This is RYF's
FASHION HISTORY GUIDE
How interested are you in Fashion History?
I mean, before discovering my account RyanYipFashion, how interested were you in Fashion History? And how has my content changed how you see fashion's evolution?
One important thing to note is that fashion history differs slightly from archival fashion; the latter usually specifically refers to past collections and stories revolving around specific pieces and runways more. On the other hand, fashion history is the entire school of knowledge that includes the culture, brands, people, and events that shaped the fashion climate we know today.
Being here means that you are interested in LEARNING MORE, and I am here to help you get started. I don't believe you need Central Saint Martins or any fashion school to access fashion knowledge.
It can be hard, but it's doable. After all, it's the search for information that makes it so fun.
So how should you go about learning fashion history?
Before I show you how, I need to tell you how it happened for me.
†1.0
The Beginning of My
Fashion History Journey
†1.1
Before Fashion
I have to begin by telling you why fashion history, in particular, intrigued me.
In the past 4 years, content creation never left my daily routine. A podcast on watches and whisky from 2 years back got me hooked on learning about brands' stories.
While it is interesting to keep up with new products, critique the designs and investigate what the hell is going on with companies.
Eventually, they all became repetitive.
When everyone's goal in the industry is to earn money, slowly and steadily, their designs and products turn more or less the same. Or simply follow a blueprint that's been working for the brands.
Once I got into the habit of unfolding lesser-known brand stories, I knew my genuine interest lies in the discovery of untold stories.
I can't stop thinking about it
Fast forward to early 2022, around a year after I took a break from my old podcast (cuz I was feeling burnt out), I was desperate for the thrill of content creation again. That's when I turned my eyes to fashion, something that's been an intrinsic part of my life for as long as I can remember, mainly because of my fashionable mom.
I was still a college student, so I had no money to buy clothes constantly to do fitspo content. So logically, I started making content the way I am most familiar with, storytelling.
I'm not a fashion student, so I've decided to take a shot in the dark and start with my first piece of content.
†1.2
After this, I instinctively went into the niche of 'telling lesser known fashion stories'.
My content sequence went a little bit like this:
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My favourite designer: Kris Van Assche
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Don't try to learn everything all at once
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Why is Ken Ijima inspiring
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The significance of Pocono nylon
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Avant Garde fashion isn't a formula to follow
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Bill Cunningham's work
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Modern Victorian: Elena Dawson
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The popularity of Boro garment
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Prada's Ugly Chic
They don't really relate with each other, but they are topics that intrigued me at that moment, and that's all that matters.
And finally, the TikTok video that really showed me the possibility of what this platform can do is this vid about Vivienne Westwood.
Combining my love for storytelling and TikTok basically telling me this is a content niche that people like. I started digging deeper, reading more, learning more, and making more content on fashion history.
†2.0
The Fundamentals of Learning Fashion History
Before you start, you need to know these fundamentals when it comes to fashion history research. This will only HELP YOU in the future. You've made it this far in my guide, try your best to take my advice 🤝
†2.1
Where do I start?
Perhaps the most asked question of all. Where do I start?
Do I have to research chronologically, starting from figures like Charles Frederick Worth?
No.
You don't have to follow anything.
I know, it does sound insane just asking you to pick a point in the past 1000+ years of documented fashion history. But seriously, you can start anywhere. The fact that I randomly chose the most obscure point in history, which is the creation of the MacAndreas tartan by Vivienne Westwood, means there is no wrong starting point.
Any bit of history that you find interesting is the best start for yourself. The hardest part isn't to find a topic, the hardest part is convincing yourself that wherever you're starting is worth the effort.
This leads to my next point...
†2.2
History is interconnected
Every topic is worth the effort.
Why?
When almost everything in fashion is interconnected, one piece of history will lead you to another,
therefore,
any starting point is worth the research effort
The more you research, the more you expose yourself to.
And as I said, new information during research leads you in new directions. Let me give you an example:
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Recently you saw the FW22 Egon Lab collection, and the gothic elements really caught your eyes
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You decided to learn about "gothic fashion" and started googling
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After scrolling through countless BS websites teaching you how to dress "goth", you landed on this Blogspot website titled GLAMOUR OF THE DARK, Gothic in fashion: Marc T.
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While being highly skeptical of information coming from a hobby blog, you landed on this picture that piqued your interest. The caption writes, "The Skeleton dress, Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali 1938"
Now, from your original goth fashion research, you've exposed yourself to a new moment in fashion history, something about a Skeleton dress and something to do with Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali.
