4 comments about The Dynamics of Fashion (3rd Edition).

1. I've enjoyed reading this text for class because it's easy to follow and very up-to-date! The hardcover was easier to 'damage' or more sensitive than most. Overall, nice content.



2. I was very satisfied with my purchase. The book was in great shape. And the shipping was faster than I expected. Thank you!



3. I think this book is one of the best for the industry. It provides everything you need to know about the business side of fashion. Great images throughout the book. Everything is made clear and well written.



4. This book was required for a course I took, and for good reason. I bought the book brand new, which is why I think I might hang on to it rather than reselling it. Anyone interested in, curious about or part of the fashion industry would benefit from this book.

5 comments about Draping for Apparel Design (2nd Edition).

1. I've been waiting to purchase this book for quite a while...... and it was worth the wait.
   It's packed with numerous projects, detailed instructions, and clear illustrations to help you visualize the process.
   A timeless resource for all clothing enthusiasts.



2. This was the text for a college draping class I took. I appreciate that this book is mostly simple to follow. However, there were many instances in which all the classmates were left scratching their head, because the directions are not extremely detailed. Sometimes it will say to spread a fabric a certain direction, yet I wouldn't know whether to keep it there or undo it for another step.
   
   In one instance, the first piece I draped was a bodice, and I followed the directions exactly. It seemed to hug my dressform perfectly. That was the problem, though. I didn't realize it was too tight until my instructor pointed it out; one of the steps included adding ease by measuring out a new point for the side seam. But it didn't emphasize that the reader needs to re-mark the side seam to this new line, so if you're following the directions to a T, you'll still get it wrong. In that way, it assumes you will know what to do and it can be very annoying.
   
   Also whenever we were at a point in draping a garment, it was not very clear as to how to deal with the armhole/cutting away excess fabric properly. The photos and instructions would show the excess fabric on the form, then suddenly in the next step the armhole had been cut away without mention. It would say how to cut it away, but not how it should be done. Most of the time I just guessed, and it looked horrible. Also, if you're looking at instructions for a certain type of skirt, if there are "overlapping" directions, you will be instructed to reference a page that has general but not specific guidelines, so your questions aren't really answered.
   
   For the price I'm very disappointed that it's not as useful for my purposes; nothing can replace learning from someone else directly. The only reason I'm holding onto it is that it does have great basic info, and ironically I want to try making the circle skirt which shows you how to make a flat pattern. And also, I'm taking another draping class and want to keep this as a reference for specific styles. If it's still not up to par I will resell it.
   
   I agree with another reviewer that there are typos; I also drafted a sleeve using the instructions on page 51, and only got it right after looking at the picture for clarification instead of the text. Also another gripe is that there are charts for standard sizes to select which size your sleeve:6,8,10, etc(or other garment piece)should be made, but no size conversion chart if you didn't know the size already. Even though dress forms have the size stamped on them, the ones in our class all had a 26 inch waist! So in that way the sizes didn't help. For this kind of instruction they really should include a DVD as a necessary supplement. It's probably fine for home sewers, and for getting a 'taste' of draping, but not up to par if you're instructor leaves you to do the work yourself, without instruction, and expects professional work.



3. I bought this book because my college course told me so. I would like to say that you can probably save money by just buying the other draping book. i forgot the name of it but it's just simple draping 1 book that has purple and green on the cover page. this book is a great book if you do not know the basic of draping. Or if you are not creative enough to create your own design without a step by step manual for how it is done. All in all it's a great book. I bought it for 80 dollars and used it quite a few times just to create outfits for myself.



4. Received wrong textbook. Sent it back, never got the right one. Had to contact Amazon to get a refund.



5. Cardmaking has drawn me away from sewing for some time and it is because of a lack of good advanced reference books available for pattenmaking and sewing for home sewers. I love to design, this book has opened my creative process up again and inspired me to return to pattern making. This book is not for a begining pattern maker or seamstress. You can learn from it but it will overwhelm you. I am still in the process of reading and learninig what the book has to offer. For the price I believe it will meet my needs at least for a while and allow me the freedom to recreate some of the fashions I love in the expensive catalogs I can't afford to buy nor want to.
   
   As I work through the book and put it the test I will be in a better place to review how great the information is and how well one can use it. As in any craft, your ability to take a material and do something fabulous is often a matter of the work invovled, putting the time and energy into the process, and having access to the great materials.
   
