"This book looks at the evolution of fashion history, the changes that have taken place in how and why it is studied and makes a strong case for the significance of public collections, many of which are now at risk." "It is not a traditional history of fashion but a book intended to make the reader think about how the subject has been and is being written about, the collections which are still, in many instances, under-used, and the ways in which knowledge of the subject can be applied to traditional and new methods of study - dress in art, uniformity and disguise, and the theatrical links."--BOOK JACKET.