FCS 3870 : History of Costume

Search the SPU Library Catalog for ebooks. Think about keywords for the topic you developed during your preliminary searching.

For example, if you are interested in kimonos, starting with a simple broad search of kimono will bring back many relevant results.

Look for the ebook limit on the right side to find materials that you can access online.

You would need sources that address the history and culture of kimonos as well, so adding those keywords (separately) would narrow your search.

Articles can provide you with specific information such as studies, expert opinion, and current news that you will use to support your thesis. These articles will be from reliable, credible sources, many of which will be from scholarly or peer-reviewed journals.

For example, maybe you are wondering whether young people use kimonos in fashion as an act of rebellion. You could look for articles that investigate this and then refer to the results in your paper.

Where are the articles?

• To find articles in journals, magazines and newspapers, search in the  Library Databases which are huge collections of articles most of which are not available for free on the internet.

Which database should I use?

• Open up Academic Search Complete
• Since there is no one database specifically for costume history,  you should add other databases to your search.
  • Click on "Choose Databases" above the search boxes.
  • Check the box for the databases you want to add, such as America History & Life as well as Humanities Index or simply choose them all!
  • Hit "okay" and go back to your search screen
  • Contact me for help with choosing the right databases if necessary

How do I search?

Search for articles using various keywords in separate search boxes. For example a search using the three search terms, kimono, fashion, modern would bring back results that show how kimonos are being reinterpreted.

Be flexible with your keywords!

Doing an additional search using the terms clothing and contemporary will bring back a different set of relevant results.

Where is the actual article?

Women's Wear Daily Online Subscription

For WWD articles from 2000-2 weeks ago, search in Business Source Complete

Vogue

New York Times Fashion & Style

FOR IMAGES TRY:

Kyoto Costume Institute timeline

Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute

FIT Museum collections

Victoria & Albert Fashion Collections

Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)