s the art and legacy of the cinematic costume designer, starting with the birth of the modern motion picture industry on a prime piece of California real estate known as Hollywood.

Readers will discover how film clothing evolved from actors selecting items from their home wardrobes to outfits customized for their roles -- everything from suits of armor to ball gowns to office attire to lingerie, all created by a studio designer and a dedicated staff of costumers.

They will also encounter the actresses from each decade who displayed a distinct fashion sense, on and off the screen -- women who made the costumer's job less demanding by embodying the character and evoking the time, place and circumstances the designer wished to portray.

"Feature spreads" throughout the chronological chapters include:

• Style makers: offering biographies of the legendary designers and showcasing their most outstanding creations
• Style trends: exploring the social movements and cultural phenomena that affected movie costumes and further influenced how America -- and the world -- dressed
• Album of trendsetters: highlighting red carpet fashions and introducing the fans' favorite Blondes, Brunettes and Redheads
• Men of the decade: showing how male actors used fashion -- contemporary, historical or futuristic -- to create a character or enhance ambience.

Hollywood Fashion will leave readers with a wider understanding of film costuming and an increased appreciation for the men and women who clothed the stars -- and made the spellbinding world of the American cinema memorable.