5 comments about The Devil's Cloth.

1. Within western history, clothing fashion changes century to century as various styles go in and out of vogue. One of these styles is the stripe, whether it be vertical or horizontal. This book covers the use and misuse of stripes in clothing of all sorts from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. Concentrating mainly on Western Europe with some forays into the Middle East and the US, this author tells a brisk tale of how stripes went from being a mark of outcasts in the high days of the Catholic Church, to its triumph in fashion by the late 1800s, to its now universal presence around the world in the 20th century. The book is written in chronological order, and the author shows how stripes were present or used to identifiy various individuals as belonging to certain castes, groups, professions or religions. Likewise, the words for stripes in various European languages are inter-related, and share interesting relationships with other words. The central point of the book is that stripes went from being a perjurative symbol hundreds of years ago to now a commonly used symbol in everyday fashion and style. Overall, a quick and interesting read.



2. This book has great potential but doesn't quite live up. Perhaps something is lost in the translation. In reading, I felt the author was referring to things but didn't completely explain himself. Here's a sample, p74: "The relationship between the child and the stripe is very old. Some medieval pictures already show infants wrapped in strips of cloth forming a striped structure meant to hold on their diapers. Later, under the ancien regime, in aristocratic circles, when striped clothes are the fashion among adults, they are also the fashion for children." So we've gone from medieval swadling clothes to the seventeenth century with the blink of an eye, and no explanation as to what he's talking about! How about some evidence? Maybe more explicit references in the text of the book and not in footnotes. Absolutely more illustrations. How can a book about a visual experience get by with no pictures?! I'm glad this was a library check out, because if I had purchased this book I'd be very disappointed.



3. Informative, well researched little book. I so wished for more pictures of the many stripes and striped items described!



4. Michel Pastoureau's The Devil's Cloth is a unique and unusual history of stripes and striped fabric will appeal to the interested needlecrafter, costumer and quirky artist, as well as anyone else who would receive insights into fashion, styles or changing clothing. From a medieval scandal revolving around striped habits to national stripes and displays of stripes in clothing, The Devil's Cloth is an impressive and scholarly work which is informative reading and an enthuiastically recommended survey.



5. Prostitutes, bastards, traitors, Beelzebub, Cain, jugglers, clowns, hangmen, lepers, heretics, adulterous wives and non-Christians were all depicted as wearing and sometimes actually required to wear stripes in the Medieval era. A Middle Ages black hat designation as it were, striped clothing served as a visual shorthand judgement of the person donning such garb. Before eyes could discern more subtle notations, stripes announced a lack of cherished virtue(s), marking the wearer as a person at best on the fringes of the mainstream social mores. Such were stripes-barres.

   What did striped cloth and clothing mean? Why, indeed, would it mean anything?

   In the first chapter, Pastoureau muses `The problem of the stripe does indeed lead to pondering the relationship between the visual and the social within a society. He then poses the questions `Why does the West, over the very long term, have the majority of social taxonomies expressed through visual codes? Does the eye classify better than the ear or sense of touch? Is to see to classify? Why is the derogatory sign system-the one that draws attention to outcast individuals, dangerous places or negative virtues, more heavily stressed than the status-enhancing systems?' The questions are disquieting, staccato, sometimes painful.

   About 225 years ago, the American Revolution's use of stripes was adopted in Europe's changing fashion and social mores. But the pejorative striped garment remained alongside the playful and fashionable stripe as a mark of the social outcast, the inmate, the madman, the thief. What does that say about Western culture? Did we, and do we continue, to use stripes to hold at a safe distance the questionable? Do we use barred barriers to allow us to peer safely onto the unclean, the disturbed without being subject to the reach of their conditions? Is the stripe a visual sign of our attempt to control our surroundings?

   While pondering the author's questions, the notion of sacred geometries and M.C. Escher returned time and again. Try as I did to expel the distractions of what seemed only marginally related, the nebulous concepts persisted. The unsettling truth is that stripes are an "uncontained," open-ended geometry. Escher's birds and lizards were closed systems, stripes have no end, even when severed, the stripe marches beyond mere visual boundaries. A geometric renegade, stripes defy enclosure in any manner. And we react to them with both caution and delight.

   This beautifully designed little book falls short only in its visual delivery once opened. I was left wanting full-color plates of the black and white given examples of striped clothing since about 1240.

   This is a book worth reading and adding to one's library, worth mulling over the questions it asks. Again and again.

5 comments about Clothing And Textile Collections in the United States: A Csa Guide (Costume Society of America Series).

