The Timeline of World Costume

This book covers 5000 years of the history and evolution of dress and fashion worldwide, from the studded leather stole of the Sumerian soldier c. 3000 BC to the studded leather jacket of the 20th-century punk. In colourful foldout pages over 800 accurately rendered figures display the costumes - plus a selection of the ornaments, weapons, musical instruments and household objects - of all the major peoples of the globe from every period. The book's ingenious layout encourages contrast and comparison. The single continuous strip format is divided into three timelines - the top for the inhabitants of Asia, the middle for the Europeans, and the lower for the peoples of Africa, the Americas and Oceania - so that the parallel development of costume is succinctly emphasized. Brief captions identify each person, garment and object, and an introduction sets the scene for the whole story.