Originally published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet’s Le Costume historique was in its day the most wide-ranging and incisive study of clothing ever attempted. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through to the end of the 19th century, the six volume work remains completely unique in its scope and detail.This TASCHEN reprint presents Racinet’s exquisitely precise color illustrations, as well as his delightful descriptions and often witty commentary. Spanning everything from ancient Etruscan attire to French women’s couture, material is arranged according to Racinet’s original plan by culture and subject. As expansive in its reach as it is passionate in its research and attention to detail, Racinet's Costume History is an invaluable reference for students, designers, artists, illustrators, and historians; and a rich source of inspiration for anyone with an interest in clothing and style.

Clothes define people. A person’s attire, whether it’s a sari, kimono, or business suit, is an essential code to his or her culture, class, personality, even faith. Founded in 1978, the Kyoto Costume Institute recognizes the importance of understanding clothes from sociological, historical, and artistic perspectives. With one of the world’s most extensive clothing collections, the KCI has amassed a wide range of historical garments, underwear, shoes, and fashion accessories dating from the 18th century to the present day.Showcasing the Institute’s vast collection, Fashion History is a fascinating excursion through the last three centuries of clothing trends. Featuring impeccable photography of clothing expertly displayed and arranged on custom-made mannequins, it is a testimony to attire as “an essential manifestation of our very being” and to the Institute's passion for fashion as a complex and intricate art form.The book's authors include some of the smartest minds and sharpest eyes in fashion studies: Akiko Fukai (Chief Curator of The Kyoto Costume Institute), Tamami Suoh (Curator of The Kyoto Costume Institute), Miki Iwagami (Lecturer of fashion history at Sugino Fa... [Read More]

Originally published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet’s Le Costume historique was in its day the most wide-ranging and incisive study of clothing ever attempted. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through to the end of the 19th century, the six volume work remains completely unique in its scope and detail.This TASCHEN reprint presents Racinet’s exquisitely precise color illustrations, as well as his delightful descriptions and often witty commentary. Spanning everything from ancient Etruscan attire to French women’s couture, material is arranged according to Racinet’s original plan by culture and subject. As expansive in its reach as it is passionate in its research and attention to detail, Racinet's Costume History is an invaluable reference for students, designers, artists, illustrators, and historians; and a rich source of inspiration for anyone with an interest in clothing and style.

A comprehensive and captivating overview of Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel creations, featuring more than 150 collections presented through original catwalk photography The collections of Karl Lagerfeld have made headlines and dictated trends in the world of fashion ever since his first show for Chanel in 1983. This superbly illustrated and lavishly produced publication---with real cloth binding, irridescent foil stamping, and ribbons for bookmarking your favorite pages---depicts every Chanel collection created by Lagerfeld (more than 150 in all), providing a unique opportunity to chart the development of one of the world’s most influential fashion brands and discover some rarely seen collections.  Chanel opens with a brief history and analysis of the House of Chanel from its creation to the present, followed by a biographical profile of Karl Lagerfeld. The collections are explored chronologically with short texts that highlight each collection’s influences and iconic looks, revealing Lagerfeld’s inspired reinvention of classic Chanel style elements from season to season. Each collection is illustrated with a carefully curated selection of catwalk images, showcasing hundreds of s... [Read More]

Originally published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet's Le Costume Historique was the most wide-ranging and intelligent study of clothing ever published. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through the end of the 19th century, the great work -- ""consolidated"" in 1888 into 6 volumes containing nearly 500 plates -- remains, to this day, completely unique in its scope and detail. Racinet's organization by culture and subject has been preserved in TASCHEN's magnificent and complete reprint, as have excerpts from his delightful descriptions and often witty comments. Perusing these beautifully detailed and exquisitely colored illustrations, you'll discover everything from the garb of ancient Etruscans to traditional Eskimo attire to 19th century French women's couture. Though Racinet's study spans the globe from ancient times through his own, his focus is on European clothing from the Middle Ages to the 1880s and this subject is treated with exceeding passion and attention to detail. Costume History is an absolutely invaluable reference for students, designers, artists, illustrators, and historians; it is also an immensely fascinating ... [Read More]

From togas to tailcoats: the evolution of style from antiquity to 1888 (TASCHEN's 25th anniversary - Special edition) Originally published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet's Le Costume historique was the most wide-ranging and intelligent study of clothing ever published. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through the end of the 19th century, the great work??consolidated?in 1888 into 6 volumes containing nearly 500 plates ? remains, to this day, completely unique in its scope and detail. Racinet's organization by culture and subject has been preserved in TASCHEN's magnificent and complete reprint, as have excerpts from his delightful descriptions and often witty comments. Perusing these beautifully detailed and exquisitely colored illustrations, you?ll discover everything from the garb of ancient Etruscans to traditional Eskimo attire to 19th century French women's couture. Though Racinet's study spans the globe from ancient times through his own, his focus is on European clothing from the Middle Ages to the 1880s and this subject is treated with exceeding passion and attention to detail. The Complete Costume History is an absolute... [Read More]

The evolution of style from antiquity to 1888  Originally published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet's Le Costume historique was the most wide-ranging and incisive study of clothing ever attempted. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through the end of the 19th century, the great work—published in six volumes containing nearly 500 plates—remains, to this day, completely unique in its scope and detail. Racinet's organization by culture and subject has been preserved in TASCHEN's magnificent and complete reprint, as have excerpts from his delightful descriptions and often witty comments. Volume I contains all plates from Racinet's work, reproduced in brilliant quality and showing the original's love for detail and color. Volume 2 collects the texts accompanying the images, giving descriptions and explanations, as well as the introduction by Françoise Tétart-Vittu. Perusing these beautifully detailed and exquisitely colored illustrations, you'll discover everything from the garb of ancient Etruscans to traditional Eskimo attire to 19th century French women's couture. Though Racinet's study spans the globe from a... [Read More]

Provides detailed drawings and information on women's fashions, underwear, and accessories

What People Wore When: A Complete Illustrated History of Costume from Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century for Every Level of

Togas, turbans, tailcoats, and top hats: The evolution of style from antiquity to 1888 Originally published in France between 1876 and 1888, Auguste Racinet's Le Costume historique was the most wide-ranging and incisive study of clothing ever attempted. Covering the world history of costume, dress, and style from antiquity through to the end of the 19th century, the six volume work remains completely unique in its scope and detail.TASCHEN's complete reprint presents Racinet's exquisitely precise and colored illustrations, as well as his delightful descriptions and often witty comments. Spanning everything from ancient Etruscan attire to French women's couture, material is

Masterful Form Balance meets movement in the structures of Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava is a world-renowned architect, structural engineer, sculptor, and artist. From the Athens 2004 Olympic Sports Complex to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in Manhattan, he exhibits a remarkable aesthetic and engineering prowess with a simultaneous sensitivity for both the appearance and the anatomy of a structure. With influences ranging from NASA space design to da Vinci's nature studies, Calatrava's creations are at once aerodynamic and organic in their associations. Natural forms and human movements inform a number of his projects, with a particular interest in the