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Publishers Weekly Review

Senior costume designer for BBC Television and author of the Fashion Sketchbook, Peacock here looks at clothing worn ``by rich people and by civilians'' in England from the Battle of Hastings to the 1960s. Categorized by reign, the more than 1000 drawings label each habiliment in great detail, pointing out use of fabric, cut, decoration and accessories. One learns, for example, of the many types of ruffs worn by men and women during the time of Queen Elizabeth I and the varieties of ostrich-plumed hats worn during the reign of Charles II. The format highlights trends, showing the rise and fall of particular fashions over decades or centuries, and illustrates Peacock's thesis that by the 16th centuryand reaching its height at the turn of the century``fashion etiquette became a strict discipline.'' Also of interest, the ``most improbable ideas adopted by those dedicated to being fashionable,'' including the long pointed shoes of the 15th century and the huge hats and restrictive hobble skirts favored by suffragettes. Bibliography. (September) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved