20,000 Years of Fashion The History of Costume and Personal Adornment (Hardcover)

~ Francois Boucher (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This scholarly, absorbing history of dress, an updated edition of a 1966 reference work, ranges from prehistoric costume through present fashion. From antiquity to the 14th century, costume was generally long, loose and draped, not nationalistic in character, and reflected magical and religious functions. From the 14th century, when costume became short and fitted, to the 19th century, clothing acquired personal and national characteristics. The third fashion phase, under the influence of industrial mass-production and European expansionism, beginning in the mid-19th century and continuing to the present, is less personal and more international, although there are also exclusive haute-couture designs for moneyed clientele. Readers will delight in the superior 1188 illustrations, including 356 full-color plates, that feature a bell-shaped, skirted terracotta idol from the eighth century B.C., sixth century B.C. funerary stele of the warrior Ariston, late 13th century Sicilian silk cloth, 17th century Rubens and Van Dyck and 19th century Renoir portraits, and a 1965 Saint Laurent minidress. The late Boucher and Deslandres were director and assistant, respectively, of the French Center for Costume Studies.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 459 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; Exp Sub edition (September 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810916932
• ISBN-13: 978-0810916937
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,600 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great place to start, April 11, 2000

By	Suzanne E. Mcbroom "luvbunny13" (Potsdam, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This thick reference book will look great on your coffee table... I've referenced it more times than I can count- if you are interested in historical costuming, this is a must have for a jumping point to do more research. It shows an overview of history through fashion, though I must admit the reading didn't draw me in, despite several attempts to drudge through it. More than anything, this book is full of copies of primary and secondary sources- both photographs of museum artifacts and details of paintings and sculptures. It has some nice information on Egyptian and Roman fashion in the beginning, but other than that its primary focus is on Anglo-Saxon oriented fashion. It must be stressed that this book is not an end all and be all when it comes to the word on fashion- though it provides a useful and generalized overview, and it may happen to have what you are looking for, it does completely ignore some very important years/fashions (example: Tudor, late 1400-mid 1500s! ). Caveat emptor, more for art fans and theatre costumers than die hard history buffs, but overall a good buy.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview, beatiful illustrations, December 2, 1998

By A Customer

I recommend this book primarily for those wanting a good overview of a very long period of time and for the beautiful pictures, many of which are in colour. However, especially for the periods before 1500, there often are simply not enough illustrations to accurately portray the changes in fashion during these years, and the text tends to focus on French fashion almost exclusively. I've also discovered errors in descriptions of styles by as much as a century and a half--best to ignore the text and make your own analysis based on the illustrations themselves, which are all contemporary sources, not modern interpretations or redrawing. A very good resource book for any costume library.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for anyone interested in the history of clothing., November 5, 1997

By A Customer

20,000 Years of Fashion is one of the best general overviews of the history of clothing. It is full of many beautiful color prints that are lovely to look at, and they are all considered "primary resource". Primary resources are paintings, drawings, statuary, or any art from that specific period. It is considered to be the most reliable and accurate depictions of what was worn (and even these are subject to interpretation). This is in contrast to this same artwork redrawn today. A good example of this are the really beautiful books of medieval costuming done during the Victorian era, such as those by Rascinet. The illustrations are redrawn from medieval paintings. They are beautiful color illustrations - but totally inaccurate. You can see the Victorian influence and mindset in their drawings. 20,000 Years of Fashion brings a general overview of clothing history and how it was influenced by its environment. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading about clothing history or anyone just looking for a lovely book of pretty pictures.