1950s Fashion Print

A sourcebook of 1950s fashion print, 1950s Fashion Print explores the heyday of postwar design where an analytical approach to design, with a lightness and freshness, combines with whimsical imagery and idiosyncratic subject matter. The designs and influences of the print gurus of the time—Lucienne Day, Robert Stewart, and Maija Isola of Marimekko—are all covered in this wonderful creative resource.

The creativity of the period, marking the beginning of the atomic age, is given full expression in this sourcebook of hundreds of designs. It is an essential resource for contemporary design practitioners and students. The book contains exclusive illustrations and original artwork from designers, as well as finished prints. Each short chapter introduction is followed by a range of illustrations with captions to provide provenance and relevance.

The book is divided into four chapters covering the major themes of the period: Narrative and novelty; Abstraction, exploring the distorted and attenuated forms used in print; Artistic license and the influence of contemporary art on fashion print; and Kinetic prints that capture the influence of the era's 'mobiles, doodles and spasms'.