Never before has there been a costume book anything like this one, either in form of presentation or in scope.  Here in one handy volume is a comprehensive survey of the history of dress in the Western World—a unique visual encyclopedia that includes, for the first time anywhere, a detailed section of Americana.  This is a book for the lay reader or the professional—for anyone interested in or seeking data on fashions through the ages.  Comprising nearly eighteen hundred line drawings—twelve pages in color—and fifty pages of text, the book covers Western fashions from 2750 B.C. to 1925 A.D. The author, a noted illustrator, etcher, and painter, created the drawings from contemporaneous sources, instead of using the usual photographic reproductions, in order to achieve meticulous clarity free of irrelevant background material.  The result is not only an invaluable reference book, but in itself a work of art—and a colorful pictorial social history as well.

Beginning  with a brief review of the Ancient World, What People Wore then traces in greater detail European costume trends from the medieval period to World War I—including such specialized facets as armor and headgear.  The last third of the book presents a survey on American dress form mid-nineteenth century—the period when it began acquiring specific national characteristics—to 1925.  The Frontier, for example, which produced a definite folk dress, is fully depicted, as are numerous types of work-clothes native to America alone.  In illustrating this section, Mr. Gorsline has made rich use of photographic archives which, until he drew on them, had been virtually untapped.

The illustrations appear on chronologically dated pages, grouped according to periods, making possible instant reference-use; and there is an overall list supplying the source for every drawing.  A lively  prefatory text opens each section, and historical calendars of major events and personalities highlight the periods under review.  Ease of identification is an important feature of the presentation, which is distinguished by simplicity, clarity, and a sense of devoted artistic enthusiasm.   

From the dust jacket