1. As a travel guide book it is quite comprehensive. At leaste so far as I thumbed through it. Even found the little house museum in my tiny little home town. And it does give notes in regard to what collections include. It is NOT however, a photo book that PICTURES the items in said collections. I didn't read carefully enough I guess, and had deluded myself into thinking it would have color plates. If you are fortunate enough to travel to see these museums, this would be an invaluable book. If however, you are like me, and can only afford to order the books published by the people who have seen the collections. This book will only make you wish you had a bottomless bank account and a car that didn't threaten to fall apart at the thought of going farther than ten miles!



2. Another book in the Costume Society of America (CSA) series, this guidebook has the familiar format of a tourist/visitor guide. The more than 2600 entries are by state with addresses and phone numbers. Hours, type of institution (e. g., historical, state), types of items in the collection, and a general description of these are found with many of the entries. For example, the Missouri Historical Collection in St. Louis has more than "16,000 pieces of clothing and textiles, dating from the late eighteenth century to the present." This collection's strengths include women's clothing and accessories from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Such helpful notes are one benefit of having editors with such extensive and deep experience as Queen and Berger. All historical ages, parts of the world, and many ethnic groups are covered by the numerous collections. For the majority of entries with no annotations, websites are listed where applicable; and for those which do not have a website, phone numbers are listed for obtaining further information.



3. This guide provides valuable information for costume scholars doing research and seeking collections. But more than that, enthusiasts, collectors,(of quilts or flags, for example), or just people interested in seeing clothing housed in museums will find this state-by-state guide easy to use and informative. Even if you can't travel far afield, you can take an armchair tour and enjoy the photographs and other material in the guide. Even though I consider myself fairly knowledgeable, this guide has revealed collections I didn't know existed. This guide is bringing to light many hidden treasures that deserve to be seen and appreciated.



4. This is an invaluable tool for researchers studying any type of textiles, from flags to clothing. The book is about as comprehensive as it gets, listing historic sites, museums, and other collections. There is nothing else comparable for those interested in this topic. Important details are included for larger collections, along with contact information for each listing. This is a wonderful book that was written to promote research and facilitate contact among those studying textile collections.
   
   Robert M Dunkerly
   US National Park Ranger
   Kings Mountain National Military Park



5. College-level holdings strong in costume history will find CLOTHING AND TEXTILE COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES: A CSA GUIDE a fine survey of the collections available - the first such guide in print. Over 2,600 American collections are included in listings that hold location and contact information and often descriptions of holdings. From drama producers and museum directors to students of textiles and costume history, CLOTHING AND TEXTILE COLLECTIONS IN THE U.S. is an excellent guide.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

No comments about Gucci Wars: How I Survived Murder and Intrigue at the Heart of the World's Biggest Fashion House.

1 comments about The Blue Jean Book: The Story Behind the Seams.

1. This book is a middle school/high school age level book that looks at the history of blue jeans. It is well written, covering the history of jeans from their invention through to today's high end fashion jeans.
   
   The history of jeans is covered in chapters that each spans several decades. In later chapters, some of the social aspect of jeans is evaluated as well, including such phenomena as smuggling into Eastern European Bloc countries during the 70s and 80s, moving of manufacturing to low wage countries, and the problems associated with boot legged jeans.
   
   The book is copiously illustrated with photographs and reproductions of old advertising material.
   
   This is a great book, for its intended age, at a look at the history and social facets of blue jeans. I would recommend it for any student with interest in the subject matter.

No comments about Purple Fashion 5 (incl Juergen Teller ed).

No comments about Young Fashion Designers (Evergreen).

2 comments about Leigh Bowery Looks.

1. I was suprised by how small this book was when I got it, but it proved to be a non-issue. This book is amazing! It offers a peek at an incredible artist's life work and displays it extremely well with gorgeous photos. I highly recommend it to photo fans and fashionistas alike!



2. It certainly fits all the criteria for Art, despite the fact that these "looks" aren't framed and hanging on a wall in some gallery, but rather worn by the always beautiful, legendary Leigh Bowery. These photographs, however, most certainly could be. And don't let this paperback's relatively small size fool you. These portraits are rich and vivid, showing not only an incredible amount of detail and color, but also giving a definite sense of character and performance from Bowery. This man lived for dressing in these outlandish costumes. They are not simply "shocking" they are genuinely thought provoking. They play with and skewer concepts of gender, of beauty and of propriety. That is the true genius of Bowery. Kudos must obviously go also to the photographer Fergus Greer for capturing Bowery in these fantastic poses and in such amazing lighting. A wonderful book that is thankfully now back in print, "Leigh Bowery Looks" is an invaluable piece of performance art history not to be missed by anyone interested in fashion or photography.

