Costume and Fashion

From the momentous invention of the needle some 40,000 years ago to the development of blue denim, from Neolithic weavers to the biggest names in the fashion industry today, this classic guide covers the landmarks of costume history. Costume and Fashion explores the forms and materials used in fashion through the ages, the underlying motives of fashion, and the ways in which clothes have been used to protect, express identity, and attract or influence others.

This updated sixth edition features a new foreword and concluding chapter by Amy de la Haye and a new discussion about the major political shifts within the fashion industry, highlighting how it has responded to issues surrounding racism and sexism, LGBTQIA rights, mental health awareness, body and age diversity, and global sustainability. Generously illustrated with paintings, drawings, and photographs, and with a new angle on the emergence of ethical fashion, Costume and Fashion feels more current than ever.

An authoritative account of the history of fashion and costume from prehistoric times to today.
The late James Laver was Keeper of the Departments of Prints and Drawings and of Paintings at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1938 until 1959.
Amy de la Haye is an expert dress historian. She is the Rootstein Hopkins chair of dress history & curatorship at London College of Fashion.
Andrew Tucker is a fashion writer, author of The London Fashion Book and co-author of Costume and Fashion.