Fashion is a distinctive feature of the evolution of human beings and culture. Its extraordinary development through different civilizations and historical periods is generating tremendous interest today, not only within the fashion world and the academic community, but also among the general public on a massive scale, through traditional media and digital platforms. From the first cultural expressions to the latest trends, this book analyses the importance and meaning of this intriguing facet of human behaviour. Illustrated with a rich array of fact sheets, photographs and illustrations, Fashion: The Ultimate History of Costume is an essential guide to understanding this phenomenon. Its powerful visual elements, missing from many books, contribute to illuminating the diverse aspects of the fashion universe.

Through the book the reader will discover the beauty and mystery that imbues the world of fashion and the roles it has played in society: ranging from a merely practical function to its freest and most transgressing expressions, fashion reflects the social and cultural reality of each moment and is a unique example of the infinite creative capacity of human beings.