Rebecca Arnold is a historian who has held posts at The Courtauld Institute, Royal College of Art & Central Saint Martins. Her publications include Documenting Fashion (2026), The American Look (2008), Fashion: A Short Introduction (2009), and Avedon Advertising (2019) with Laura Avedon.

A visual confection for the imagination and meticulously researched. A must-read for any lover of glamour and American history. I love this book.

• Foreword to the Re-issueList of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. New York and the Evolution of Sportswear 1929–39 New York CitySportswearThe Modern Sportswear Aesthetic I2. American Body CultureBody Image/Body CultureHealth and HygieneExercise and DanceSports Body3. Sportswear and the New York Fashion Industry During the DepressionEffects of the DepressionCareer WomenFashion Group4. Sportswear’s Promotion During the 1930sNew York Department StoresFashion MediaThe Monastic Dress and the Sportswear Promotion in the late 1930s5. Sportswear and the New York Fashion Industry During the Second World WarEffects of the Second World WarSportswear Design and RepresentationModern Sportswear Aesthetic II6. The American Look and the Rise of the DesignerThe American LookNew York Sportswear Designers and ConsumerismThe Woman of Fashion 1947ConclusionAfterword to the Re-issueFurther Reading for the Re-issueBibliographyIndex

Rebecca Arnold is a historian who has held posts at The Courtauld Institute, Royal College of Art & Central Saint Martins. Her publications include Documenting Fashion (2026), The American Look (2008), Fashion: A Short Introduction (2009), and Avedon Advertising (2019) with Laura Avedon.

A visual confection for the imagination and meticulously researched. A must-read for any lover of glamour and American history. I love this book.

• Foreword to the Re-issueList of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. New York and the Evolution of Sportswear 1929–39 New York CitySportswearThe Modern Sportswear Aesthetic I2. American Body CultureBody Image/Body CultureHealth and HygieneExercise and DanceSports Body3. Sportswear and the New York Fashion Industry During the DepressionEffects of the DepressionCareer WomenFashion Group4. Sportswear’s Promotion During the 1930sNew York Department StoresFashion MediaThe Monastic Dress and the Sportswear Promotion in the late 1930s5. Sportswear and the New York Fashion Industry During the Second World WarEffects of the Second World WarSportswear Design and RepresentationModern Sportswear Aesthetic II6. The American Look and the Rise of the DesignerThe American LookNew York Sportswear Designers and ConsumerismThe Woman of Fashion 1947ConclusionAfterword to the Re-issueFurther Reading for the Re-issueBibliographyIndex

Rebecca Arnold is a historian who has held posts at The Courtauld Institute, Royal College of Art & Central Saint Martins. Her publications include Documenting Fashion (2026), The American Look (2008), Fashion: A Short Introduction (2009), and Avedon Advertising (2019) with Laura Avedon.

A visual confection for the imagination and meticulously researched. A must-read for any lover of glamour and American history. I love this book.

• Foreword to the Re-issueList of IllustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. New York and the Evolution of Sportswear 1929–39 New York CitySportswearThe Modern Sportswear Aesthetic I2. American Body CultureBody Image/Body CultureHealth and HygieneExercise and DanceSports Body3. Sportswear and the New York Fashion Industry During the DepressionEffects of the DepressionCareer WomenFashion Group4. Sportswear’s Promotion During the 1930sNew York Department StoresFashion MediaThe Monastic Dress and the Sportswear Promotion in the late 1930s5. Sportswear and the New York Fashion Industry During the Second World WarEffects of the Second World WarSportswear Design and RepresentationModern Sportswear Aesthetic II6. The American Look and the Rise of the DesignerThe American LookNew York Sportswear Designers and ConsumerismThe Woman of Fashion 1947ConclusionAfterword to the Re-issueFurther Reading for the Re-issueBibliographyIndex