Fashion is inescapable. Everyone wears clothes and that means making choices. The eternal question, ‘What should I wear?’ leads again and again to practical, strategic or irrational decisions. In this handbook, Karin Schacknat shows, in a new and orderly way, the development of clothes and clothing habits in Europe from antiquity to the beginning of the 21st century, from togas to Dolce & Gabbana, from 17th-century lace collars to Iris van Herpen. Much of what goes out of fashion eventually comes back in. The many images of clothing from the past are supplemented by recent illustrations, film stills and fashion photos by contemporary designers. The book is an enormous treasure trove of ideas in contemporary fashion design.