Book excerpt: Meet the book that defined fashion for generations of Americans in the twentieth century-the Sears Catalog. European couture designs were beautiful in fashion magazines but the average person with an average income shopped for clothing in department stores. The Sears Catalog brought household goods and fashionable clothing to everyone, whether they had access to a department store or not. Pictured here is clothing for men, women, and children taken from actual Sears Catalogs from the late 1950s, along with descriptions and original prices. Current values for some items are included as a reference guide for collectors of 1950s vintage clothing. Who can forget slim sheaths and whirly skirts, rolled-up dungarees and pedal pushers, bouffant slips and taffeta prom gowns, fraternity prep jackets and children's western wear? With more than 400 color photographs, this book offers a nostalgic look into fashionable clothing of an era which defined an entire generation.