Icons of Style: in 100 Garments

Josh Sims

‘There is an element of fashion which,
in fact, doesn’t change. It’s the bedrock on
which everything else is built, the fundamental component through which experimentation occurs.’

A FREELANCE style writer and author of several fashion books, including Rock/Fashion, A Dictionary of Fashion Designers and Mary, Queen of Shops, Josh Sims has his finger firmly on the pulse of fashion, both past and present, so who better to explore not just some of the most iconic garments ever worn, but the stylish figures who helped make them eternally popular classics.

Focusing on the origins of one hundred definitive pieces – from the T-shirt to the trench coat, and the leather jacket to the little black dress – Sims (pictured below) brings us this captivating book, full of fabulous fashions and phenomenal photography, and shows  how these garments captured the spirit of their time and evolved over the years into timeless fashion staples.

Fashion moves in cycles of revolution and consolidation but its primary remit is still constant change because that is what drives consumption in what is, after all, an industry. But there is also an element of fashion which doesn’t, in fact, change... the ‘classics’ or ‘wardrobe staples.’

Behind nearly every item in the modern wardrobe is a first of its kind, the definitive item, often designed by a single company or brand for specialist use, and on which all subsequent versions have been based (and originals of which are now collector items in the booming vintage market). The T-shirt, for example, may now be an innocuous, everyday item, but it was created by American company Hanes for US Navy personnel at the turn of the 20th century and was subsequently adopted by sportsmen and bikers. Other items have been designed for sport, farm work or protection, and made their way into everyday usage.

That these classics have survived largely unchanged for as long as they have – often a century or more, and most are at least many decades old – is remarkable in a business that is generally perceived to thrive on newness.

Icons of Style examines, garment by garment, the most important and famous of these products... their provenance and history, the stories of their design, the brand or company that started it all, and how the item shaped the way we all dress today. As traditional definitions of men’s and women’s clothes are fast changing, Icons of Style combines all the key garments for everyone. Inspiring images of the best examples of the garment – from the 1930s to contemporary times, and from Marlene Dietrich to Mick Jagger – show the timeless beauty of these classics that are the basics of the stylish.

Featuring over one hundred of the most iconic fashion items, Sims’ fascinating book brings us everything from brogues to Breton tops, twinsets to mini-skirts, jeans to blazers, and denim jackets to the classic white shirt through stunning photography of style icons like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Audrey Hepburn, Zendaya, Grace Kelly, Harry Styles, Ryan Gosling and Marilyn Monroe. With categories covering outerwear, dresses, and swimwear, and sub-chapters featuring the pea coat, empire-line dress, and swimming trunks, Icons of Style is a dazzling exploration of style down the years... and a tailor-made gift for your own fashionistas!
(‎Laurence King Publishing, paperback, £30)