4 comments about Costume Jewelry Identification and Price Guide (Confident Collector).

1. This book was perhaps a little more helpful than another by this author pertaining to costume jewelry but it still leaves much to be desired for the beginner trying to learn about prices and pieces of costume jewelry. I do not recommend.



2. This book has wonderful information about different styles of costume jewelry, history, and manufacturing. For me however, I found that there were not enough photos, and the photos that were included, because they are black and white and because of the type of paper the book is printed on, are just not clear enough.

   One of the reasons I bought a number of books on this subject was to help me recognize the pieces when I saw them. Because the photos are not clear it was harder for me to put my new found knowledge to practice in the real world, because I wasn't quite sure if what I was seeing was the same as what was in the book.




3. I sell vintage costume jewelry for a living so, as you can probably imagine, I have a lot of books on the subject. This is definitely one of the best. It's filled with fantastic background information on the making of costume jewelry, the top name designers and popular styles. The photos (b&w and color) provide good illustrations and are often of rarer, less-frequently-seen styles. I also like the fact that it's a smaller paperback book (as opposed to a large format hardcover). It's easier to take to antique/jewelry shows and thumb through when necesary.



4. Quite a good reference book on costume jewelry! It is divided into chapters by eras, i.e. - 20's, 30's, etc.... Not only does this book show jewelry and give prices, but it also gives info on what was going on in the jewelry industry during that era, which gives you help in identifying the age of pieces not found in the book. The pictures are mostly in B&W, but are very crisp and well photographed. The few color pictures are stunning. One note of caution to newbies - many of the book values in here are quite high - do not expect to get anywhere near that amount when you sell a piece, unless you sell in a very large city, and even then expect to "discount" a little. In all, however, this book has a ton of info and resources (even a dealer's directory!), and is well worth buying.

5 comments about Manolo Blahnik.

1. For the Carrie Bradshaw in all of us! Carrie taught the world how to say Manolo and now we are all obssesed it's a great keepsake for the shoe attict in all of us women!



2. ... I bought this book. I have a foot fetish, shoe fascination. I make shoes. I love this man. I came away from this book feeling that this man was very shallow.

   The photos were disappointing. Those of us with shoe obsessions won't be satisfied with this book. The shoes shown aren't original; the manner in which they are shown isn't either.

   Perhaps I was too hungry for something as original as Manolo.




3. as a long time manolo aficionado, i was deeply disappointed in colin mc dowell's tribute to one of the greatest artistic geniuses of our time, manolo blanhnik. as geniuses go, blahnik's a very complicated man, and i feel that mc dowell doesn't begin to do him justice. i came away from the book wanting to know more. besides that, i don't feel the photographs and sketches were necessarily indicative of blahnik's best work.



4. As a woman and a fan of shoes, I'm here to tell you that you can't get any better than Manolo Blahnik. His creations are sexy, stylish, and comfortable. And thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker and "Sex & the City", they are all the rage. But there is one tiny problem...they are also VERY expensive. For those of us that can't afford to run down to Neiman Marcus and slap down $600.00 for these sexy stiletto's, there's "Manolo Blahnik" by Colin McDowell. The pictures in this book will take your breathe away. You'll find yourself salivating over everything from linen mules to toe-ring slides. The book itself is more like a work of art than a book about footwear. It's also interesting to learn how Blahnik creates these beauties.

   I suggest this book for fans of Manolo or those who wish they could afford them. Beautiful book! It'll make you go out and buy a few pairs!

   Gennie Bailey-Rogers




5. A terrific book, depicting one of the world's greatest shoe designers and creators, Manolo Blahnik. Makes a wondeful coffee table book, which is filled with entising photographs. A fabulous book darlings!

1 comments about Spezial Fotografie: Rankin (Portfolio, Number 32).

1. This series is an absolutely amazing value for money, very large, high quality print photos at a very reasonable price.
   
   Rankin's photos are masterful - technically brilliant, thought provoking yet playfull.
   
   Triple thumbs up.

2 comments about Lands' End Business Attire for Women: Mastering the New ABCs of What to Wear to Work.

