Polimoda Library staff has compiled a list of free online fashion resources for our students. From Vogue Italia's archive to the MET's digital collection, discover our curated list of virtual libraries, magazines, collections, databases and more to keep you busy and take advantage of this time spent at home.
REFERENCE
GENERAL RESOURCES
- Getty Museum Virtual Library
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum collection online
- Hathi Trust digital library: partnership of academic and research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world
- MET: Digital Collection; Met Publications
- Picular: color generator using Google’s image search
- CC Search: to discover openly licensed and public domain works
ONLINE COSTUME COLLECTIONS
- Chicago History Museum digital Collection
- Columbia College Chicago: Fashion Study Collection
- John Bright collection
- Manchester Art Gallery Costume Collection
- Philadelphia Museum of Art Costume and Textiles Department
- The Drexel Digital Museum Project: Historic Costume Collection
- The Henry Art Gallery’s Costume and Textile Collection
- The Valentine Richmond History Center Costume & Textiles Collection
- University of Alberta, Clothing and Textiles digital Collection
FASHION RESOURCES
- Europeana Fashion
- Fashion channel: The best videos, the most exclusive moments of the international runway since 1982 until now, of the most representative fashion weeks of the world
- Fashion in Google arts and culture
- Fashion in the British library
- FirstView.com: runaway database 1995-2019
- M2M Channel: Made To Measure (M2M) is the network that brings you the best feature films, documentaries, TV shows, and short videos about fashion, style, art, & culture – all for free
MAGAZINES
COLLECTIONS
- Fashion United
- Lyst insights
- Theindustry.fashion: (founded by Lauretta Roberts, a former editor of Drapers and director of WGSN, and Antony Hawman, a former director of Birchbox and My-wardrobe.com and a publishing manager of Drapers)
- Vogue Business
DIGITIZED
- Adam, la revue de l’homme, 1924-1948
- Album du Figaro, 1942-1943, 1948-1949
- Another Man (last issue free to download; registration required)
- Arpel, Ars Sutoria… (read online the last issue)
- Art Goût Beauté, 1920-1934
- Dazed (last issue free to download; registration required)
- Excelsior Modes, 1931-1937
- Fashion (read online the last issue)
- Harper’s Bazaar 1867-1900
- La Mode par Fried, 1918-1919
- Les Idées nouvelles de la mode, 1922-1929
- Mode du Jour, 1938-1949
- Modes et Manières d’aujourd’hui, 1912-1920
- Pour Elle, 1940-1941
- Purple (text since 2006 available)
- Silhouettes, 1940-1945
- Très Parisien, 1920-1935
- Vogue Italia Archive: this vast wealth of material is available to all, free of charge, till June 2020. To enjoy it, just go to http://archivio.vogue.it/ , click on Subscribers and select the Full Archive option. Once you’ve registered your account by entering the promotional code VARCHIVE4YOU, you’ll have full access to the archive and to Vogue Portfolio, where you can carry out unlimited searches and print high-resolution images.
- Vogue Paris 1920-1940
BOOKS
- Openlibrary; loan available; registration required. Create your Open Library and then borrow books.