   Scrapbooking and paper crafting has exploded with great products but the seamstress must dig hard to find the products that will bring awe and a great finished product. This has not changed as I have been in and out of many fabric shops recentley looking for fabrics. But the internet certainly has a lot to offer in fabrics provided you know what you want and are willing to buy sight unseen which comes with a whole other set of complications to deal with. Women like Martha Pullen keep the craft of sewing fresh and inspiring. I was excited to find this book and didn't think twice about investing the money. The book was everything I was seeking and so much more. jnetti.

5 comments about Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers.

1. In the past several weeks I have checked out all the major titles in sewing instruction from the library, to suss them out before buying... and I've narrowed it down to two titles. This is one of them.
   
   I have been sewing for 24 years and find this title to be the most instructional, encouraging, inspiring, and thorough. It is very well-written, and I'm enjoying reading it cover to cover. I believe it is worth the price they are asking for - as a resource for ambitious sewists. I can't believe I haven't read more of these sewing titles sooner in my sewing career -- it's a bit embarrassing, actually! I now have this title, as well as Vogue Sewing, on my Wishlist. I'm looking forward to the publication of The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques. If that is a good resource (for a quarter of the price of this one) it will supersede this one on my Wishlist!



2. This book is definitely an improvement over the sewing book I used in school back in 1999...
   but I would expect it to be as it's been nearly 11 years. That being said, the Amanda Crawford
   book we were forced to purchase was not cheap at around $70. This book is analogous to parents
   telling their children how when they were going to school they had to walk 5 miles in 3 foot high snow.
   It is a vast improvement over what has been available and I am definitely glad to have it.
   
   If you were to get only 1 book, I would say this is the most comprehensive one available.
   However some techniques are explained vaguely or not covered, so it is not 100%.
   However, I think 93% great is still considered an A.
   
   You should buy this book if, 1. you can't afford art school or 2. want a solid reference for most
   sewing techniques and methods.
   
   Also, I found some of the design ideas shown in the drawings to be very practical. Slightly
   classic, not too avant-garde, but solid application of the techniques featured.



3. I bought this bought a few months ago based on the reviews I found on Amazon. The book is quite comprehensive but, is seriously lacking in pictures (actual photos of the construction process) and a bit tedious to read. Especially when it makes references to a drawing located somewhere in the book which literally has you searching all over the book for the particular diagram.
   
   I do not consider myself to be a novice in sewing construction since I have sewn on and off for many years. And, I did attend fashion school. I thought this book would bridge the gap between what I know, what I may have forgotten and what I never learnt. But, it fails to do so because of a lack of organisation - the diagrams which a particular page speaks of should be on the same page, and not 5 or more pages back!
   
   And the authors failed to realise that since persons taking a sewing class learn by what they are shown, there needs to be actual photos of the process. Even if it made the book larger then make the book two books.
   
   Bottom line - not worth the money - instead buy the singer reference series of sewing books, they are well laid out with pictures and cover a variety of garments.



4. Book is very clear and concise for beginning sewing. More advanced sewers might find it too simplified.



5. This book is a delight with all the beautiful and clear pictures. However, a lot more than you need to know as a home sewer. Also, I'm not so sure what this book has to make it worth the money. For me, personally, "The Complete Book of Sewing" (2003) by DK Publishing is much more helpful and far better useful.

5 comments about The Art of Manipulating Fabric.

1. The photos alone provide an education in sewing possibilities, from the most basic applications to envelope-pushing artistic expression.



2. I thought I sent a review previously. I'm very pleased with the book. The fast service and condition of the book was great. The Art of Manipulating Fabric is a book I wanted the first time I saw it. The transaction was quick and easy. My expectations were met. Thank You



3. It has a very nice variety of techniques for making that piece of fabric "something else". There are more techniques out there that haven't been included in the book, but it's not an encyclopedia, just one book. I don't give it 5 stars because the photographs are quite small, and sometimes insufficient, but overall the book is useful an interesting.



4. Types of techniques are grouped in easy to find and peruse sections. Instructions are generally clear and are illustrated with LOTS of photos. My only negative criticism would be that some of the techniques seem a bit "out there" to me. In fairness, it may be that I simply have no particular use for them.
   