1. When I first saw this book I dismissed it as a sort of glorified Lands End catalog, but when I browsed through it I changed my mind. While it's true that the illustrations all feature products you could find at LE, they are generic enough to be purchased from any retailer who sells classic clothing. If your workplace has no rules at all, or if you are required to wear a uniform, you don't need this book. If you are looking for advice about looking, thinner, sexier, or more fashionable, this is not the book you want either. The author mentions right up front that the business outfits shown in the book are NOT intended to showcase the female form or be a vehicle for self-expression. For someone who wants to look appropriate and professional in the contemporary American business world, this book would be a useful starting point. If you are a recent graduate starting a career, or if you are an older person re-entering the work force, this book can give you the basics of building a casual business wardrobe. If you have read other books about the unwritten dress codes of American business, or if your employer has given you specific guidelines, you won't learn much that is new. However, if your workplace has a dress code that isn't clearly defined, but involves wearing casual clothing on a regular or occasional basis, this book is worth a look. (I mean that literally, the text is pretty flimsy, but the pictures will give you plenty of good ideas). Actually, the Lands End Guide covers a lot of the same ground as John Molloy's Dress for Success books, but his books are more text-based, with just a few illustrations. (Please see my review of Molloy's Women's Dress for Success book for more details). This one is mainly illustrations of clothes, with brief comments on how to shop for them, and why they are suitable for work. If you consider yourself a visual learner, or are pressed for time, this book covers the basics pretty well. It isn't everything you will need to know, but it would be hard to look inappropriate if you wear clothing similar to what you see in this book.



2. Enjoyed the book--something for everyone from new hire to veteran. Visually interesting, good descriptions, as up-to-date as possible.
   
   But Beware: Publisher needs a fact-checker. A prominent story about the Colorado Surpreme Court passing a dress-code for attorneys is bogus. It was an April Fool's prank in 2001 circulated by the Colorado Bar Assn. As this book was published in 2004, the author and others had 3 years to find the error prior to publication.

5 comments about Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli.

1. This is one of the best books about a prominent fashion designer.
   Elsa Schiaparelli's work is intelligently analyzed and the book is beautifully illustrated with color and black and white photographs of her designs as well as her domestic and retail interiors. Her collaborative work with artists including Dali and Cocteau is also covered, with photographs of the fruits of their work (eg Surrealistic designs for prints and embroidery).
   Six of Schiaparelli's most important collections are covered in detail, including the Circus, Lucky Stars and Music in the Air collections.
   Schiaparelli's influence on other designers is fascinating to observe. Most notably on the work of Yves Saint-Laurent in the eighties (strong colors, opulent embroidery) and on John Galliano in more recent years (newspaper prints, trompe l'oeil draping)
   This book is a must for all students of fashion design and fashion history.



2. Very pretty and informative book about Schiaparelli's design. Reading this book I felt like during my fashion design practise at PPUPPY couture house - charming, excited and in love with fashion.



3. A theatrical studio photo by George Hoyningen-Huene graces the cover of Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli. Elsa Schiaparelli, the subject of the black and white photo, wears a white gown, feather boa, and an armload of pearls. Shocking pink type announces to the reader that Shocking! Is not an ordinary book about an ordinary fashion designer.
   Shocking! documents the recent exhibition of Schiaparelli's designs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Seen as historical artifacts, her work is as inspirational as it is quirky. Written by Dilys E. Blum Curator of Costume and Textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Shocking! is thoughtful and scholarly. Schiaparelli was an innovative and a visionary fashion designer prolific from the late 1920's to the mid 50's. Known for her associations with artists such as Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, she produced practical clothing as well as surreal masterpieces such as a shoe hat, lobster dress, and gloves with appliquéd fingernails. Some of her innovations which we take for granted include: externally placed zippers, synthetic fabrics, bright colors especially shocking pink, odd mixes of materials together, and architectural silhouettes.
   Packed with more than 300 modern and archival of photos of her clothes there is a never-ending source of vibrant visual stimulation within the pages of Shocking! As a side bar for interior design purists, her showrooms were designed by Jean-Michel Frank and there are interesting archival photos of his work. For those interested in fashion history this book is a must have.



4. This is a fabulous book, beautifully illustrated and written with much care and research. Schiaparelli is a neglected figure compared with her contemporary and great rival, Coco Chanel, but this book should go a long way towards redressing that balSance.



5. This book is filled with beautiful photographs from the Philadelphia Museum of Art's exhibit. If you can't get to the museum, don't worry. The exhibit can come to you. Well worth the reasonable price for so many photos and sketches. Inspiring for anyone who considers sewing an art form. Schiaperelli was truly an artist and a master of her craft. She created innovative and eccentric designs, while celebrating the female figure and without compromising form and function. I couldn't be happier with this book.

