Costumes Design History

Survey of Historic Costume, 6th Edition, is the best-selling introduction to Western dress from the ancient world through the twenty-first century. Each chapter presents social, cross-cultural, environmental, geographic, and artistic influences on clothing. With visuals, illustrated tables, and in-depth discussions, readers come to recognize recurring themes and concepts and understand the role of dress from a diverse, global perspective. The new edition features more than 1,000 full-color photo... [Read More]

Egypt, Babylon, Greece up through 19th-century Europe; based on surviving pieces, art work, much more. Includes many clear, measured patterns for reproducing historic costumes. Full text. 595 illustrations. "...landmark in the field of Western European costume...exceptional value for its price." — American Artist.

Tracing the evolution of fashion — from the early draped fabrics of ancient times to the catwalk couture of today — Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style is a stunningly illustrated guide to more than three thousand years of shifting trends and innovative developments in the world of clothing. Containing everything you need to know about changing fashion and style — from ancient Egyptian dress to Space Age Fashion and Grunge — and information on icons like Marie Antoinette... [Read More]

History as revealed and interpreted by Hollywood costume designers for motion pictures

Marilyn Monroe made history by standing over a subway grating in a white pleated halter dress designed by William Travilla. Hubert de Givenchy immortalized the Little Black Dress with a single opening scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's. A red nylon jacket signaled to audiences that James Dean was a Rebel Without a Cause. For more than a century, costume designers have left indelible impressions on moviegoers' minds. Yet until now, so little has been known about the designers themselves and their w... [Read More]

Rare book

A 26 minute color video and case that features the clothes of this era, how they were worn, by whom, with what, and when. Great for costume designers as well as history and fashion students.

What People Wore When combines the studies of two classic nineteenth-century illustrators Auguste Racinet and Friedrich Hottenroth for the first time. Their works are presented first by chronology and then by subject, so that illustrators, historians, and students alike can choose to follow the path of fashion through the centuries, or study in detail the contrasting styles of individual clothing and accessories. Silhouettes reveal the shape of style through the ages, detailed cross-references d... [Read More]

". . . thoroughness and most impressive scholarship . . . much entertaining detail and . . . pleasant humour." — The Times Literary Supplement (London)Underwear — practical garments with a utilitarian function or body coverings that serve an erotic purpose? As this fascinating and intelligently written study shows, the role played by underclothing over the last several centuries has been a varied one.In a well-documented, profusely illustrated volume combining impressive scholarship with an ... [Read More]

Tracing the evolution of fashion--from the early draped fabrics of ancient times to the catwalk couture of today--a stunning guide illustrates more than 3,000 years of shifting trends and innovative developments in the world of

Togas, turbans, tailcoats, and top hats: The evolution of style from antiquity to 1888 Originally published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet's Le Costume historique was the most wide-ranging and incisive study of clothing ever attempted. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through to the end of the 19th century, the six volume work remains completely unique in its scope and detail.TASCHEN's complete reprint presents Racinet's exquisitely precise and colored illustrations, as well as his delightful descriptions and often witty comments. Spanning everything from ancient Etruscan attire to French women's couture, material is

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