Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style

With 480 10" X 12" glossy pages with full-color illustrations and photographs, in addition to informative text, this is a great coffee-table book. It claims to be "The Definitive History of Costume and Style" and that may or may not be true, but it is certainly one of the loveliest and more impressive books on the history of fashion that I've seen. The book is divided into ten chapters. Chapter One covers fashion from Prehistory to 600 C.E. Chapter Two from 600-1449. Chapter Three from 1450-1624. Chapter Four 1625-1789. Chapter Five 1790-1900. Chapter Six 1901-1928. Chapter Seven 1929-1946. Chapter Eight 1947-1963. Chapter Nine 1964-1979. Chapter Ten 1980 onward. (Since this edition of the book was published in 2012, "onward" only takes us to there.) In addition, following these chapters there are some informative 2-page spreads on 3000 Years of Women's Wear, 3000 Years of Men's Wear, 400 Years of Women's Shoes, 200 Years of Women's Hats, 200 Years of Bags and Purses, 300 Years of Shaping the Body, followed by a 30-page glossary and a 12-page index. This is a great reference book for the layman. Perhaps it doesn't delve as deeply and thoroughly into fashion as a historian or fashion-history expert would like but I am very happy with it, and the illustrations and photographs are gorgeous. As a lifelong reader of historical fiction and historical romance, I find it's a great way to peek at what the characters of these books were wearing at a given period of time. It's also fun to go to my birthdate and beyond to see how fashion has changed just in my lifetime. This book is big and it's heavy. Possibly as I age I can also use it for arm exercises, in addition to using it as eye candy.

Nice Quality Coffee Table Book, Beautiful Photos, & My Daughter LOVED IT!

What a fabulous book!! Full of beautiful photographs and illustrations, and covering such a wide range of eras and topics, from the Prehistoric to the modern day. This book would be a fabulous gift for anyone even slightly interested in fashion. Every page is inspiring. And at such a reasonable price, you cannot go wrong. Before I purchased this book, I read one of the earlier comments that this book is light on information. I completely disagree. There is a great deal of information on history and fashion, especially given all of the different periods they are covering. This is not meant to be a scholarly textbook analyzing all of the "why's" of fashion - it is a very meaty and beautiful book that would look great on any coffee table.

I love Fashion and Fashion History. This is a beautiful book, as are most books from DK. For a real chronology from ancient times this book is good. If you are looking for more info about the last 100 years, you would need supplementary works. That said though, DK can't be beat for the layout and beautiful detail. I love how you can get absorbed in their books, and this one is not a disappointment. It is very heavy. Lots of info, but not on glossy paper like the Travel Books.

This is truly the best book if you are looking to expand your knowledge in fashion history or writing a report / thesis. The photographs are beautiful, clean, clear, detailed and concise. It really goes into detail for the styles and development of costume. It contains graphics that furthers the reading experience and helps you understand better the material. Illustrations and combination of images to explain parts of garments. It goes from Egypt and Assyrians to 2012. Includes coverage of the designers era, with their style and most significant contributions.

I love fashion, and the history of fashion as well. This is a great, thoroughly written book about fashion going back to as long as history of mankind has had images of humans wearing apparel. I am no expert, but this book is chock full of fashion and costume information for any period in time to the present.

i received it quickly, it was much much bigger than i expected. the colors are gorgeous. it was in perfect/mint condition. i was surprised at how much information on mens fashions over the years was covered. i thought i would pass over that part but surprisingly it was so interesting and informative. i thought that part would be boring to me but it was not, and the photographs and drawings were so beuatiful. and of course the womens fashions over the years was sooooooooo interesting. i have quite a few vintage fashion books but this is one of the best in my collection. i cant wait to share it with my girlfriends and my daughter who also is very interested in fashion history.

I can't recommend this book highly enough for those who are interested in a good reference book on the history of dress. I am a college teacher on the subject and am considering using it as a supplement to my textbook. It was written and complied by experts in the field, and their information is valuable and insightful. The organization of the book is easy to follow, and the full color pictures are well chosen, illustrating each topic quite successfully. This is a perfect- and affordable- addition to the library of anyone with an interest in costuming.

Excelente producto, muy completo.

It's good book, has the same content and layout as the alternative "Fashion - The Ultimate Book of Style" by the same publisher. Don't see why they've upped the price for the new title.

There is a lot of information and a lot of text with photos which is great, but somehow this book feel a little dated due to the graphic design of it, some of the examples from the last 100 years of fashion I find a little dissappointing, they could work more on showing really beautiful,intricate designs or original for that matter.

I love fashion and style. This book was full of great pictures and also great illustrations. Topping it all was the information included. Definitely a great buy for anyone studying fashion and costume.

Um dos mais completos sobre a trajes da Moda no mundo. Muito bom!