In this brand-new title from the makers of All About History magazine, discover the remarkable story of fashion and how it evolved from a hand-sewn luxury embraced by the extremely wealthy and passed down through generations, to the mass-produced fast fashion that spills out of our wardrobes today.
Welcome to The HISTORY of FASHION
20 ROYAL FASHION TRENDS • The sartorial crazes that swept around the world and the royal figures who helped to make them a sensation
For the love of CODPIECES • When skirts, tights, and frills were the hallmarks of masculinity
A TALE OF TWO BEARDS • How the French king’s chin changed English court fashion
LOUISBOUTINS • 400 years before Christian Louboutin, red heels made their debut in France
How to SEW AN ELIZABETHAN RUFF • The ultimate Tudor fashion statement
BIGGER is better • Charting the evolution of European women’s fashion through the Middle Ages and beyond
RUFFING IT UP • The expansion of the pleated neck collar
MARIE ANTOINETTE AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION • The downfall of a fashion icon
THE ART of embroidery • Unravel the rich history and intricate artistry behind the timeless craft of embroidery
RETURN TO LUXURY • How handcrafted embroidery was revived to become a favourite of haute couture design
PRESERVING HERITAGE • Discover the folk art of Matyó embroidery
LOOKS to dye FOR • Colourful clothes for all is a fairly recent innovation. Before that, colourways were the ultimate in conspicuous consumption – and you could be punished for disobeying the style rules…
DISGUSTING DYES • Five dire dyestuffs from history
WEE WASHES WHITER • Whizz, and the dirt is gone
MARIE ANTOINETTE’S EXTREME makeover • Marie Antoinette’s marital makeover is enough to give even the most committed bridezilla nightmares
Dress to impress • Although no images exist, historians have an idea what Marie’s wedding dress might have looked like
How to GET A BAROQUE HAIRSTYLE • Dress your hair in a coiffure that turns heads, like the it-girls in Versailles
EAST meets WEST • Western fashion does not exist in a vacuum; for centuries, it has been influenced by global culture and has, in turn, influenced other cultures too
CULTURAL APPROPRIATION • For centuries, Western fashion simply adopted Eastern culture, with few trying to understand it
TUTMANIA • Though Westerners had long been fascinated with Egypt, the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb sent fashionistas into overdrive
DROP DEAD Gorgeous • 13 of history’s most dangerous trends
REVOLTING REMEDIES • If beauty wasn’t lethal, then it was sure to be repulsive. Discover some of the most questionable treatments from years gone by
FASHION the and INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION • The Industrial Revolution ushered in a whole new era of fashion, changing that rarefied world forever
THE LUDDITES • Not everyone embraced the new industrial landscape
THE DEPARTMENT STORE • Fashionistas needed somewhere to buy their ready-to-wear garments; department stores were happy to oblige
SPINNING JENNY • Inside the mechanism that revolutionised fashion
DEMURE LADIES • The real-life fashions of the Regency period
ACCESSORISING AN OUTFIT • What else did Regency women wear?
“REGENCY WITH A TWIST” • How do Netflix’s Bridgerton outfits compare to real Regency fashion?
THE GREAT MASCULINE Renunciation • The story of Beau Brummell and the birth of the suit
DRESSING FOR THE WAR • The First World War gave a military feel to civilian clothes
NEOCLASSICISM AND FASHION • How fashionable young men took their lead from the...