The first volume, which features fashion from the 18th and 19th centuries, has very informative articles by KCI curator Tamani Suoh and by a lecturer from the Sugino Fashion College, Miki Iwagami, on all manner of fashion considerations.
In the 18th century section, we learn about Rococo fashion and its amazingly detailed and complicated decorative excesses. We read about how it was that men could also dress so flamboyantly... that is, until the French Revolution took some of those men’s heads, something that certainly puts a damper on most frivolity. We read about haberdashers, tailors and dressmakers, whose creations often made them into the precursors of modern-day clothing designers, and therefore brought some of them considerable wealth and prestige.
In the 19th century section we learn about the development of undergarments (petticoats, bustles, crinolines and corsets). The beginnings of the fashion system (ready-made clothing, the machine age and the making of fabric, the fashion “industry”). Clothing for sport and resorts. (Did you know that one of the elements that caused shorter skirts toward the end of the 19th century was the new popularity among women for skiing and golf? Yes, the 19th century, not the 20th.) The Empire Style. The Romantic Style.
The second volume of History is devoted to fashion of the 20th century, and therefore delves extensively into the rise and importance of contemporary clothing designers. The book begins with a photo of a 1903 evening dress by the Frenchman Jacques Doucet and ends with another photo of a simple form-fitting dress, done in 1999 by the Japanese designer Issey Miyake. In between these two are examples of designs of every sort by all of the major designers of the last century.
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