Fashion Art

When Broadway Was the Runway explores the central and largely unacknowledged role of commercial Broadway theater in the birth of modern American fashion and consumer culture. Long before Hollywood's red carpet spectacles, Broadway theater introduced American women to the latest styles. At the beginning of the 20th century, theater impresarios captured the imagination of their largely female patrons by transforming the stage into a glorious site of consumer spectacle.

When Peta Mathias dug through the clothes she had stored away for 20 years in her shed, she realised it was full of valuable, beautiful items that were crying out to be worn again: ‘Fashion is mysterious, irresistible and alluring...they are not just frocks—they are beauty, art, history, emotion, memory, identity and, above all, joy.’ From this arose a new appreciation of buying well but cannily, so your clothes will not bankrupt you nor go out of fashion.

Long before Amelia Earhart became a superstar, she was a girl who longed to touch the stars. But the dresses women had to wear at the time made those dreams seem almost impossible. Amelia didn't let that stop her. As a young aviator breaking records and expectations, she learned to fly her plane with flair. Later, she dared to create a trendsetting fashion line for active women like herself.

When it comes to high fashion, there are few brand names as iconic as Gucci. Known for extravagant handbags, over-the-top fashions, and luxury leather accessories, Gucci has made a name for itself in the fashion world that cannot be denied. Popular among celebrities and elites for a full century, Gucci has transformed itself as a brand over and over, keeping up with current social trends and reinventing itself to stay relevant through the years.

Do you fancy yourself as a pop trivia master? Do you seem to know all the answers when it comes to the '80s? No doubt that you were there in the middle of the era soaking it all up in all its neon glory. Well then, you should have no problem showing off your skills in front of friends, right? If you fancy an hour of fun, then this is the book for you.