Colin McDowell,  Seeking middle ground with his latest project, has written “The Anatomy of Fashion: Why We Dress the Way We Do” (to be published on Sept. 30 by Phaidon Press), Mr. McDowell, who has written more than 20 books, breaks fashion history down neatly by examining clothing as it relates to specific body parts. That is, the head, hips, torso, arms, genitals and so on. A chapter on wrists, for example, manages to include, in the space of two pages, references to Egyptian amulets, Queen Victoria, Gianni Agnelli, Swatch and Lance Armstrong’s rubber wristbands. Feet, bearing more burden, get eight pages. Read more here.