Sluttery Reads: Fifty Dresses That Changed The World

For those of us who aren't hardcore fashionistas, the concept that a dress has world-changing power may seem a little far-fetched. But after reading Fifty Dresses That Changed The World, it makes quite a lot of sense. Dresses have defined whole eras (try imagining the Swingin' Sixties without the mini-dress), made international headlines (Liz Hurley; safety-pins) and even revolutionised the way women are perceived in the business world (enter the Chanel suit).

The book has been compiled by the folks at the Design Museum, so dresses aren't given inclusion based on prettiness alone. This book takes fashion seriously (something that doesn't happen enough, to be honest) and as the introduction says, "these are dresses that have encapsulated particular movements in time in a particularly powerful way." This results in the list including the wedding dresses of royalty, outfits of movie stars and dresses that are still loved decades after their debut. But don't be put off if, like me, you don't know Marni from Missoni - it's still an enjoyable read.

Though the photos of each dress in action are fantastic, I particularly enjoyed the writing itself. The history and cultural importance of each dress is written up in absorbing detail and limited to a few paragraphs per dress - any more and it would read like a textbook.

Anyone appreciative of design and fashion would find this book as fascinating as I did.

Fifty Dresses That Changed The World (£7.79) at Amazon.co.uk.