2 comments about French Fashion Plates of the Romantic Era in Full Color: 120 Plates from the "Petit Courrier des Dames," 1830-34.

1. This book is really useful to me for the color patterns in the fabric as well as the colors for period fashion. Also, hairstyles, hats, and even shoes are detailed enough to reference for my own illustrations.
   
   The original journal, "Petit Courrier des Dames", was for the wealthy and fashionable woman. It was so popular in Paris that the English translated it for the fashionable Englishwomen who looked to France for the latest styles. The plates feature fashions for both wealthy women and men with captions that generally state the type of material used or some brief descriptive detail
   (ie: "Rice-straw hat, jaconet dress, French cashmere shawl. [No. 835; September 25, 1831.]")
   
   Pictures show costumes front and back views, standing and seated (mostly the women). There is 1 plate of young boys' costumes, 5 of Gentlemen, and the rest are of Ladies with 1 small collection of bonnets.
   
   Each page offers two separate costumes.
   
   There is a two page Introduction that explains the original French source material for Dover's edition, brief summary of characteristics of Men's, Children's and Women's fashion in the Romantic Era, and a compact glossary of materials and garments now with a loose English equivilent material.
   
   The one tiny issue I have is that the edition I received sported a different cover than the pink one above. The interior content is the same.



2. This book is a great resource for the re-enactor or costumer. It can be considered primary documentation, as it is directly reprinted from the original. There's a very handy glossary in the front, in case you are not already familiar with mousselain-de-soie. I wish I could make every dress in the book--it's so hard to choose only one of these delightful gowns!

No comments about Harriet Powers's Bible Quilts (Rizzoli Art Series) (Rizzoli Art Series).

No comments about Sportstech: Revolutionary Fabrics, Fashion, and Design.

3 comments about CHRISTIAN LACROIX: The Diary of a Collection.

1. An extremely personal record of the inner workings of one of the most brilliant romantics to work in french couture. If you admire artists that follow their own vision (and a wonderfully extreme vision at that!) this "scrap-book" will forever inspire and delight you. Mr. Lacroix's strong interest in historical research, passion for color and textiles. and fascination with creating one-of -a-kind-looks for a dramatic, glamorous, accentric woman fills his book of ideas with an unusual richness. A true fashion original.



2. each page is worth becoming a central piece of decoration in you bedroom or your entrance hall. Hand-written notes, collages, intimate comments. Everything in this book talks to the heart. You will love this masterpiece. More than a book!



3. I recommend this as a must have for anyone interested in couture. It is a very detailed and revealing book on the working methods of Christian Lacroix. No other book follows the mind of a famous designer as he creates a collection the way this book does. It draws on Christian's very own notes and scrapbook. Great content, great visuals, great book!

1 comments about Wearing Propaganda: Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain, and the United States (Published in Association with the Bard Graduate Centre for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture).

1. An intensively researched, tightly written, extensively documented study of patriotic and propaganda textiles developed by the major players during WW II and the years immediately before it. The acknowledgements page alone reflects the author's interaction with many of the leading lights in textile research today. Highly recommended!

4 comments about Irving Penn: A Career in Photography.

1. Very classy, clean, elegant, refined photographs. Presented beautifully. A great photo book to own if you like more classic photography.



2. Irving Penn: A Career in Photography is a book that examines the work and life of photographer Irving Penn. Several different writers and people associated with Penn have included text to describe their view of Penn and his life in photography. Colin Westerbeck, Issey Miyake, Martin Harrison, Edmund Carpenter, Rosamond Bernier, Colin Eisler, and Jennifer Jankauskas all contribute to the book. Writer and editor Colin Westerbeck invites the reader into the history of Irving Penn through a summary of Penn's life in his photo career. He begins with Penn's early fashion feature called "Flying Down to Lima" where after a case of airsickness, developed a new vision that changed his view of photography. Westerbeck also mentions Penn's different styles and renowned photo shoots including his many photos of various celebrities wedged into a narrow-angle corner he created out of theater flats, and also Penn's move to platinum prints. The remainder of the 200-page book comprises Penn's more famous photos. In total, there are 193 in the book, some which correspond to the text.
   Irving Penn: A Career in Photography is an excellent book for anyone interested in photography, or even a professional looking for inspiration. Though it is a large book (approximately 10" by 12") its size is fitting for a photo book so that all the images can be easily seen and appreciated. The selection of photos is also suitable in that they are some of Penn's best and most known to the photo savvy, and are also mixed in genre. The text contributed by the aforementioned people help describe and reflect Penn's photos, and also show his many styles, techniques, and views on photography. Though these stories are informative to the reader, they can also get confusing and tough to read, as some of the writers tend to overuse unnecessary wording and phrasing. However, the excellent use of text/photo relationship in design and content work well in presentation, and contributes to an overall superb book.