2 comments about The Woven Coverlets of Norway.

1. there are many publications about american coverlets, this one attracted me because it concerns coverlets from another weaving tradition.
   
   another reviewer has done a first rate job of detailing many of the books historical strengths. i am adding my review to include the patterns and designs.
   
   this is not, as the other reviewer noted, an instruction manual. but it is a superb design resource, for many other fiber arts as well as weaving.
   
   the photos are fantastic. the examples are inspiring--i'm mentally designing a color pattern sweater from one coverlet, and several beaded pr jects from others. some coverlet designs would translate very easily into several kinds of embroidery.
   
   the author notes the similarities in design among scandanavian, russion, other european and mid-eastern weavings. what i found interesting is the similarities between some of the coverlets and american patchwork quilts. all crafts borrowed freely from one another--lace patterns were made into embroidery, and vice versa, weaving patterns were used in knitting, etc., so finding simialr elements is common. but the designs of several coverlets in this selection could pass for patchwork in their arrangement. since morwegian settlers are credited wtih introding the log cabin to american in the colonial era, i wonder is they also influenced the design of 18th and 19th century quilts.
   
   this is a wonderful book, that would be of use and interest to norwegians and non-norwegians, anyone who designs for any textile craft, and the general reader who is interested in how our forbears lived.
   
   i can only hope that another edition will be brought out.



2. A Review in the December issue of the Norwegian-American newspaper, Døtre av Norge, a publication of the Daughters of Norway..

   Let me begin by saying that Katherine Larson is a member of Nina Grieg Lodge #40 of the Daughters of Norway in Poulsbo, Washington.

   Katherine worked with the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle and the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa, to develop a major exhibit on woven coverlets from major museums in Norway and the United States that was or will be shown as follows:

   * Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, Washington, September 13-November 11, 2001;
   * The Plains Art Museum, Fargo, North Dakota, May 16-July 14, 2002;
   * West Vancouver Museum and Archives, West Vancouver, British Columbia, August-October, 2002.

   The first forty pages of Katherine Larson's book are a cultural history of Norway using weaving and coverlets as a unifying theme. Katherine writes extensively and well about the isolation and self sufficiency of rural life in Norway. Although the precise dates that many techniques and technologies arrived in Norway from abroad are not typically known, she does try to frame such introductions in terms of centuries. More importantly, she discusses why weaving was so important to the development of the culture.

   My favorite chapter in the first section of the book is titled, "More Than Just a Cover for the Bed," in which she describes the arrangement of farm households, the psychological boost from colorful additions during the long winter months and the cradle to grave use of coverlets, including baptisms and funerals.

   Katherine uses historical photographs of women and their equipment; color prints from paintings in the National Gallery and line art of plants used for dying wool, of weaving techniques and of weaving patterns. She presents about 130 high-quality color photographs of finished coverlets, either flat so you can see the entire design or a close up section or in use on a bed. In addition there are many, many black and white photographs of more whole coverlets. Some of the detail drawings would also be useful for embroidery and knitting.

   The later chapters of the book are devoted one each to the various types of Norwegian woven coverlets. Some of these are pan-Scandinavian and others even pan-European, but the essence always comes back to what Norwegian women had, wanted to have and were willing to create for their homes from roughly the middle ages to modern times.

   Each valley or district in the country had a favorite technique and pattern for its coverlets, providing a rich visual texture to the book. The weaving styles and techniques covered include tapestry/billedvev, square-weave/rutevev, bound-weave/krokbragd, other weft-faced styles, knotted pile/rye, (reversible) double-weave/dobeltvev, and overshot/tavlebragd or skillbragd.
   
   The appendices and closing words include a brief afterword about her family's immigration experience, a conversational and a literal table of equivalent of weaving terms among English, Norwegian and Swedish; notes; a glossary of textile terms in English; a bibliography; and a proper index.

   This book is NOT a beginner's how-to. It is a highly readable cultural reference book about weaving. It would be a useful addition for anyone making hand-woven textiles, anyone who likes to apply older techniques in modern textile settings (not just weaving), and anyone interested in the cultural history of Norway and for Norwegian-Americans. In short almost everyone interested in Norway.

   I was pleased to find my own family's two dominant weaving styles in the later chapters of the book: Danish weave, common in southeastern Norway, and overshot weave, mostly the Monk's Belt pattern. One of my maiden great, great aunts was a professional weaver and both my grandmother and aunt also wove.

