More than 2000 full-color drawings--the result of extensive research
into paintings, photographs, and the accessories themselves--reproduce
each original item in meticulous detail, accompanied by a complete
description. The book covers every kind of high-fashion male and female
accessory for both day and evening wear: hats and caps; shoes, boots,
slippers, and sandals; bags and purses; umbrellas and parasols; jewelry;
scarves, stoles, and capes; gloves and belts; cravats, ties, and
bow-ties. It includes a wide range of streetwear and sportswear, from
baseball caps to plastic sandals, and every variety of the ubiquitous
late-century sports shoe. All the century's archetypal accessories are
identified, from the luxurious ostrich-feather and flower-bedecked hat
of the 1910s and the cloche and pearl necklace of the 1920s, to the
velvet scarf and mini-backpack of the 1990s.
A final reference section contains a comprehensive bibliography and a
chart that shows at a glance how accessories have evolved since 1900.
There are biographies of the century's most influential accessories
designers, from Salvatore Ferragamo and Manolo Blahnik to Patrick Cox
and Georgina von Etzdorf, plus short histories of companies and firms
that have played an important role in accessory design.
For fashion enthusiasts, historians, and collectors, as well as
designers working in the performing arts, this book will be the
definitive reference work on twentieth-century accessories.
