The gallery of fashion

The author has selected 100 portraits, held by the National Portrait Gallery London, as a basis for her study of costume and fashion. She focuses on the way the portrait subjects used fashion and costume to project a certain image of themselves. The study spans the period from the Tudors to the present day and ranges from Elizabeth I to Vivienne Westwood and from Sir Francis Drake to the Beatles. The book is illustrated with paintings, drawings and engravings and photographs of surviving examples of costume. The text explains the purpose and context of the dress in which each sitter chose to be portrayed. Further details are given in the form of documentation, related works of art and close-up details which focus on construction, decoration and design.