James Joyce’s wire-framed glasses, or Samuel Beckett’s Wallabees, a writer’s attire often reflects the creative and spiritual essence of his or her work. As a non-linear sensibility has come to dominate modern style, curious trendsetters have increasingly found a stimulating muse in writers—many, like Joan Didion, whose personal aesthetic is distinctly "out of fashion." For decades, Didion has used her work, both her journalism and experimental fiction, as a mirror to reflect her innermost emotions and ideas—an originality that has inspired Millennials, resonated with a new generation of fashion designers and cultural tastemakers, and made Didion, in her eighties, the face of Celine in 2015. Legendary Authors and the Clothes They Wore examines fifty revered writers—among them Samuel Beckett; Quentin Crisp; Simone de Beauvoir; T.S. Eliot; F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald; Malcolm Gladwell; Donna Tartt; John Updike; Oscar Wilde; and Tom Wolfe—whose work and way of dress bears an idiosyncratic stamp influencing culture today. Terry Newman combines illuminating anecdotes about authors and their work, archival photography, first-person quotations from each writer and current designers, little-known facts, and clothing-oriented excerpts that exemplify their original writing style. Each entry spotlights an author and a signature wardrobe moment that expresses his or her persona, and reveals how it influences the fashion world today. Newman explores how the particular item of clothing or style has contributed to fashion’s lingua franca—delving deeper to appraise its historical trajectory and distinctive effect. Legendary Authors and the Clothes They Wore is an invaluable and engaging look at the writers we love—and why we love what they wear—that is sure to captivate lovers of great literature and sophisticated fashion.