Fashion Sourcebooks is a series of beautifully illustrated paperbacks presenting the costume drawings of John Peacock. The series charts the development of women's and men's clothing from 1900 onwards, with a volume devoted to the fashions of each decade. John Peacock's Fashion Sourcebooks are destined to become an indispensable part of the library of any fashion enthusiast, historian, or collector, and are sure to provide inspiration to any designer or student working in the performing arts.

In the 1930s, the waistless, short-skirted, androgynous look of 1920s fashion for women gave way to a longer and more figure-hugging silhouette. The fashionable thirties woman was mature, understated, and, above all, sophisticated. By 1935 the daytime look was epitomized by the suit, with sleek, padded jacket and tiny waist. It was a period when the evening dress was at its most extravagant and varied, ranging from clinging bias-cut crepes and silk-satins to multilayered net crinolines with fitted, boned bodices. In men's fashions, however, changes were subtle and much slower.