Spring into Fashion at CDPL

In today’s world, would you rather be a trend follower, or a trend setter? Our clothing has transformed from functional, class-based necessities to a multitrillion dollar business driven by technology, social media, and perceived identities. Merchants use nearly 25% of their budget on push marketing, which is an industry-based strategy that thrives on our collective insecurities. You can find new ways to think about your personal style, and learn about historical trends at your library.

Jayne Shrimpton discusses how your ancestors would have dressed based on social position, income, geographical location, occupation, and over the centuries, personal preference in her book “Fashion & Family History: Interpreting How Your Ancestors Dressed” (391.00941 Shr). In “Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans & Fashion, 1840-1900” (391 Sev), Joan Severa provides an analytical visualization of clothing in America from the end of the civil war through the turn of the 20^th century including a glossary of design terms.

Stacy London of TLC’s What Not to Wear, implies that your style is the visualization of your personality and that it should never be about clothing size or current trends. She encourages you to be your best self in her deeply personal book, “The Truth About Style” (646.34 Lon).

Your style is a timeless, personal choice. Over our lifetimes it becomes the evolution of one’s expressive, creative self and you don’t need to jump on every trend to look great. Maybe you don’t know “How to Break Up with Fast Fashion” (391 Bra) but Lauren Bravo has made it easy with her down to Earth approach based on smart shopping, repairing, and recycling.

Portia Lawrie not only tells you what you can do with your wardrobe, but she shows you how to maintain a sustainable closet using customized shortcuts in “The Re:Fashion Wardrobe: Sew Your Own Stylish, Sustainable Clothes” (646.404 Law). Your stylish outfit would not be complete without shoes! You can personalize your feet using KNZ’s practical guide to “Custom Sneakers: Everything You Need to Personalize Your Sneakers” (746.6 KNZ).

If your new look has inspired you to customize everything, consider how you could start your own fashion business. Learn from Pamela Skaist-levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, people who have broken through the barriers by creating “The Glitter Plan: How We Started Juicy Couture for $200 and Turned it into a Global Brand” (381.45 Ska).

Rose Bertin (1747-1813) was the first internationally known fashion merchant and the mother of haute couture, a French fashion trend of custom-fitted designs. Today, prominent women still use her core concepts to bring attention to valuable subjects. Michelle Obama’s love for fashion began early in her life with custom clothing sewn by her mother. She learned how to use her attention grabbing style to promote a healthy lifestyle as First Lady and she shares a personal side of her everyday life in “The Look” (973.932092 Obama, M.).

Learn about the unusual journey of our very own “Eleanor Lambert: Still Here” (921 Lambert, E.) from the loving perspective of her longtime assistant, John A. Tiffany. She was raised by her mother after her father, whom she never met as a child, pursued a career on the road as an agent for Ringling Brothers’ circus. She studied sculpture at the John Herron Art Institute and felt that she was a failure. Today, she is considered the mother of American fashion.

If you love trends, this year’s Spring fashion focuses on versatile, low-effort style that includes pale pastels, woven bags, red accents, chunky jewelry, ballet flats, scarves, denim, airy soft fabrics, and lots of layers. Consider bringing items out from the back of your closet as the current trends favorite elements of design from the 1950s and 1990s. Catch up on all the seasonal must-haves in the newest edition of our magazines, in-person or online with Libby.

Ask a stylish librarian to help you find these books or other resources at your next visit. Checkout our website at crawfordsvillelibrary.in.gov to search our catalog, to learn how to acquire a library card, or for more information about our upcoming programs and events. You may also access our Digital Resources, such as Libby or the Local History Database by visiting our website’s Resources page anytime.