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, the forms and materials used through the ages, as well as the underlying motives of fashion and the ways in which clothes have been used to protect, to express identity, and to attract or to influence others.

The concluding chapter by Amy de la Haye, former Curator of Twentieth-Century Dress at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which chronicles the trends and developments in fashion since1940, has been brought up to date for this fourth edition by fashion writer Andrew Tucker. He discusses the chief developments at the turn of the century, including the reinvention of Gucci and Prada, the influence of urban sportswear on both men’s and women’s dress and the phenomenon of the must-have accessory.