No comments about The Art of Watching Films: Student CD-ROM.

5 comments about Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards.

1. I bought this book assuming it was sort of a glossy, coffee table photography book. Imagine my surprise when it came and I realized there was more text than photos! This turned out to be a good thing, though, as the book is a fascinating, almost scholarly anthropological account of Academy Awards fashion. You'll find yourself being amazed at not only the hoops the designers jump through to please the actresses, but at the level of minutae and detail that goes into designing (and then sewing) a dress that will be viewed by literally billions of people. There are hair-raising stories of dresses gone wrong, a good, long look at the vintage gowns some actresses have chosen to wear, and a lot of information on the actual construction of these unique gowns. It's well worth it for the Oscars aficionado.



2. 
   Since its inception in 1929 the hyped and hallowed Oscar ceremony has been as much about fashions as it has been about films. Who is wearing what and by whom as she promenades down the red carpet? Wonder just how many of us would rather look at the dresses than the presentations. One who definitely has her eye on the gowns is Bronwyn Cosgrave.
   
   A former editor for British Vogue Cosgrove covered the Academy Awards for the BBC and authored Costume and Fashion: A Complete History. She now offers another complete history, this time of the garb chosen by both presenters and nominees for Hollywood's biggest night.
   
   We learn that the first actress Academy Award winner was Janet Gaynor who "Waltzed wide-eyed in her dress that stopped short on her knee." Undoubtedly a far cry from the sparkling provocative number designed by Bob Mackie for Cher. Mackie, sometimes called "the sultan of sequins" or the "rajah of rhinestones" was a bit concerned about the outre appearance that Cher had requested, even to asking "Don't you think this is kind of upstaging the person you are giving the award to?" As the world now knows, she was determined to "let them see that everything still looks good."
   
   Obviously, looking good is what it's all about. Marlene Dietrich caused quite a furor in 1951 when she strolled on stage in a Christian Dior creation that looked "Airbrushed on."
   
   The ceremony is also about payoff - in 2003 Nicole Kidman struck a deal with Chanel for seven million. Her contractual obligations included the wearing of gowns by Chanel's chief designer Karl Lagerfeld to gala events, such as the Oscars.
   
   Richly illustrated, gossipy and unputdownable "Made For Each Other" gives us an insiders ear and eye to haute Hollywood. The 3-star rating is due to the lack of proper editing.
   
   - Gail Cooke



3. This book is very weak; it is poorly written and badly (if at all) copy edited.
   I would not recommend this for anyone who is used to reading well written, grammatically
   clean, well researched work. It is an infuriating and exhausting read because of
   all the typos and all the sentences that just do not make any sense.
   It makes me wonder about the quality of the research and anecdotal comments.
   It is shocking that it was published and internationally distributed.



4. I agree with a previous review that this book would have benefited from a thorough editing. Michael Kors for Celine designed Rene Russo's costumes in The Thomas Crowne Affair, not Randolph Duke. Gwyneth Paltrow won in 1999, not 1991. Hogs and Heifers, where Julia Roberts danced on the bar and left her bra nailed to the ceiling is in the Meatpacking District, not Tribeca. Nothing too serious, but irritating nonetheless. There are some great stories told here and the later part of the book that deals with the jockeying for position of designers to dress particular actresses is fascinating. But where are some of the more famous Oscar flops and hits? Kim Bassinger's self-designed dress. Demi Moore's hot pants? Halley Berry's Reem Acra? Kate Winset's huge necklace after Titanic? Uma's milkmaid dress? Another 30 pages would have been appreciated!



5. Wow! This book is such a great a read! Did you know that Miuccia Prada did not design Una Thurman's Prada Oscar dress? That Bette Davies picked up her Best Actress Oscar in an old film costume? That Louise Rainer wore her nightgown to the ceremony? The revelations just keep on coming. Bronwyn Cosgrave's masterpiece charts the secret history of all the major Oscar dresses we all love and remember. This book really has to become the difinative volume on the subject. It's fantastically gossipy and wondefully informative, a real joy to read. I could not put it down!
   
   The pictures and illustrations are stunning. Cosgrave has tracked down many never before published sketches froma range of designers from Dior to Dolce & Gabbana. This really is made for anyone who loves both film and fashion!

1 comments about Shinde Jewels (Memoirs).

1. A pretty production but lacking depth on a great designer who's life is intertwined with one of the great jewelers.
   Slightly disappointing