   If you do a lot of sewing, quilting or any fabric crafting this book is a must have.



5. This book is wonderful, it provides numerous techniques with excellent instructions that can be used in quilting and garment sewing. Fantastic ideas. Price was good and condition outstanding. Very prompt delivery.

5 comments about The Mammoth Book of Tattoos.

1. while reading this i noticed that a lot of these tattoos don't really seem "book worthy" however the artists themselves are all pretty solid, if you've seen Miami or LA ink then you probably have seen a lot of these tattoos.
   this is a good book to check out if your thinking about getting a tattoo or considering becoming a tattooist
   there are a lot of good ideas here along with a few mediocre ones.



2. Not only did I get a swingin' deal on the 3 tattoo-related books I ordered (including THIS one), but they all arrived asap, and were WELL worth the low moolah. This Mammoth Book of Tattoos is a great clear-picture showcase of dozens of tat artists from numerous countries. There are several pages of super-nice work from each artist represented, and such a rich variety of styles as to be mind-boggling. I insist you get this book for inspiration, reference, and awe. Tho thick with pages, the smaller dimensions of the book do not diminish the quality of art within. If you are interested in tattoos, but don't get this book then you must hate your parents and eat puppies. Boo-yah. --Spider McClintock, Five-Star Tattoo Co.



3. But not too good as well. Nice pictures even thou in a small format. light text introducing the artist. Top notch works.
   If you are a tattoo parlor owner it is a nice coffee table book to get the clients some ideas.



4. one thing to know- this book is SMALL in length-so if you want a coffee table book of good size, I'd disagree with others who stated this was "perfect"....still, the artwork was AWESOME, the tattoo artists, world famous, and the work beautiful to look at. I am happy with it and enjoy seeing beautiful body art so well photographed and exibited.



5. This book is really nice, you need this in your book collection! With good quality, full color photos it presents lots of great artist worldwide. It also has referance (url's) to most of the artists online. I give it 4 stars because with is's size it could use a index on where to find a spesific tattoo style. If you know the artists name, no problem. All in all, great inspiration.

5 comments about Survey of Historic Costume.

1. This book isn't as cool as the cover makes it look. A lot fewer good pictures than I expected (I'm a very visual learner), but the content is good and covers a lot of material. I did learn some great stuff.



2. Another class, another textbook. This book is a heavy, thick hardcover that is more of a chore to lug around than my laptop. Another book published by Fairchild Publications, the New York publishers who own WWD and W magazine. This is the text chosen by the current professor teaching History of Costume at my college. Background - this class is considered a "multi-cultural" course which is transferable for university credit. So it must cover social and historical aspects of the different epochs of Western Costume that are covered in this text. Having said that, there is a lot of social/political history between these covers, and surprisingly, not as many images as I'd hoped for in a book of this density.
   
   I have a pretty extensive collection of books on clothing/costuming from different time periods, and this text pretty much skims the surface. The good is that they use artifacts from the different time periods, so you can see how people of that culture saw themselves in their clothing. The author has also included diagrams in some of the early sections, showing how different scholars have hypothesized how earlier cultures draped their garments around the human body. So that is also interesting. The bibliographies at the end of each chapter are pretty good, and I noticed some books referenced here that I already have in my collection. But really, for the amount of money charged for this oversized doorstop, I'm really disappointed in the number of images included.
   
   Considering the constraints for the multicultural requirement, I suppose this book was created with that end purpose in mind. For instance I would have rather have seen some photographs of extant Georgean garments in good condition than contemporary engravings of what slaves wore in the period. Sorry. It's like People magazine - I want to see what Sandra Bullock wears to the Oscars - not what Jane Doe wears when she goes shopping at Wal-Mart. I also found it amusing that the authors deemed it necessary to create categories for "fashion tribes" when they reached the contemporary chapter. See if that inclusion doesn't date this book sooner than necessary.
   
   As I said, I found this text to be a disappointment overall. Would I buy it if the professor didn't require it? Nope. There are much better history of fashion books out there (a lot of different Dover or Tacshen publications for example) that are better value and have more images for the serious student of fashion/costume design.



3. I bought this book as a text book for a class, and I love it. It weighs a ton, but it is written well and is enjoyable to read



4. Beautifully done. A very good reference for anyone interested in costume or fashion. I am using it right now for my history of costuming class and I plan on keeping it for further use.



