A classic work: detailed, full-color illustrations

... 190 examples from the Portrait Gallery's Collection. Through these, the authors explore the purpose and original context of the dress in which the sitter was recorded - the damasks, satins, velvets and furs of Tudor and Stuart magnificence worn by Queen Elizabeth I and Charles I, but also the revolutionary simplicity of the cottons, linens and woollen cloth adopted by Mary Wollstonecraft, John Constable and John Clare.

This accessible and beautifully illustrated book brings together the most important designers who have moved fashion forward over the past century.

The complex and often ambiguous relationship between the hand crafted and the machine made is examined in this intriguing look at the ever-changing world of fashion and taste.

This beautifully illustrated book conveys the centrality of costume to live performance.

"... explores how radical couture, avant-garde sportswear, and state-of-the-art military garments as seen through the lens of the superhero can be metaphors for sex, power, and politics."

A revealing look at how and why we dress up for events from historical reenactments to Halloween.

" Provides a broad overview of costume traditions of diverse cultures from prehistoric times to the present day. Examines more than 430 items of human decoration and adornment...

"... explores changing notions of femininity in the early decades of the twentieth century, when the democratization of fashion began."

"...explores the central and largely unacknowledged role of commercial Broadway theater in the birth of modern American fashion and consumer culture.

"... a resource that spans the globe, from the earliest record of fashion to the 21st century. Including more than 20,000 fashion and costume terms..."

This concise A-to-Z encyclopedia explores 150 different and distinct items of ethnic dress, their history, and their cultural significance within the United States.