- A.L.T. by Andre Leon Talley, April 8, 2003, Villard
- Blow by Blow by Detmar Blow, 2011, HarperCollins
- D.V. by Diana Vreeland, 1984, Knopf
- Diana Vreeland by Amanda Mackenzie Stuart, Feb 18, 2013, Thames & Hudson Ltd
- Front Row: Anna Wintour by Jerry Oppenheimer, January 27, 2005, St. Martin’s Press
- In and out of Vogue by Grace Mirabella, 1995, Doubleday
FASHION AND CLOTHING AND DRESS HISTORY
BOOKS
- Openlibrary; loan available; registration required
- 20,000 years of fashion by Boucher, François, 1967, H. N. Abrams
- A History Of Costume With Over 600 Illustrations And Patterns by Carl Kohler, 1963, Dover Publications
- A survey of historic costume by Phyllis G. Tortora, Keith Eubank, 1989, Fairchild Publications
- Against fashion by Radu Stern, 2004, MIT Press
- American Fashion by Sarah Tomerlin Lee, 1975, Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co
- An elegant art by Los Angeles County Museum of Art., 1983, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, H.N. Abrams
- AngloMania by Andrew Bolton, Harold Koda, January 20, 2007, Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Art deco fashion, by Suzanne Lussier, 2003, Bulfinch Press
- Best dressed by Dilys Blum, 1997, Philadelphia Museum of Art
- California fashion designers, 1987, Peregrine Smith Books
- Cubism and fashion by Martin, Richard, 1998, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Distributed by H.N. Abrams
- Decades of beauty. by Kate Mulvey, Melissa Richards, 1998, Checkmark Books, an imprint of Facts On File, Inc.
- Decades of fashion by Harriet Worsley, 2000, Könemann, Hulton Getty Picture Collection Ltd.
- Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion by Valerie Steele, 2005, Charles Scribner’s Sons
- Fashion and eroticism by Valerie Steele, 1985, Oxford University Press
- Fashion by Michael Batterberry, 1982, Greenwich House
- Fashion dolls, by Maree Tarnowska, 1986, Hobby House Press
- Fashions of a Decade, by Valerie Cumming, September 1992, Facts on File
- Fifty years of fashion by Valerie Steele, 1997, Yale University Press
- Four hundred years of fashion by Victoria and Albert Museum, Madeleine Ginsburg, Avril Hart, Valerie Mendes, 1992, Victoria and Albert Museum
- Inventive Paris clothes, 1909-1939 by Penn, Irving, 1977, Viking Press
- Made in Britain by Catherine McDermott, 2002, Mitchell Beazley
- Material man by Giannino Malossi, 2000, H.N. Abrams
- Medieval Clothing and Costumes by Margaret Scott, September 2003, Rosen Publishing Group
- New York Fashion by Sonnet Stanfill, April 1, 2007, Victoria & Albert Museum
- Paris fashion by Valerie Steele, 1988
- Paris-New York by Museum of the City of New York, 2008, Monacelli Press
- Seduction by Caroline Cox, October 24, 2006, Collins Design
- Seeing through clothes. by Anne Hollander, 1980, Avon Books
- Slaves to fashion by Monica L. Miller, 2009, Duke University Press
- Style surfing by Ted Polhemus, 1996, Thames and Hudson
- The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake, September 6, 2007, Back Bay Books
- The golden age of style by Robinson, Julian, 1976, Orbis Pub.
- The historical encyclopedia of costume by Auguste Racinet, 1988, Facts on File
- The historical mode by Martin, Richard, 1989, Rizzoli
- The killer detail by FrancŒois Armanet, 2013
- The London fashion book by Andrew Tucker, 1998, Rizzoli
- The mechanical smile by Caroline Evans, 2013
- The seventeenth century. By Valerie Cumming, 1984, Drama Book Publishers
