Fifty Dresses That Changed the World

Discover the most iconic dresses of the last century with this stylish and informative book from the famous London Design Museum.

Fashion design is both an industrial and cultural phenomenon. It stretches from the glamorous catwalks of fashion epicentres in New York, Paris, London and Milan, to industrial factories in far-flung countries across the globe. It is ever-changing, reflecting, as it does, the desires and aspirations of our ever-changing society. It discovers and capitalizes on advances in technology. And it reflects on our past to bring our present more clearly into focus.

The collection of dresses in this book provides an introduction to the path fashion has taken across the past century. It is a story that embraces social and economic change and radically fluctuating positions on gender and sexuality. From the 1915 Delphos Pleated Dress to Cher's 1988 Oscars dress, these are dresses that have gained a special place in design history.

With stunning photography selected by the Design Museum, Fifty Dresses that Changed the World is the perfect gift for fashionistas and design enthusiasts of all ages.

The Design Museum's mission is to celebrate, entertain and inform. It is the world's leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form from furniture to fashion, and architecture to graphics. It is working to place design at the center of contemporary culture and demonstrates both the richness of the creativity to be found in all forms of design, and its importance.