Describing 19th-century fashion from the neo-classical elegance of Jane Austen's time through to the graceful styles of the 1890s, the book covers men's, women's and children's fashions and the social, cultural and economic factors relating to them. The author has also written "The Male Image".

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The book traces the evolution of men's, women's and children's clothes throughout the 19th century, during which sweeping social changes were reflected in contemporary fashions. The author details the successive styles of the century, from the neo-classical elegance captured in the novels of Jane Austen, through the crinolines of the mid-Victorian epoch, to the styles now considered Edwardian but which had already begun to appear before Queen Victoria's death in 1901. The technical aspects of each style are described as are the attitudes and customs which underlined certain modes. Such peculiar institutions as the Victorian cult of mourning dress, and the enthusiasm for tight corseting are also explained. Included in the book are illustrations in black and white and colour, contemporary portraits, cartoons, fashion plates and advertisements.