- The St. James Fashion Encyclopedia by Martin, Richard, September 1996, Visible Ink Press
- The Worldwide History of Dress by Patricia R. Anawalt, November 30, 2007, Thames & Hudson
- Vogue history of 20th century fashion, by Jane Mulvagh, 1988, Viking
FASHION EXHIBITIONS
ONLINE EXHIBITIONS
- Over 400 Fashion exhibition
- Rei Kawakubo Comme des garçons: art of the in-between, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 4 maggio-4 settembre 2017
BOOKS
- Openlibrary; loan available; registration required
- Artwear by Melissa Leventon, May 2005, Thames & Hudson
- Extreme Beauty by Harold Koda, December 1, 2001, Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Manus x machina by Andrew Bolton, 2016
- Skin and Bones by Brooke Hodge, September 2006, Museum of Contemporary Art
- Superheroes by Andrew Bolton. 2008, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press
- The supermodern wardrobe by Andrew Bolton. 2002, V&A, distributed by Harry N. Abrams
FASHION DESIGNERS
BOOKS
- Openlibrary; loan available; registration required
- Abboud: Threads by Joseph Abboud, Ellen Stern, 2004, HarperCollins
- Amies: Still here by Hardy Amies, 1984, Weidenfeld and Nicolson
- Beene: Beauty and the Beene by Laura Jacobs, 1999, Abrams
- Berardi: Antonio Berardi: Sex and Sensibility (Cutting Edge (New York, N.Y. : Watson-Guptill).) by Tamsin Blanchard, November 1999, Watson-Guptill Publications
- Capucci: Roberto Capucci by Dilys Blum, 2011, Philadelphia Museum of Art, In association with Yale University Press
- Cassini: A thousand days of magic by Oleg Cassini, 1995, Rizzoli International
- Cassini: In my own fashion by Oleg Cassini, 1987, Simon and Schuster
- Chanel: Coco Chanel by Jeremy Wallis, 2002, Heinemann Library
- Chanel: Chanel by François Baudot, 2000, Universe/Vendome Press
- Chanel: Coco Chanel, her life, her secrets by Marcel Haedrich, 1972, Hale
- Chanel: L’irrgulire Ou Mon Itinraire Chanel by Roux Charles, 2009, Livre de Poche
- Chanel: Chanel by Axel Madsen, September 15, 1991, Holt Paperbacks
- Clairbone: Liz Claiborne by Art Ortenberg, 2010, Taylor Trade Pub.
- De la Renta: Oscar de la Renta by Louis Carrillo, 1996, Raintree Steck-Vaughn
- Dior: Christian Dior by Martin, Richard, 1996, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Distributed by H.N. Abrams
- Dior: Christian Dior by Marie France Pochna, 1994, Flammarion
- Ferrè: Ferrè by Vogue by Gianfranco Ferré, 1993, Edizioni Condé Nast
- Gaultier: Jean Paul Gaultier (Universe of Fashion) by Farid Chenoune, 1998, The Vendome Press for Universe
- Givenchy: The Givenchy style by Françoise Mohrt, 1998, Vendome Press
- Gucci: The house of Gucci by Sara Gay Forden, 2001, HarperCollins Publishers
- Halston: Simply Halston by Steven S. Gaines, 1991, Putnam
- Hilfiger: All-American by Tommy Hilfiger, October 15, 1997, Universe
- Klein: The House of Klein by Lisa Marsh, August 18, 2003, Wiley
- Klein: Obsession: the live and times of Calvin Klein, May 1995, Avon Books (Mm)
- Lauren: Genuine Authentic by Michael Gross, January 21, 2003, HarperCollins
- Lauren: Ralph Lauren by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, 1988, Little, Brown
- McQueen: Alexander McQueen by Andrew Bolton, 2011, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Distributed by Yale University Press
- Miyake: Issey Miyake by Laurence Benaïm, 1997, Editions Assouline
- Mizrahi: Isaac Mizrahi by Lisa Petrillo, 2011, Morgan Reynolds Pub.
