Author Description

Published in the summer of 2010 in print and online, the 10-volume Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion is the first comprehensive reference work to explore all aspects of dress and fashion globally - from pre-history to the present day. Arranged geographically and written by an international team of experts, the Encyclopedia will serve as the go-to source for all issues relating the art and anthropology of costume, dress, and fashion the world over for students, scholars, members of the design and fashion industries, and fashion aficionados for years to come.The Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion brings together for the first time the work of over 600 renowned scholars from every part of the globe. All articles have been specially commissioned and particular effort has been made to commission articles by indigenous scholars with in-depth local knowledge.From the Baltic to the Balkans, and from Siberia to the Caucasus, the lands covered in this volume contain a multitude of cultures with rich and distinctive dress and textile traditions. However, tradition has not been the only factor shaping dress in the region. The contrast between ethnic and urban dress provides a revealing lens through which to consider individual and cultural identities across the region. Attitudes toward dress have also been shaped by socialism and its demise, as the former "Eastern bloc" states have undergone massive upheaval. This landmark volume is the first major reference work to provide a comprehensive overview of dress within this vast and complex region. Broad surveys of individual countries are supplemented with case studies focusing more narrowly on people, practices, and objects to provide both range and depth. The long tradition of exquisite embroidery is highlighted. The volume also has articles on the influence of the Ottoman Empire on this part of Europe, a discussion of Roma dress, and a "Snapshot" on Balkan bandits. A pioneering, major reference work, East Europe, Russia, and the Caucasus also places dress within the political and sociocultural contexts that have shaped people and nations in this region.