4 comments about The Business of Fashion: Designing, Manufacturing, and Marketing.

1. The cover says it all. Fashion is Business! very straightforward and interesting from page to page.



2. Very informative - yet just not what I would have imagined. It would terrific it told you how to create your fashion business from scratch.



3. This book was to be purchased for my "Business of Fashion" class. What a great purchase. After the class was over I didn't turn it back in to get money for it. I kept it knowing that someday I may want a reference guide. It was a great investment!



4. I not only learned alot from reading this book but actually enjoyed the reading considering it's a text book. As someone who's trying to get back into the fashion industry after a 20 year hiatus; I feel that I have the knowledge I need to head in the direction I want to go now. I really liked how they used real companies for examples and at the end of each chapter they have an explanation of a job in the industry with comments from people in those jobs. There's lots of charts, lists of important contacts, calendars of events, etc that will be important to anyone starting a fashion business or wanting to find a job in fashion. It's worth the money if you can't afford to go to school for this.

1 comments about Judy Murrah's Jacket Jackpot.

1. The pattern inside is easy to make fit on the most difficult body type. I like the ease of the instructions and the pattern were not difficult to follow.
   
   D Axtell

2 comments about Costumes, Textiles & Jewellery of India.

1. Costume, Textiles And Jewellery Of India: Traditions In Rajasthan is a wondrously informative exploration of traditional Indian attire. Lavishly illustrated with full color photographs on every page, Costume, Textiles And Jewellery Of India reveals how Indian attire proclaims one's place of origin, social position, marital status, occupation, religious affiliations, and even reflections on the changing seasons as well as other psychological aspects of day-to-day life. Information drawn from fifteen years of dedicated research is transformed into a highly accessible and wondrous tour of the physical, historical, trade, cultural and spiritual factors inherent in Indian textiles. A beautiful and enriching tour as eye-catching for lay readers as it is for serious-minded garment designers understanding and inspiration in India's ancient traditions.



2. The Indian clothing expert Bhandari does a tour de force. Nothing is left out--from origins of and historical influences on Indian garb to materials and manufacture; from basic clothing to the variety of ornaments and accessories; from jewelry and bracelets to class and ethnic wear. The often exotic Indian clothing so noticeable to outsiders does not basically reflect the fashion tastes or personality of the wearer, but instead mainly denotes social station and sometimes occupation. As expected, the more sumptuous clothing and jewelry goes with those of higher class. But the typical clothing of farmers, laborers, and lower-class Indians is also colorful and elaborate in its own way. Rajasthan in northwestern India was chosen as the focus for this one-of-a-kind work because of its historical and cultural significance and the mix of different classes and ethnic groups found there. The Indian state's name is derived from Rajputs, or "sons of kings." Bhandari's meticulous text is so fascinating and endlessly informative that one is hardly conscious of the exhaustive scholarship and research going into it. Often noting measurements, techniques used by the clothing makers, how an article is worn, and what is signifies, the text nonetheless does not strike one as being technical since it deals with such a colorful subject. Readers will fall into a pattern of looking at the attractive, rich color photographs and occasional illustrations and diagrams as they come, and then going to the text to find what interesting facts and points the author has on the items the men and women are wearing. Many readers will try to put their growing knowledge to work to guess social status of the individuals shown and the meanings of their accouterments. The descriptive captions should not be glossed over either. The color photo of one man notes that his "sword denotes his royal lineage, the silk tie [around it] signifying that it is carried in peace." But one of the countless bits of social and cultural lore one learns is the significance of turbans in family relationships and relationships with others. A four-page glossary of hundreds of terms testifies to the complexity of Indian clothing. This is a remarkable work with its generous fund of knowledge, skilled organization, and magnetic appearance.

2 comments about T-shirt 360.

1. 500 pages of designs in a nice portable hardcover. A good reference or inspiration book. Also contains many designs from Europe not found in other collections.



2. This book is a decent selection of many of today's interesting t-shirt designs but has its share of shortcomings. For one thing many of the image sources are not very high resolution which is unfortunate considering the focus of the book is to show off these designs. In addition to low-res photos many of the photos are obscured or otherwise hard to get a good look at just the design. Pedro Guitton's design choices for the book itself are regrettable but thankfully do not get in the way too much. Overall it is a good value for the sheer amount and variety of sources included in the book and is good to pick up now and again for inspiration.