5000 years of fashion

New Jersey: Chartwell Books, Inc. - A Division of Book Sales, Inc., 1979. First American Edition First Printing . Hard Back. Very Good/Good. 9" X 10 1/2. 167 Pages. Originally published in Italy in 1977. Black boards with silver lettering to the spine. No defects noted to this used book in Near Fine condition. Flawless interior pages have illustrations on every page and almost all are in color. Dust jacket has two tears at the top spine area and a half inch chunk out of the bottom front. Fashion is seen here as an ever changing reflection of human history, in which, since the dawn of civilization, women have tended to play a determining part through what used to be described as petticoat influence. To be noticed, or rather to express one's personality through one's appearance seems to be, and always to have been, the chief demand on fashion as the visual expression of an era. Deep necklines, see-through blouses, jewel- encrusted fabrics, voluminous skirts supported on crinolines, close-fitting jeans, all are expressions of this fundamental need. Fashionable clothes, once the privilege of the few, are now worn by the masses. Fashion is far from finished. In its multiple exotic, folk and ethnic forms it survives and flourishes. Today it has become the expression of a global consciousness encompassing the whole earth. Perhaps achievements in space have convinced us at last that we are all citizens of the same planet. The vast distances that once separated peoples and countries have shrunk to modest proportions and satellites bring us instant pictures of events occurring on the other side of the world. The fashions of our time make us aware of our planet's colorful diversity and popularize elements and themes from far-off lands. Once we have run through the differences that still distinguish one culture or geographical situation from another, the new citizen of the world will be free to adapt fashion to express his own individual thoughts and personality. The future is up to all of us, especially the young, so fashion, and not only fashion, is in our own hands.