Costume and Fashion : A Concise History

“A standard reference for anyone interested in the history of style and clothes.” ―Arts and Antiques

From the momentous invention of the needle some 40,000 years ago to the development of blue denim, this classic guide covers the landmarks of costume history, the forms and materials used through the ages, as well as the ways in which clothes have been used to protect, to express identity, and to attract or influence others.

For the fifth edition, Amy de la Haye, former Curator of Twentieth-Century Dress at the Victoria and Albert Museum, has revised the final chapter and included a new section addressing the fashion industry in the twenty-first century. She discusses the expansion of the Asian luxury market; the rise of “fast fashion,” stylists, and celebrity endorsements; and the influence of the Internet.

348 illustrations, 85 in color

Amy de la Haye is an expert dress historian. She is the Rootstein Hopkins chair of dress history & curatorship at London College of Fashion.

James Laver (1899–1975) was a noted authority on the history of costume and fashion, and keeper of the department of prints, drawings, and paintings at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, from 1938 to 1959.