The Greenwood Encyclopedia Of Clothing Through World History

Looks at the history of clothing from prehistoric times to the present, and evaluates the influence of climate, cultural, political, social, economic, technological, and cultural factors.

Find out what we wore and why we wore it in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing in American History-Twentieth Century to the Present. This fascinating reference set provides two levels of information: descriptions of styles of clothes that Americans have worn and, as important, why they wore those types of clothes. With volume one covering 1900-1949 and volume two covering 1950 to the present, the first half of each volume provides four chapters that each examine the impact that political and cultural events, arts and entertainment, daily life, and family structures have on fashion. The second half of each volume describes the important and everyday fashion and styles of the period, decade by decade, for women, men, and children. The set also includes helpful timelines; resource guides listing web sites, videos, and print publications; an extensive glossary; and illustrations. Fashion influences how we view other people and how we view ourselves. Find out what we wore and why we wore it in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing in American History - Twentieth Century to the Present. This fascinating reference set provides descriptions of styles of clothes that men, women, and children have worn in the U.S. since 1900, and, as important, why they wore them. In addition to chapters describing fashion trends and types of clothes, this work examines the impact that cultural history has on fashion and how fashion may serve as an impetus for change in society. With volume one covering 1900-1949 and volume two covering 1950 to the present, the first half of each volume provides four chapters that examine the impact that political and cultural events, arts and entertainment, daily life, and family structures have on cultural life and fashion. The second half of each volume describes the important and everyday fashion and styles of the period, decade by decade, for women, men, and children. The set also includes helpful timelines; resource guides of web sites, videos, and print publications; an extensive glossary; and illustrations. Fashion is not for the exclusive use of the social elite and the rich, nor can it be simply dismissed as just showing off. We use fashion to express who we are and what we think, to project an image, to bolster our confidence, and to attract partners.

How people dressed throughout history often reflects how they lived at the time, and Clothing in World History gives the reader a chance to explore clothing in a given place and time while also providing a general history to help put the costumes in context. This set takes the reader on a journey from the beginning of time to present day to look at what people wore in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. Men's, Women's, and Children's clothing from various social classes, as well as accessories, are be included. This set is a critical guide for secondary and undergraduate students interested in history, social history, art history, fashion, and costume. It covers the history of clothing throughout the world from pre-historic times to 2006. Many cultures are included in this study of clothing within the context of social, political, economic and religious history as they pertain to each time period and place. Researchers can turn to this set first for the most essential information about a time, place, and style of dress. The three volumes are divided into comprehensive parts with the goal of making them easy to use and accessible to readers. There are other books and surveys of the history of costume that mainly concentrate on Western Europe, but few that cover different cultures and how they influence fashion in the western world. This book looks at costume throughout the world and throughout history.

Volume I surveys the long history of fashion from the ancient world to c. 1800. The volume seeks to answer fundamental questions on the origins of fashion, challenging Eurocentric explanations that the emergence of fashion was a European phenomenon and shows instead that fashion found early expressions across the globe well before the age of European colonialism and imperialism. It sheds light on how fashion was experienced in a multitude of ways depending on class, gender, and race, and despite geographical distance, fashion connected populations across the globe. Fashions flowered and were reseeded, through entanglements of empire, forced and voluntary migration, evolving racial systems, burgeoning sea travel and transcontinental systems.