Women Dressing Women

Exploring the enduring impact of fashions created by and for women, this book traces a historical and conceptual lineage across more than 70 female designers – from unidentified dressmakers in eighteenth-century France, to contemporary makers who are leading the direction of fashion today – all culled from the incredible permanent collection of The Costume Institute. Insightful essays that consider notions of anonymity, visibility, agency, and absence/omission reveal women's impact within the field of fashion, highlighting celebrated designers and forgotten histories alike. The publication includes fashion houses such as Mad Carpentier, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Madeleine Vionnet, American makers like Ann Lowe, Claire McCardell, and Isabel Toledo, along with contemporary designers such as Rei Kawakubo, Anifa Mvuemba, Simone Rocha, and Iris van Herpen. New photography, created especially for this volume, uses light, shadow, and reflection to connect the garments to the four themes of the essays, which situate the works within a larger social context, and a fold-out genealogical chart traces
connections between the makers featured. This overdue look at women-led design will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of fashion.

The complete designer list:
Madeline Angenard
Augusta Bernard
Marguerite Besancon de Wagner
Olympe Boisse
Sylvie Boue de Montegut
Marie-Louise Boulanger
First Name Last Name
Marie-Louise Bruyere
Sarah Burton
Marie Callot Gerber
Bonnie Cashin
Gabrielle Chanel
Marcelle Chapsal
Maria Grazia Chiuri
Marie Cuttoli
Pia Davis
Ana de Pombo
Pauline de Rothschild
Ann Demeulemeester
Lucy Christiana Duff-Gordon
Adele Henriette Elisabeth Nigrin Fortuny
Jessie Franklin
Maria Monaci Gallenga
Georgia Godley
Maria Grazia
Madam Gres
Katherine Hammett
Jeanne Havet
Elizabeth Hawes
Gabriela Hearst
Barbara Hulanicki
Betsy Johnson
Norma Kamali
Donna Karan
Rei Kawakubo
Jeanne Lanvin
Mme. LeFranc
Madeleine Leperye
Tina Leser
Sarah Lipska
Ann Lowe
Madeleine Maltezos
Ester Manas
Claire McCardell
Hanae Mori
Jean Muir
Anifa Mvuemba
Jamie Okuma
Pheobe Philo
Miuccia Prada
Charlotte Revil
Zandra Rhodes
Nina Ricci
Simone Rocha
Sonia Rykiel
Jul Sander
Elsa Schiaparelli
Valentina Schlee
Jasmin See
Marine Serre
Vivienne Tam
Hillary Taymour
Yeohlee Teng
Isabel Toledo
Iris Van Herpen
Madeleine Vionnet
Diane von Furstenberg
Vivienne Westwood
Suzanne Wiebel-Kamp