An essential sourcebook of prints from a key fashion decade.

The 1950s was the decade when an analytical approach to design, with a lightness and freshness, combined with whimsical imagery and idiosyncratic subject matter. Showcasing hundreds of print designs, this book celebrates the heyday of postwar fashion design.

From Lucienne Day and Robert Stewart to Maija Isola of Marimekko, the designs and influences of the print icons of the time are all covered. In addition to finished prints, the book contains exclusive illustrations and original artworks.

The major themes of the period are explored, including: narrative and novelty; abstraction, exploring the distorted and attenuated forms used in print; artistic licence and the influence of contemporary art on fashion print; and finally kinetic prints that capture the influence of the era’s ‘mobiles, doodles and spasms’. Each short chapter introduction is followed by a range of illustrations with captions to give provenance and relevance, making this a unique sourcebook for contemporary designers and students.

About The Author

Marnie Fogg is a media consultant in all aspects of the fashion industry. She lectured in Visual Studies and the Culture of Fashion at the University of Nottingham, and has a Master's Degree in Art and Design Advanced Practice and Theory. She is the author of Boutique: A 60s Cultural Phenomenon, published by Mitchell Beazley, and Print in Fashion, published by Batsford (ISBN 9780713490121). She lives in Duffield, Derbyshire.