Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A comprehensive record of male fashion from the French Revolution to the present day, covering every area of clothing and appearance: day wear, court and evening wear, leisure and sports wear, underwear, knitwear, accessories and hairstyles. The guide contains 1000 colour drawings based on research into paintings, photographs and the garments themselves. Arranged in 25-year sections, the drawings reproduce in detail the lines, weaves and patterns of the original garment, with all details and accessories noted. A reference section contains a time chart showing the development of men's fashions over the past 200 years, biographies of influential couturiers in this field and short histories of influential tailors and outfitters.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Libraries never seem to have enough costume sources to satisfy performing arts students and faculty. Peacock's (Twentieth Century Fashion, LJ 11/1/93) latest book concentrates on men's fashion and accessories from roughly the French revolutionary era to the present (1789-1995). The 1000 colored line drawings are hand-rendered, showing a variety of front, side, and rear views of day wear, sportswear, evening wear, negligee, and underwear, as well as accessories and hairstyles. Brief biographies of designers, tailors, and outfitters and a bibliography of related books conclude the work. While a laudable effort, the book is vexing in its arrangement by 16 chronological periods rather than by category of dress, especially because the silhouetted call-outs with keyed descriptions are interspersed at eight chronological divisions. The result is a lot of time-consuming page flipping. Nonetheless, this is recommended for most costume collections.‘P. Steven Thomas, Illinois State Univ. Lib., Normal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

With the same care and attention to detail he has given his other costume books, Peacock now provides complete records to date of men's fashion from 1789 to 1995. More than 1,000 original, hand-colored drawings cover two centuries of day and evening wear; court, leisure and sport attire; underwear; night wear; hats; hairstyles; and shoes and accessories. Even fad and "mod" fashion is covered. Divided into sections on periods of about 12 years each, averaging eight pages per section and seven full sketches per page (with two pages devoted to accessories and underdress, etc.), the book provides full description of every garment, including color, fabric, pattern, and trimmings. Additionally, Peacock charts the development of men's fashion by decade in seven pages of synthesized line drawings and descriptions. Brief biographies of 20th-century designers, tailors, and outfitters precede a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. The quality of the drawings is excellent, clearly delineating the silhouette of each style within a period. Although the title is misleading because it fails to state the time frame of the study, this is a minor flaw in a highly practical and useful volume. All collections. Z. H. Weisfeld emeritus, University of Michigan

Booklist Review

It is a well-accepted fact that men's fashion evolves at a slower pace than women's. But from Peacock's colored illustrations and copious research of the years between 1790 and 1995, masculine clothing styles seem to change much more quickly than one might believe. This former BBC designer documents exemplary costumes, first with pictures, then by brief descriptive phrases. Even the fashion challenged can't help but trace transitions in men's apparel; court wear for the well-dressed gentleman disappears about 1829, and its substitute, sportswear and later leisure wear, quickly takes over. The more outrecostumes are also portrayed, from attire for pop star to punk and little-known British raver. Missing are chapters on the birth and death of such fashion oddities as spats and grunge jeans. --Barbara Jacobs