Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This ambitious and fascinating book traces the history of fashion in every part of the world, from Greco-Roman woven-cloth clothing and the silk court dress of the Chinese Tang dynasty to contemporary sportswear designers and Japanese street culture. Organized chronologically, the book traces the evolution of fashion period by period and trend by trend, while detailed timelines provide historical and cultural context. Fashion: The Whole Story is indispensable for everyone who loves the line of a superb suit or knows the joy of wearing a great pair of shoes.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Edited by fashion expert Fogg, this substantial encyclopedia, weighing over four pounds, covers every major era in world fashion history. Section 1, covering 500 BCE to 1599, discusses classical Greek and Roman dress through pre-Columbian textiles, and Chinese and Japanese dress to Mughal Indian clothing. Discussion of Tang Dynasty garments moves from a stylistic overview with a historical time line to analysis, titled "Focal Points," of costume details in contemporary silk-screen paintings. The book follows this overview-to-detailed-analysis approach throughout. The sections for 1600-1799 and 1800-99 rely heavily on illustrations from art history. From 1900 onward, with the rise of fashion designers and the wide use of photography in fashion, key contributions to fashion are divided by era. The years 1945 and 1989 are the next cut points, illustrated with historic photographs, e.g., actress Louise Brooks's 1926 flapper haircut and Betsey Johnson's 1966 Op Art minidresses. E-commerce minimalism and antifashion are addressed in the final section, which covers 1990 to the present. Each analysis ends with author initials that match contributor biographies at the end of the book. Other end matter includes a glossary and quotations source list. Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries; all levels. C. Donaldson independent scholar