In the portraits of Renaissance monarchs and their court silk stockings invariably smoothly tighten their legs - in real life this will be possible only in the 20th century, with the appearance of elastic synthetic fabrics. This is just one example of how artists correct the everyday imperfections of a fashion suit, bringing it closer to the ideal. The paintings show us what the outfit should have looked like (rather than what it actually looked like), fully revealing its aesthetic and sensual potential. Anne Hollander's book The Matter of the Visible deals with this kind of idealization and stylization of the human figure - processes in which fashion and painting participate equally, inspiring and nourishing each other. The influence of fashion on painting is most noticeable in the fact that even the naked figure on the canvas acquires the proportions that are relevant at that time. On the other hand, painting invents poses that become an integral part of the fashionable lexicon. So, flirtatiously emerging from the folds of the fabric of the bare shoulder with baroque images of penitent Mary Magdalene through a long chain of images-intermediaries over time passes to photos of Hollywood actresses. A separate exciting plot is associated with the role of picturesque draperies, which, starting with the works of Michelangelo, completely obey the artistic idea, ignoring the laws of physics. Hollander's book will help to take a fresh look at both well-known works of art and modern fashion and the ways of styling the body that it offers.