Fashion and Dress Collections Guide

The London Library has a vast array of books, periodical, journals and online resources that can help support research in Fashion, Costume and Textiles.

You may find that your search for resources may require you to visit many different areas of the Library. This guide aims to pinpoint the most useful areas of the Library’s collections for research into:

History of Clothing & Fashion.
Designers, Brands & Fashion Houses.
Textiles and the Textile Industry.
Textile Arts & Crafts.
Jewellery, Ornament & Accessories.
Costume in the Performing Arts.
Fashion Media.
Fashion Retail.
Cosmetics, cosmetology & perfume.

Founded in 1841, the Library’s collection has grown each year and we hold titles from the late 18th century onwards on the open shelves. As a result, our collection reflects the evolution and changes in thinking in a particular subject and does mean that you may come across titles which contain ideas and vocabulary that would be considered abhorrent today. The collection continues to grow with some 5,000 new titles being added each year. As we develop the collection, we seek to ensure that the controversial topics of today are represented from all sides of a debate.