From the turn-of-the-century S-bend silhouette to the bumster and bustier of today, this comprehensive survey explores all the significant developments in fashion in a century that has witnessed a growing occupation with personal appearance and style. The book focuses on the key movements and innovations in clothing for both men and women and discusses these through the work of the most original designers and couturiers. Chapters are organized around crucial shifts in style and major world events, and exciting and revolutionary developments in fashion are placed in context. International in scope, the work encompasses all the century's most important designers and metropolitan fashion centres alongside developments in accessories, hairstyles and make-up. The importance of mass production, advances in man-made fibres, the growth of ready-to-wear and the major influence of postwar subcultural styles on contemporary fashion are also discussed. A reference section includes a bibliography and a glossary of designers.

An excellent condensed guide covering major fashion developments created by important designers and couturiers for men and women trendsetters. -- Beverly Chico
This compact chronicle of fashion traces trends in women's and men's fashions from the British perspective, though continental and American fashions are treated too. Fashion changes accelerated more and more rapidly during the last century, from the conservative Belle Epoque styles to the anything goes vortex of the 1990s. In between, social and economic forces created dramatic or subtle changes, and these are well described here with the aid of 280 illustrations. Intriguing details like prewar Nazi fashion ideals of womanhood or the origins the Carnaby Street look of the 1960s keep one's interest--if the eyes can take it. The type face of the text is so small that some readers may have trouble reading it for any length of time. That's too bad, because there is much good information contained in the text. Still, this well-priced fashion history by two experienced curators of the Victoria and Albert Museum is recommended for all fashion and costume collections. -- Therese Duzinkiewicz Baker