5. I was very pleased with this product. It was packaged very well and arrived in pristine condition. :)

5 comments about Fashion: From Concept to Consumer (9th Edition).

1. I was introduced to this book as a student @ Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). I often referred to this book to enhance my skills in the fashion industry. I currently misplaced this book and my heart is broken. I love this book.



2. It's a great book.. I will definitley recommend to everyone who wants start your own fashion line...



3. I used this textbook in a college course called Survey of the Fashion Industry. The text covers all aspects of merchandising, with a strong focus on fashion design (entire chapters on textiles, etc). Good photos and lots of material!



4. Quality book. Received in a timely manner.



5. Plain and simple this is the best fashion book to study!

5 comments about High Style: Masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1. If you are seeking a vintage couture resource that is complete, informative, with great photos, this would be the one for you. It is similar in feeling to the Kyoto Costume Institute book with fantastic photos and descriptions of the best of the best. I managed to see both the Brooklyn Musuem Exhibit AND the Metropolitan Museum exhibit in one weekend. These were some of the most amazing garments that one will be able to see. Most will agree that the Brooklyn Museum exhibit was laid out better and easier to see than the Met's, but they did make a nice sister exhibit. Most of the garments here are from the Brooklyn Museum with a few add ins from the collection and a few deletions from the original exhibit. But for the most part, it is pretty complete. This is a great tool for the vintage couture collector and quite an education on most of the leading designers and a few that have long become forgotten, especially the American Designers. That is the most interesting part. The Women American designers were quite informative including Eta Hentz, Bonnie Cashin, and of course, Clare McCardell. The Worth and the Charles James collections are some of the finest and perfect examples of their couture that is in existence today. That alone makes it worth purchasing this resource.
   The Book is not too big and not too small. The price is right and the glossy photos and finish of the book is amazing. I recommend this book highly!



2. A fabulously presented book with beautiful photos and informative text. Worth the price for just the Charles James section alone! A feast for the eyes and soul.
   I couldn't be happier with this book.



3. This is an amazing book to read and just soak in the pictures. I almost never write a review, but when a book is this outstanding, you want others to see it.



4. It is a very thick book and quite chic. It shows a lot of detail of clothes, and finesse in fashion design.
   
   Highly recommended.



5. If you are a designer, stylist, or just fashion enthusiast -this book is full of inspiration and beauty. I especially love envisioning how I can incorporate some of the details of these garments into modern apparel I am making. A ruffle, pleating technique, color combination - this book is a gem.

1 comments about Infashion: Fun! Fame! Fortune!.

1. This is a great text full of great info. However, there are a few minor gramatical errors that I am surprised that someone in production did not catch.

4 comments about The Hermes Scarf: History & Mystique.

1. The Bible for Scarf legend company.
   If you can't afford the scarves, just look at the beautiful prints from this book can be closest thing in this world.



2. I purchased because my grilfriend loves hermes scarves but also, she loves to read!!! and there is few words to do it, it is just like a photo album, an Hermes catalogue, completely disappointing for me, sorry!.



3. I am not a fan of hermes, so I got surprised to receive this book as a present. In fact it was an excellent surprise,; the designs of the scarves are beautiful, original, full of imagination, sometimes witty,or classic- lot of details to enjoy. An extra information regarding the making of the scarves, their design origins would have been welcome.
   Overall a great book for anyone who likes design and the variety of references and styles.



4. Granted, in the "Foreword", no less than Mr. Pierre-Alexis Dumas says "It is not an exhaustive catalogue of the two thousand or so different designs; after all, why pin down butterflies when you can set them free to fly?". Nevertheless, I was a bit disappointed by the book, as lovely and beautiful as it may be.
   
   Even if it didn't feature ALL two thousand+ designs, it would have been nice to see a bit more than what's chronicled in the book, and it doesn't seem to provide a concrete reason/rationale as to why those particular designs were selected over others.
   
   None of the pictures or the visuals of the scarves come with notations/references. To figure out what's been shown, you have to go to the back of this not-so-tiny book and read through pages 291 ~ 300. A bit awkward and annoying to say the least.
   
   It's a shame since clearly a lot of effort went into designing this good looking publication. I would love to know if there are other books that better chronicle the designs, even if it means a metaphorical capture of those butterflies.