3. One of the most significant photographers of the twentyith century, Irving Penn's captivating photographs throughout his career are wonderfully showcased in this book. From his humble beginnings as a graphic dsigner in the 1940's to his portraits of the native peoples from the far reaches of the world-Penn's work has had a major impact on not only the world of photography but aslo the art world as a whole. This retrospective of Penn's body of work is much more thorough than expected.
   The graphic quality of his work really speaks to me as a graphic desiner; weather it be his rich photographs of nude women or his famous portraits of politicans, actors and fashion models. The numerous illustrations of Penn's well-known corner shot were a nice surprise in the book; many of these images are very difficult to find on the internet, it was great being able to study the nuances of the portraits up close. A beautiful and informative book that any Penn fan would love.



4. Great book for anybody interested in Penn's wor

4 comments about A Century of Shoes: Icons of Style in the 20th Century.

1. Great book, but slowly becoming out of date. Great pictures. Divided into sections which include stillettos and loafers. The more "modern" shoes featured are definitely more interesting. Good review of the shoes of last century, not much insight into future design although the last two pages are dedicated to this topic.



2. If you want to know the history of shoes, then this is he book one should read. However, it is not as informative as I expected. This book will become dated soon as there are not much information on the future of the shoe industry. It would be more informative if the author also includes history of shoes from other parts of the world like the Asian region.



3. Although many of the images are familiar to footwear 'sweeties' this book offers the shoe novice a great insight into 20th century footwear design. It is easy to follow and a welcome piece of coffee table literature. Every home should have one. And I look forward to future publications in this design series. Well done!



4. A comprehensive and interesting read. Many images are very familiar and have appeared in other shoe texts (eg Salvatore Ferragamo's). Snippets of information about current designers are topical and interesting. More information on the links between shoes design and haute couture would also have been useful. I'm not sure why Amazon have put categorised this in "Business and Investing" - it should be in Art or Art and Fashion.

1 comments about Wilhemina's World of Child Modeling.

1. I really like this book. It is extremely easy to read and is great for someone who knows nothing. It familarises you with modeling terms and gives you some idea of what to expect. I'm not sure how this compares to other books or the child modeling experience itself though and I did still have some remaining questions after finishing the book.

5 comments about Vintage Hats & Bonnets 1770-1970: Identification & Values.

1. I bought this as a gift for my sister who collects Victorian type items. I was very pleased with the quality of the book, it is beautiful, and the price was great. Would recommend to anyone who is looking for a little history.



2. Very detailed, lots of images. Values a bit on the wishful side. Great for collectors, costumers, dealers as the research possibilities can be as simple as using photos, to actually reading the informative text.
   An excellent addition to your library.



3. if it is tons of pics of hats you want this is it!



4. a realy beautiful book .full of hundreds of illustrations and a good source for a budding milliner



5. The book is a good buy for the price with a lot of color photographs and text but I was really more looking for something to compare my vintage hat collection to as a price guide. I have over 110 vintage hats, and I still don't have any idea about the history or value of any of them.

1 comments about Women's Tales: Four Leading Israeli Jewelers.

1. WOMEN'S TALES is a 'must' acquisition for any serious, definitive college-level collection on jewelry history in general or Israeli women's studies in particular: it represents the first documentation of Israeli women jewelers and is a collaboration between the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin. As such, it accompanies a touring exhibition presenting four leading women jewelers' works, and packs in full-page color photos of pieces as well as biographical and artistic background essential to any thorough coverage of modern Israeli art.