Costume Design Research Guide

From the lavish productions of Hollywood's Golden Age through the high-tech blockbusters of today, the most memorable movies all have one thing in common: they rely on the magical transformations rendered by the costume designer. Whether spectacular or subtle, elaborate or barely there, a movie costume must be more than merely a perfect fit. Each costume speaks a language all its own, communicating mood, personality, and setting, and propelling the action of the movie as much as a scripted line or synthetic clap of thunder. A lavish tribute that mingles words and images of equal luster, Dressed is one book no film and fashion lover should be without.

This illustrated reference work traces the changing styles in costume and fashion design over 900 years, from the basic, functional dress of the medieval period to the brutality of punk. Its encyclopaedic coverage should benefit historians and theatrical groups as well as students of fashion.

Finding definitions for fashion is easier than ever. The Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion, 3rd Edition, defines more than 15,000 fashion terms, including apparel, accessories, and their components; historical and textile terms that relate to contemporary fashion; and the language of the fashion business. Its organization of 51 broad categories, such as activewear, blouses and tops, clothing, construction details, footwear, headwear, jewelry, laces, necklines, shirts, skirts, and waistlines, promotes comprehension of related terms.