Originally knit as underwear, the sweater is a practical garment with homely beginnings and has evolved as a fashion statement. This book traces the sweater's 300-year history as an aesthetic and craft object, telling the story of its materials and construction, national traditions, fads and fashion, and accessories. Learn about the panoply of yarns, Nordic patterns, buttons, vintage collars, runway designs, manufacturing, and today's explorations of form, structure, and material. No matter how far we have come technologically, there is something fundamental in the art of hand craft. This book expertly guides readers full circle through the inception of the hand knit to the advancement of technology and back to knitting with natural fibers.

Explore fashion history with legs at center stage-from the dawn of civilization through current-day trends. This book examines society's role in moving hemlines and in shaping "legcentric" traditions throughout history. What has changed or stayed the same in the course of fashion eras? How have legs appeared in dance, sport, performance, pageantry, and conventional or outre outfits? Find out how athletics, depictions in literature and art, and motifs in advertising and films reflect our changing times. Discover the styles, attitudes, customs, sex appeal, socially acceptable postures and walks, and more in this comprehensive view of leg fashions through the ages. Enjoy fashions from the waist down through 319 striking images explained in their historical context.