This indispensable guide to fashion provides in more than 1,200 entries detailed information on the life and work of every important designer from 1840 up to the present day. It includes not only couturiers but also shoe, hat, and knitwear specialists, costume designers, jewelers, and hairdressers. The extensive coverage encompasses the fashion media, photographers and illustrators, influential art movements, fashion terms, garment and accessory styles, technical processes, and every kind of fabric, as well as personalities who have influenced fashion or promoted a style, from Lillie Langtry to Diana Vreeland to Madonna. Illustrated in both color and black and white, international in scope, and completely up to date, this is an essential sourcebook for designers, students, collectors, and enthusiasts. Its full cross-referencing and wide-ranging bibliography provide invaluable additional information. Read Less