Laver James. The Concise History of Costume and Fashion

Harry N. Abrams, 1960. — 292 p.The vagaries of fashion throughout the ages are a source of
endless interest, not only as an indication of man's infinite
capacity for invention but because of the relationship of costume
to shifting cultural patterns. James Laver, an unrivaled authority
in the field, presents in this book the underlying motives of
fashion as well as a survey of the history of costume. He sets
out to describe the means which have been adopted to satisfy
the three urges which led mankind to wear clothes: the desire
for protection against cold, heat, insects, and the evil eye; the
desire to enhance the personality by sartorial display; and the
desire to attract the opposite sex.
The invention of the needle (some 40,000 years ago) made
possible the sewing together of pelts. The introduction of weaving
launched the development of costume as we know it. The
expansion of the Roman Empire eastward and, in the Middle
Ages, the Crusades, brought Oriental luxury to Western clothing.
The Renaissance caused the spread of Italian fashions north of
the Alps. The French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution
both heralded the decline of luxury in dress which has continued
up to our own day. During the present century, the form of
our clothes has been affected by such diverse factors as Diaghilev's
famed Ballets Russes, the growing popularity of sports,
the social upheaval caused by two world wars and—perhaps
most of all—the emancipation of women.
The illustrations have been selected from an enormous variety
of sources to represent the major changes that have occurred
throughout the history of costume—from prehistoric times to
the miniskirts of the 1960s.