1 comments about Forbidden Dreams.

1. deserves a much wider audience than it seems to get, has a resemblance to the work of Stu Williamson (uk). Mostly colour pictures -vs- Williamson's black & white/tinted

No comments about Blue Book of Men's Tailoring: Grand Edition of Supreme System For Producing Men's Garments (1907).

No comments about Introduction to Accumark, Pattern Design, and PDM.

1 comments about Dressing Up Debutantes: Pageantry and Glitz in Texas (Dress, Body, Culture).

1. A few years ago, a friend of mine moved to San Antonio, Texas. Every year at the end of April, San Antonio holds "Fiesta Week" and the one of the main events is the Coronation of the Queen of the Order of the Alamo. The Queen, the Princess and 24 Duchesses display the most unbelievable gowns made anywhere -- the trains alone are many feet long, and are covered with beads and rhinestones, all to illustrate an aspect of the theme of that year's coronation. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

   This book is a serious sociological study of this event and its history, but it also sheds light on the context of Coronation within the history of San Antonio, with some surprising aspects -- read about "El Rey Feo", and the Hispanic community's response to Coronation. It is fascinating start to finish, and could only be improved by the addition of more illustrations.

1 comments about Historic Fashion from Around the World CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

1. "Historic Fashion From Around The World: 96 Royalty-Free Designs" offers a unique survey of more than 400 years of 'high fashion' ranging from the late fifteenth century to the mid-1800s as revealed in portraits by celebrated artists ranging from Durer and Titian to Rubens and van Dyck, making this an indispensable reference for students of fashion history, commercial artists, and costume designers.

3 comments about Wedding Fashions, 1862-1912 : 380 Costume Designs from "La Mode Illustree".

1. The Victorians paid a lot of especial attention to wedding costumery, as Joanne Olian shows in her slim volume displaying the evolution of bridal and bridal-party fashion from 1860 to 1912 as seen in the fashion plates of the famous magazine "La Mode Illustree". The illustrations, all in B&W, are full-page and always accompanied by at least one paragraph of descriptive text taken from the original source material. This book should be owned in conjunction with Olian's other volume, "Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from La Mode Illustree", for a really comprehensive look at the topic of Victorian fashion. Also, anyone who is considering organizing a Victorian-themed wedding will definitely want to peruse this book for ideas!



2. Dover has a whole series of books devoted to reproductions of vintage fashions. "Wedding Fashions, 1860-1912: 380 Costume Designs from 'La Mode Illustree'" has not only reproductions of illustrations but also detailed descriptive captions. These are not just bridal gowns done in satin, taffeta, and lace, but also creations for bridal attendants, sisters of the bride, and so forth (the idea that the sister of the bride has to have a special dress was an interesting insight into Victorian society). These authentic Victorian fashions will be of interest to costume designers, cultural historians, and fashion enthusiasts. Companion volumes provide full-color fashion plates, contemporary photographs, and authentic fashion patterns.



3. delightful book with lots of pictures of victorian style wedding attire. useful for "dedicated to detail costumers' and for modern brides who want the victorian look for their weddings as well. plenty of detail pictures of shoes, corsets undergarments,headdresses etc. i would definitely recommend this book.

2 comments about Geoffrey Beene: The Anatomy of His Work.

1. As this is one of the few books available on the artistry of Geoffrey Beene, it is both a welcome addition to the world of fashion-photography books and sadly, a very weak treatment of the how-and-why of his work. The photos are oversized and some are gate-folded, but there are not nearly enough to cover the breadth of more than 30 year's design that is Beene's history. He is and always will be apart from many American designers. His is a mixture of the ease/casual feel of sportswear, and at the same time, the epitome of the couturier/dressmaker's craft. Aerodynamic, sleek, modern, iconoclastic are just some of the words used to describe his vision. However, the publisher neglected to go into greater detail as to why Beene is described as such. It would have been helpful to read of his early days working in Paris couture workrooms picking up pins and assisting with the production of toiles. Such is one of the many stories that surround the Beene legend. The quotations from Beene himself are somewhat informative, but someone should write a definitive biography of his life and work in greater detail. A nice book to look at, but not much more.



2. I'm surprised that Booklist calls the text of this book "witty and informative." I found the text to be the major weakness of the book. It's vague, rambling, and completely UNinformative. I didn't learn about Beene's background, education, training, or business. All I got was a lot of fashion-speak garble about his brilliance and genius. The writing is just really, really bad.

   The most interesting part of the book is the final section, which is entirely quotes from Beene himself. The photos are lovely, but 120 is too few to give a good overview of Beene's work; he has been designing for 30+ years and must have designed hundreds or even thousands of garments by now. This book shows too few of them.

   Overall, this book was disappointing.

4 comments about Beauty Shots (Pro-Lighting Series).

1. This best is great if you want to see other photographers photographs and how they lit there pictures (but not in detial). It does not talk about lighting. It just gives examples. You can learn more doing tests yourself. This is a good book for the price.



2. Great book. You won't find explanations on how the camera works or how different lenses behave in here. This is a book for those who already know how to use their equipment but are looking for new and different idea. Lots of different styles and techniques are illustrated by top and side diagrams that I found to be quiet helpful. This book is a great learning source for studio photography techniques.



3. This was a good book if you already know alot about lighting. The problem is this that it doesn`t talk about lighting it just shows you examples. Doesn`t say why you put this light here and what effect it has on the film. I do say though it is worth it to add it to your libary if the price is right.



4. An excellent reference for the studio photographer. However I feel that the info on each lighting lacks crucial information, such as light ratios. If you have five different light sources it's crucial to know which is the main one and what its intensity is in relation to the others. Since these books are about the lighting and nothing but the lighting, I feel that such details should be in there. It would also be nice to know something more about the darkroom and/or the digital post production of the shots, because the effects in the shots are only partially created by the lighting.

1 comments about 'New Raiments of Self': African American Clothing in the Antebellum South (Dress, Body, Culture).

1. Bradley Foster uses primary sources to illutrate the clothing of the African American antebellum community. A must read for anyone who is interested in the social structure of the South.

No comments about Cigar Style (Memoirs).