Traces the history of costume and fashion from ancient times through the mid-nineteen eighties. Twentieth century designers whose fashions are shown in photographs and illustrations include: Chanel, Redfern, Vionnet, Schiaparelli, Regna, Malyneux, Dior, Balenciaga, Carven, Quant, Cardin, Clark, Courreges, Rabanne, Saint Laurent, Gibb, Rhodes, Muir, Ashley, Krizia, Missoni, Versace, Lagerfeld, Blass and Yuke. Also includes a glossary and list of costume collections.