From the turn-of-the-century S-bend silhouette to the “green fashion” and celebrity couture of the new millennium, this comprehensive survey explores all the significant developments in fashion in a period that has seen a growing preoccupation with personal appearance and clothes. It focuses on key movements and innovations in style for both men and women, and explores these through the work of the most original and influential designers. Chapters are organized around crucial shifts in style and major world events, and exciting advances in fashion are placed within their socioeconomic, political, and cultural contexts.

International in scope, this new edition includes updates on the most important new designers and the reinvention of brands. The reference section includes an extensive bibliography.

Valerie Mendes was Head of the Textiles and Dress Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Amy de la Haye was Curator of 20th-Century Dress at the V&A.