The ancient gods of fashion -- The spiritual, the professional and the uniform -- Fashionable men, veils and gloves -- Powdered wigs and muslins -- Underwear and dirt -- Meringues and sleek satin shifts -- High fashion and street fashion -- Whiteout.
"Pazazz examines the complex meanings of white clothing throughout history. Delicate and impractical, white cloth in the past was difficult to obtain, as well as to keep clean. It is a symbol of purity but also of class superiority, privilege, and the display of leisure. It represents the menace of the Ku Klux Klan, but also the transition of a bride to the married state. It can be the appropriate dress for mourning and shrouds. White lace is ethereal; straitjackets are tough stuff. White clothing has been a marker of innocence and simplicity for women, but also of calculated, high-maintenance fashion. And for men, white can be evidence of power. But for many, white is a startling absence of color, the epitome of elegance."--Jacket flap.
Clothing and dress--Social aspects--History
Clothing and dress--History--20th century