People have worn clothes for many different reasons. Beside warding off cold or expressing modesty clothes have been used throughout history to reflect social status and to attract or influence others.With a stunning series of specially commissioned photographs many of people wearing original costumes from unique private collections Costume charts the development of clothing from the first skins and furs of the Stone Age and the draped togas and chitons of ancient Rome and Greece to the flamboyant ruffs of the 16th century and the ultimately eclectic fashions of the 20th century.Outstanding close-up photographs show what a Viking would really have worn the eccentricity of the wigs and clothing worn by 18th century men the austere fashions of the late 19th-century and the minimal women's clothing of the 1960s.Costume is a unique exciting volume that breaks away from the traditional genre of costume books bringing to life both the clothes and the people who once wore them.