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Anybody who knows me will tell you that I’m probably the most unfashionable person they know.
Comfort is the emperor in my style and comfort usually trumps any kind of contemporary trends.
I’m always wearing the same thing: either a polo shirt and joggers, or a polo shirt and shorts. It really doesn’t get better than that.
But what I am very interested in is the history of everything.
I watched A Stitch in Time, and the amazing Amber Butchart made me seriously curious about fashion history.
The show goes into the clothing worn by notable figures in British history – what it says about their time, their beliefs, and their personalities. It’s fascinating.
If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, and you’re looking to read more about fashion history, you’re in luck.
I’ve put together a list of the very best books on the subject and trust me, you’re going to be amazed.
Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History by Richard Thompson Ford
This book really opened my eyes to how fashion is about power just as much as it is about looking good.
From medieval times to today, Richard Thompson Ford shows how dress codes were used to control people, show off status, and push back against rules.
Think of it this way: what you wear could once get you arrested or kicked out of a job.
Even now, there are silent rules about who should wear what.
And the wildest part? Some of the most dramatic fashion moments – like flappers in the 1920s or tech CEOs in hoodies – are really just dress codes in disguise.
It really made me rethink how I see outfits. Fashion is never just fabric.
The Age of Undress by Amelia Rauser
This book feels like a dreamy look into a moment when women started dressing like statues – literally.
In the 1790s, fashion turned soft and simple, with white, floaty dresses inspired by Ancient Greece.
It sounds delicate, but Rauser explains how this style was pretty and very powerful.
Women used this fashion to express new ideas about freedom and beauty during a time when art, politics, and society were all shifting.
I came away thinking about how fashion doesn’t have to be loud to make a statement – it can be soft, thoughtful, and full of meaning.
House of Worth: The Birth of Haute Couture by Chantal Trubert-Tollu
Charles Frederick Worth was basically the Beyoncé of fashion in the 1800s.
He didn’t just make clothes – he told women what to wear, and they loved it.
This book, full of stunning pictures, walks us through how he built the first true fashion house.
From beautiful ballrooms to private fitting rooms with fancy lighting, Worth changed the game. He made fashion feel like art and fantasy.
I loved learning about how he designed entire experiences, not just outfits.
It’s proof that the roots of today’s designer labels go way, way back and they’ve always been about more than just clothes.
Threads of Life by Clare Hunter
In this book, Clare Hunter shows how needlework has been used for protest, love, grief, and memory all over the world – from Mary, Queen of Scots stitching her pain to mothers in Argentina embroidering the names of their missing children.
It’s such a gentle but strong kind of storytelling.
It made me feel like even the smallest stitches can carry big emotions, and that’s something I think we often forget in today’s fast fashion world.
Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style by Susan Brown
If you love flipping through pretty pages and learning little gems from history, this book is a treasure.
It covers more than 3,000 years of fashion – from ancient Egypt to runway shows.
It’s packed with pictures and stories of how fashion has changed and how it reflects the times.
I found it really fun to see how some trends come back (hello, corsets and crop tops!) and how what people wear is always about more than just looking nice.
It’s about who we are. It’s kind of surreal to think we’re connected to history every time we get dressed.
Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber
This one blew me away.
It tells a part of history we don’t usually hear – how women’s work with fabric and thread helped shape the world.
Long before we had machines, women were spinning thread, weaving cloth, and making clothes by hand.
Aside from being an important craft, it was a huge part of the economy.
Elizabeth Wayland Barber makes it clear that behind every powerful empire, there were women literally holding it all together with thread.
I loved how it shines a light on this invisible work.
It made me appreciate how powerful and skilled these women were, even if history books left them out.
Fashioning Fashion by Sharon Sadako Takeda
Full of close-up photos and beautiful details, this book explores European fashion from 1700 to 1915.
I loved seeing how every button, ruffle, and ribbon had meaning.
The outfits in here are breathtaking – like a black satin gown covered in gold embroidery or a fancy vest showing support for the French Revolution.
It’s amazing how much emotion, politics, and creativity lived in the folds of a dress or the cut of a coat.
This book made me fall even more in love with the details – those quiet parts of fashion that speak so loudly.
The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947–1957 by Clare Wilcox
After World War II, fashion came back with a bang and this book captures it perfectly.
When Christian Dior created the New Look, with its full skirts and soft shapes, it was like the world took a deep breath and decided it wanted beauty again.
This book is filled with elegant gowns, behind-the-scenes stories, and glamorous photos from fashion’s most magical decade.
What I enjoyed the most is how it shows the joy and boldness of designing beauty in a world that had just seen so much sorrow.
The Art of Dress by Aileen Ribeiro
This lovely book genuinely felt like looking through a window into the past.
Aileen Ribeiro looks at how fashion in England and France between 1750 and 1820 was very much about what was happening in society.
Wars, revolutions, new ideas about women – all of it showed up in people’s clothing.
It’s amazing to think that something as simple as a hemline or a hairstyle could reflect huge changes in the world.
And, I loved seeing how closely fashion follows history.
We wear the clothes that tell the world who we are, what we believe, and where we’re going.
Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries by Avril Hart
This one is such a treat for detail-lovers like me.
It zooms in on the tiny stitches, embroidery, and decorations that made historical clothing so special.
Most of these pieces are too delicate to wear or display, but this book lets us admire them up close.
You’ll see everything from sharp pleats to soft lace, and even unusual techniques we don’t use today.
I found it so beautiful and inspiring, and it’s hands-down the best proof that fashion is an art form, right down to the last thread.
Are you thinking of adding any of these books to your reading list? Let me know!
And if you’re also interested in fashion and have read some great books on the topic that you think we should check out, don’t forget to drop a comment in the section below.
If you want something even more entertaining with a strong fashion element, you’ll definitely want to check out these historical fiction books about fashion too!
