Icons of Vintage Fashion: Definitive Designer Classics at Auction, 1900–2000

Paris is the historic center of couture, and, as this splendid and beautifully produced encyclopedia of auctioned vintage couture and accessories from throughout the 20th century shows, the city’s major auction houses, including Artcurial, Piasa, and Cornette de Saint Cyr, are the most prominent in the couture auction market—alongside Christie’s in London, Augusta Auctions in the U.S., as well as U.S.-based eBay. The book is organized chronologically by decade. Each entry includes an individual color photograph of the garment, a brief description, its estimated value and selling price, and in some cases, its provenance. The book also features short, informative profiles of major designers, including Elsa Schiaparelli, Madame Grès, Courrèges, Yohji Yamamoto, and Comme des Garçons, and interviews with fashion curators and vintage retailers, as well as histories of iconic garments and accessories, such as the Chanel jacket, the Hermès silk scarf, and “le smoking” (a tuxedo). There are also brief essays on the intersection of fashion and other mediums, such as film. This elegant, informative collection truly brings vintage garments to life for fashion historians and general readers. More than 1,000 photos. (Oct.)