You can either look this dress up, and the names associated, or continue reading the article and take notes of anything that sounds important.
And from this new information, you make your research more multidimensional. That's been my way of researching since starting my account, and it hasn't failed me once :)
†2.3
Recommended topics?
To reinstate this crucial message: THERE ARE NO IDEAL STARTING POINTS.
With that said, I do have some recommendations on what to start with, just because I find them to be some of the most interesting topics I've encountered so far. This is my way to semi-make sure your first few fashion history encounters are pleasant.
After all, the most important part of learning is the balance between having fun and the actual acquisition of knowledge.
My recommendations:
The Casuals style
Gothic elements in Alexander McQueen's collections
History of Doc Martens
Kente & Adinkras
Battle of Versailles
Fashion history of
Studio 54 & CBGB
History of Givenchy
Who is Isabella Blow?
Williwear
Mods influences on fashion
But hold on a second,
Why am I giving you this for free?
Really simple, I want to share my knowledge on something that I am incredibly passionate about
I am not interested in selling you a course on
'how to learn something'
Fuck gatekeeping.
Everything from how to research and find resources to book recommendations and tips on organizing your notes, you can learn most of the basics here.
Really, it's 100% free
But what's the catch?
There is no catch. I'm lowkey just trying to find an excuse to teach you.
Well, actually, not just that...
See, I have a newsletter where I share all my recent in-depth research in hopes of sharing as many untold stories in the fashion world as I can. On top of storytelling, it is also a space for me to connect with you, show you what the hell is going on in the fashion world, and tell you what to look out for behind the smoke and mirror that the fashion media is so good at creating.
It is a 5/mo subscription 👈 click here to subscribe, where you can access ALL of my articles without restrictions + sub-only articles + future discounts, and early access to my e-books and guides like this one.
The free version gives you access to some articles without the mentioned perks. That's it.
I am giving you all this for free, imagine what more you can get if you pay for it.
Anyway, enough about my newsletter. I will leave you with the rest of my fashion history guide.
Enjoy.
†3.0
Be wary of these traps
Because there aren't many things that you 'should do', it opens up many rooms for error. Some of these I learnt it the hard way, some of these are just tiny tips and tricks that would benefit your learning journey!
†3.1
Cross check your facts
No matter how accurate or credible you think your sources are, make sure the information they provide are more or less the same as other sources.
For example:
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A blog post highlighting a fact about a designer is the same as how they described it in an interview piece.
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Facts listed on a random blog share the same information as on academic papers
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Information found in books is mostly trustworthy but still crosscheck information if you can.
All in all, just make sure the information you get is consistent throughout.
I remember when I was researching The Casuals, where for some reason I completely missed the brand Sergio Tacchini when I was researching brands that football fans would wear to games. The backlash I felt through the comment was EYE-OPENING.
If you see any deviation, you've got to dive deeper into the archive and find out which answer sounds more probable.
†3.2
Is it history? Or is it a version of history?
History is written by the victors and fashion history is sometimes crafted in a way to fit brands' agendas.
Sometimes.
Sometimes you'd bump into versions of a story that just confuse the fuck out of you. One great example of this would be when Olivier Theyskens mentioned during his time at Rochas, he found out that Christian Dior's 'New Look' was heavily inspired by Rochas dress silhouettes that appeared during WWII. Theyskens exclaimed that:
"there were already these dresses cinched at the waist in silk taffeta. That silhouette was not absolutely new—it was just a way to bring it back, and enhance it, with talent, with a pure sense of the joy of beauty. There were precursors, and visionaries. And this you will not read in a Dior book today — I imagine! [laughs]"
When the 'New Look' isn't even new, what's real anymore? To be fair, this was my exact reaction.
And I must admit that this is a hard trap to avoid.
Because how are you supposed to figure history out when you are not the one actively investigating? Honestly, you just need to, once again, keep digging. This is not something that you can solve, but more to watch out for.
In reality, the truth is just really buried deep, whether it is in books or websites, it is somewhere. It is about how persistent you are.
There are always more than one answer when you learn history. And unfortunately, many are affected by the unjust dominance of power, mostly discriminatory, which destroyed or overshadowed many real origins. I mean just look at the disparity of narratives between white and black designers. You'll know what I mean.
