This illustrated survey of 600 years of fashion investigates its
cultural and social meanings from medieval Europe to 20th-century
America. It provides a guide to the changes in style and taste, and
challenges existing fashion histories, showing that clothes have always
played a pivotal role in defining a sense of identity and society,
especially when concerned with sexual and body politics. With a
chronological structure, each chapter focuses on both male and female
fashion of a specific period, covering its fascinating developments. It
discusses: androgynous dressing; body piercing; fabrics, clothing and
the rise of city life; dress, and the changing shape of the human body;
controversies surrounding trousers and leg wear for both men and women;
exposure of flesh; fashion and social status; and the dissemination of
fashion through travel, film, magazines and catwalk shows.