Forgotten Fashion: An Illustrated Faux History of Outrageous Trends and Their Untimely Demise

I had a lot of fun with this book. I am not into fashion but I do love history. False fashion mixed in with real people, real events and real trends makes for a great read. It was sometimes hard to decide which person was real and which was made up. Highly enjoyable and something any fan of history, or fashion, should get. Get it used or new, just get it and enjoy it.

If you are familiar with Kate Hahn's McSweeny's work, it will not surprise you to hear that Forgotten Fashion is well-crafted, elegant, whip-smart, and laugh-out-loud funny. She is the literary off-spring of James Thurber and Edith Wharton. This book makes the perfect gift for that niece or nephew entering art school or just anyone at all who has a creative, imaginative, and whimsical appreciation for social mores and that fickle, ever-changing world of trends. Everything about this book is entirely wonderful--including the lively, varied illustrations.

Fun and beautifully illustrated, Forgotten Fashion: An Illustrated Faux History of Outrageous Trends and Their Untimely Demise captures the tone and style of the time periods it describes (from 1903-2005), which helps reinforce the satire but also reflects the author's understanding and interest in popular culture in modern history. This was an easy book to pick up and flip through. It was created as a series of independent articles and could be read from the beginning or you could skip around. For those searching for a fun book on popular culture that you can pick up and read at your leisure, Forgotten Fashion is a good choice.

Forgotten Fashion celebrates the trends of yesteryear that, mysteriously, didn't make it into any of the textbooks for my fashion history class. Found in the fashion archives of Miss Beatrice P. Fruit, these amazing creations astound and amaze for their beauty, ingenuity, and the bold new directions they took fashion pioneers. How did we forget the Ticker Tape Trim popular at the turn of the century? These beautiful paper ribbons were woven into dainty damsels' dresses and nightgowns, and were printed with secret communications from desperate paramours. And who could fail to recall Fuschette, the 1980s teen band created to sell trendy junior clothing? These carefully calculated performers took famous songs such as "We've Got the Beat" and adapted them to promote their line with songs such as "We've Got the Pleats." Surely you remember Fuschette's mall tours, and the heart-shaped hangtags that hung on every item of Fuschette brand clothing? Perhaps not. Hahn's tongue-in-cheek faux fashions mock the true trends of the 20th century while creating their own unique mythology. To assist Hahn in her reports are a phalanx of illustrators, one of whom Project Runway fans will recognize as Andrae Gonzalo of Red Lobster fame. The fashion figures, supposedly pulled from old magazines, press releases and trade publications, capture the art styles used in previous decades and are instrumental in adding authenticity to these outrageous designs. I hate to even think about Christmas so early in the year, but take note, ya'll. This is the perfect gift for the fashion lover in your life. It's witty and funny and beautifully illustrated. Don't miss it!