Be wary.
†3.3
Don't overwhelm yourself
Really simple, don't be overly ambitious and don't overwhelm yourself with information to work with in a short period of time.
I remember back in April, I was filled with the joy of learning because of all the cool fucking stories I've learnt. I felt unstoppable.
And as you can see how I have these topics laid out yea? I wrote them all down in 2 nights.
2 nights I was zoned in on researching, was trying to expose myself to as much info as I can, and write down anything that I am interested in. Keep in mind that I make TikToks daily and I kept adding topics almost everyday.
Guess how long it took for me to get to making the video on Buffalo?
It took me 4 months to get around it cuz I was massively distracted.
It's just unwise to do that to yourself. Find a few, a be laser focus.
Where to learn?
†4.0
These are books, journal articles and documentaries that kickstarted my journey, so I think these recommendations hold value to a certain extent even if you don't follow it. Always a good reference source.
Read these books
†4.1
Books. Books are always the best, and these are some good starting points.
Fashion Evolution: The 250 Looks That Shaped Modern Fashion by Paula Reed | The book that started it all for me. This book shows you many defining moments in fashion history. Not just brands, it's artists, politicians, ads, iconic boutiques and events that fundamentally changed how we view fashion.
20th Century Fashion by Valerie Mendes & Amy de la Haye | Another book that's jam-packed with information that's crucial within the last century, covering topics like Edwardian fashion, fashion during WWII, punk fashion by Vivienne Westwood & Zandra Rhodes, etc. Just everything.
Champagne Supernovas by Maureen Callahan | A book that focuses on Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen. Everything from how McQueen was bullied when he worked at Saville Row, to how Marc Jacobs' first boyfriend impacted his life. If you wish to learn more about these three fashion icons in-depth, this book is a must read. I think it's a must read anyway
Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx | A bible, not my bible, but fashion bible to many. It outlines the details about 'American Traditional' style, which is what the word 'Ametora' refers to.
Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano by Dana Thomas | One of the most well-written book about these two iconic British designer, highlighting what made them and what destroyed them (we all know what destroyed John Galliano)
The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir / André Leon Talley by André Leon Talley | Stories after stories about André life as one of the most renowned fashion editor of all time. Gives you a brutally honest insight into what the fashion industry WAS LIKE and what it took for André to not only survive, but thrive.
Black Designers in American Fashion by Elizabeth Way et al. | Talked about many black designers in the US that were NOT TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH. Fannie Criss, Dapper Dan, Willi Smith, Scott Barrie and many more. In my opinion, this is a must have, it really fill in the gaps for you.
Fashion Inside Out by Daniel Vosovic | A book dedicated to unpacking how designers transform inspirations to ideas, ideas to sketches, and sketches to clothes, and perhaps clothes to legacy. Filled with great interviews with industry experts, not just designers, but stories from all sides of fashion.
†4.2
Watch these documentaries
My second favourite sources for bigger topics
Versailles '73: American Runway Revolution by Deborah Riley Draper | One of the best fashion documentaries out there that tells you everything you need to know about the US camp in the Battle of Versailles. And I believe the book Robin Givhan wrote was heavily inspired by Deborah's research (don't @ me).
Alexa Chung: The Future of Fashion by Alexa Chung | Personal guilty pleasure. A great laid-back series packed with insights, and a great watch.
McQueen by Ian Bonhôte | An biographical documentary film about Alexander McQueen. Learn all about the Cockney fashion prodigy here. This is a fucking phenomenal film.
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel by Lisa Immordino Vreeland | A legend in the industry. She walked so Anna Wintour can run.
†4.3
My Discord server
Not gonna lie, the best fashion history server on planet Earth right now.
We got history discussions, resources, snacks, popcorn, runway discussions, buy and sell, and many more!
Worth checking out to say the least. If it's not your thing, it's fine as well!
click here to join👆
†4.4
Interviews
Interviews are the most straight forward way to learn about designers.
Among all content creators, these are my personal favourites:
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SHOW Studio
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Videofashion
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Interview Magazine
†4.5
Academic articles
One really distinctive feature about academic articles is that scholars find interesting angles to research, often consist of researching the interdisciplinary nature of various fashion topics.
A recent paper I was reading dive into the relationship between gothic literature and hip hop. To be honest, never have I ever thought about examining these two in conjunction with each other, but here I am, having horizons broadened.
Make good use of Google Scholar 🤝