History of Costume

Second series 1660 - 1800. Illustrated by Faith Jaques with a commentary by Margaret Stavridi.
The costumes of the period covered by this volume present a picture as extravagant, elegant and occasionally ludicrous as any in history. The seventeenth century is of particular interest as it saw three impertant changes in the costume of the Western world: the rise and dominance of France as the arbiter of style; universal fashion in which the well-to-do in every European country became indistinguishable from each other; and the emergence of the three-piece suit for men.