- Mugler: Thierry Mugler by Danièle Bott, 2010, Thames & Hudson
- Saint Laurent: Yves Saint Laurent by Alice Rawsthorn, 1996, Nan A. Talese
- Saint Laurent: Living for design : the Yves Saint Laurent story
- Saint Laurent: Yves Saint Laurent by Laurence Benaim, 1995, B. Grasset
- Saint Laurent: Love by Yves Saint Laurent, 2000, Harry N. Abrams
- Patou: Patou by Meredith Etherington-Smith, 1983, St. Martin’s/Marek
- Perry Ellis: Perry Ellis by Jonathan Moor, 1988, St. Martin’s Press
- Poiret: Paul Poiret by Alice Mackrell, 1990, Holmes & Meier
- Reid: Rose Marie Reid by Carole Reid Burr, 1995, Covenant Communications
- Scaasi: Scaasi by Bernadine Morris, Arnold Scaasi, October 15, 1996, Rizzoli International Publications
- Toledo: The roots of style by Isabel Toledo, 2012, New American Library
- Wang: Vera Wang by Anne M. Todd, February 28, 2007, Chelsea House Publications
- Worth: Worth by Diana De Marly, 1980, Elm Tree Books
FASHION ILLUSTRATION
FASHION ILLUSTRATORS
BOOKS
- Openlibrary; loan available; registration required
- Antonio’s people by Paul Caranicas, Antonio Lopez, Juan, Ramos, 2004, Thames & Hudson
- Umberto Brunelleschi, fashion-stylist, illustrator, stage and costume designer by Umberto Brunelleschi, 1979, Rizzoli
PATTERNMAKING AND DRAPING
BOOKS
- Openlibrary; loan available; registration required
- Basic pattern skills for fashion design by Bernard Zamkoff, 1987, Fairchild Publications
- Classic tailoring techniques by Cabrera, Roberto, 1984, Fairchild Publications
- Couture sewing techniques by Claire B. Shaeffer, 1993, Taunton Press
- Dress pattern designing, by Natalie Bray, 1961, Crosby Lockwood
- Fashion in detail by Avril Hart, Susan North, 1998, Rizzoli, [Distributed by St. Martin’s Press]
- How to make historic American costumes by Evans, Mary, 1993, Players Press
- Modern fashion in detail by Claire Wilcox, Valerie D. Mendes, Valerie Mendex, 1991, Overlook Press
- The art of fashion draping by Connie Amaden-Crawford, 1989, Fairchild Publications
SUBCULTURE
BOOKS
- Subculture, the meaning of style by Dick Hebdige. 1979, Methuen (Openlibrary; loan available; registration required)
FANZINES
- Punk Rock: how to look punk (1970s)
- SLASH, Los Angeles, CA, 1977 – 1980; NO MAG, Los Angeles, CA, 1978 – 1985; DAMAGE, San Francisco, CA, 1979 – 1981; DRY, New York, NY, 1979 – 1982; BOSTON ROCK, Boston, MA, 1980 – 1984
- Shocking Pink (1981-1982 and 1987-1992)
VIDEO: MOVIES, DOCUMENTARIES, INTERVIEWS, PODCASTS NEW
- Antifashion 90s
- Azzedine Alaia by Joe McKenna (2007)
- Balmain Documentary (2017)
- Christian Dior The Man Behind the Myth (2005)
- Christian Dior, Designer of Dreams at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
- ‘DIOR AND I’ (2014)
- CLICK – The History of Fashion Photography (2019)
- Creative Conversations with Suzy Menkes Podcast – Ep 1. Maria Grazia Chiuri, Christian Dior (2020)
- Creative Conversations with Suzy Menkes Podcast – Ep 2. Stephen Jones (2020)
- Hedi Slimane – Renegades of Fashion (2019): part 1
- In Vogue: The Editors Eye (2012)
- Karl Lagerfeld confidential (2007)
- Kenzo Takada – Renegades of Fashion (2019)
- McQueen (2018 film) The film about British fashion designer Alexander McQueen by Ian Bonhôte
- Metropolis by Fritz Lang (1927)
- Models the film movie by Peter Lindbergh (1991)
- Paris is burning (1990)
- Rei Kawakubo Comme des Garçons – Renegades of Fashion (2018)
- The Artist Is Absent: A Short Film On Martin Margiela by YOOX Group (2015)
- The Next Black – A film about the Future of Clothing (2014)
- The Real Blow Up Sixties Film Documentary: part 1 , part 2
- Tom Ford Documentary (2015)
- Valentino : the last emperor (2009)
- Vivienne Westwood – Renegades of Fashion (2019)
- Yves Saint Laurent : L’amour fou (2011)