5 comments about The Power of Glamour: The Women Who Defined the Magic of Stardom.

1. Oh I wish more books were written like this! The beautiful portraits of these beautiful ladies. The biographies were not too long, or too short, but just right. I wish more movie star biographies were written this way. Filled with glamour and information galore!



2. What a beautiful book! I originally paged thru this during a visit to my salon, and immediately ordered it online. The book profiles many of the most beautiful, glamorous actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age (1920s-1940s), and includes wonderful photos which show off their inimitible fashion sense, esp. Kay Francis, Constance Bennett, and Dolores Del Rio, all of whom are somewhat sadly forgotten today. An excellent book for anyone interested in Hollywood, glamour, and fashion history!



3. The book literally is a book of only the 30's. If your intrigued by the other decades of hollywood glamour, dont even consider the book. The book sadly totally alienates the true heavy weights such as the queen of glamour Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, even Audrey Hepburn who didnt have overly done style but its subtlness was nice. All in all, if your really intrested in the 30's glamour, go for it, but if you want more than that look else where.



4. This gold and sepia book is gorgeous but the title is deceptive. It is a shame to use such a big word as "Glamour" and then narrow down the features to actresses of the decade of the thirties. I agree that all the stars presented, such as Constance Bennett, Joan Crawford, Katherine Hepburn, Gloria Swanson or Claudette Colbert do tipify glamour, but what about mega glamour stars such as Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly? Otherwise, this book is beautiful, lavishly illustrated and well researched.



5. Let me begin by saying that, as a huge vintage film fan, any book that features chapters devoted to both Norma Shearer and Kay Francis between its covers is perfect in my opinion. So now that you know that I am not an impartial judge, I have to tell you this book is fabulous. Annette Tapert did not focus on the cliche glamourous women, she focuses on the often times forgotten glamour girls, such as the aforementioned Norma Shearer and Kay Francis, as well as Dolores Del Rio and Constance Bennett. The book has fabulous photographs and a detailed biography of each glamourous woman. And, glamourous they were! All of the women featured here have left their mark on film and fashion through the years and deserve to be recognized as icons of glamour!

No comments about Visual Design in Dress, 3rd Edition.

4 comments about Star Style: Hollywood Legends As Fashion Icons.

1. This book is so pleasing I made sure I bought two copies. Very
   Beautiful fashion summaries for some very beautiful Hollywood leading ladies. My favorite fashion icons are Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and
   Dolores Del Rio. I wish the author would do another book that highlight current fashion icons such as Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry etc.



2. I bought the hardcover edition -- it was my favorite fashion book. But now, the revised edition with the introduction that involves new stars and their photos (Gwyneth Paltrow, Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Cher) adds a new dimension to the story. I'm really happy and for a paper back, the quality is EXCELLENT. Thanks Patty Fox!



3. This is a lovely book with wonderful photographs of Hollywood fashion icons. Another thing that is great about this book is that it features those who are not as popularly remebered, such as Delores Del Rio, along with more popular icons such as Audrey Hepburn. Great book! Highly recommended!



4. I think this is the best Hollywood fashion book there is! The photos are great and the stories are fun.

1 comments about Who's Who in Fashion.

1. This book is for my current designers class. It informs you about allot of mainstream designers, and a couple you may have never heard of. I was somewhat surprised that designers like Roberto Cavalli weren't discussed. and some designers had a really small section of info about them. But overall the info it does have is really interesting.

4 comments about Koos Couture Collage: Inspiration & Techniques.

1. This book is useful for people who want to know how Koos gets his effects with fabric. The author and designer are quite generous about sharing techniques that home sewers can use to design their own garments. I feel the book is inspiring and satisfying in that sense. I would also like to see a larger coffeetable-type book showing a large number of Koos's designs over the years, all professionally photographed in full color (is anyone listening out there?). But that is not the intent of this book.



2. I'm afraid I was ignorant on who Koos was, but intrigued by the unusual fabric projects in the book. Now I know more about his one-of-a-kind womenswear, but the main intent here is to teach the home sewer collage quilting techniques with Koos as inspiration.
   The book gives tips on collage design, tells about facing fabric using the yardage method and block method, and shows how to make bias tape and fabric lace. Other techniques shown include slicing, using yarn trim, origami patches, applique, and image transfer. Photos of unique garments show the many uses for the techniques.
   Many of these will appeal to quilters making quilted clothing or even to use in unique quilts.



3. I wish that there had been more photos of Koos work! The author gives very good instruction for doing applique, making bindings etc. However, in all, the book is disappointing if one is looking for inspiration and examples of the magical fabric combinations that made Koos's tradmark. Far too few examples of Koos's couture collage. I would not have bought the book if I'd read the reviews. Too bad!



4. A slim colourful book of some 111 pages. Deceptive in the use of Koos' name and photographs of his work, there are only about 50 pages of techniques that could equally be found in a good fabric collage or a quilting book.

No comments about California Casual: Fashions, 1930s-1970s.

No comments about How to Have Style.

2 comments about Character Is Capital: Success Manuals and Manhood in Gilded Age America.

1. Hilkey has written a thorough and very readable (for an academic book) analysis of the highly popular success manuals published between 1870 and 1910. While her first few chapters are given over to an unavoidably dry discussion of the publishing industry and major writers, the majority of the book is spent on a fascinating and far more lively analysis of the content of the guides themselves. Hilkey makes several important arguments, one of which is that, by positing character and manhood as the qualities that separated 'successes' from 'failures,' the writers of manuals attempted to obscure or ignore class divisions in industrializing America and instead insist that the division was between being a manly man, whatever your wealth or occupation, or being shiftless-- which could apply equally to the poor or the dissipated rich. In doing so, the writers promoted a vision of manliness, character and virtue that made it possible for men of varied classes to imagine themselves part of a broad middle class defined by shared values rather than identical socioeconomic background. She also discusses the roles of women, as well as the importance of imagery of sexuality, of machinery and of the battlefield. An incisive analysis useful to any historian of the period, of manliness, class, or popular literature.



2. This book presents a very interesting background for a very interesting period of American history (the late-19th century). The author explores a crisis in manhood through the use of period success manuals.

   The books, themselves, represent a sort of metaphorical voyage for success. The books were very expense (often a whole family's weekly salary) and they were often "gilded" (although, their construction was very cheaply and poorly done). These manuals were written by prominent figures and were geared for subscription selling to rural middle-class families, primarily living in the Midwest.

   The "crisis" in the author's thesis, however, is the overlooked fact that these books were merely bought for social status. Not only were these books sold in high volume, but they were often advertised as "no home should be without them". Additionally, the door-to-door salesmen often advised a family that all their neighbors had all made the wise investment, and that they certainly didn't want to be the only disadvantaged family in the area, hence the prestige of ownership.

   Certainly, these manuals were read, and, perhaps, utilized to a certain level; however, the author's assumptions regarding their overall extraordinary level of use is flawed. Hilkey asserts that the large number of purchases of these manuals constituted a cultural crisis in the rural areas of the United States, especially among middle-class boys who were growing up in an era of changing social roles and mores.

   Simply, Hilkey should re-exam her thesis from the prospect that these success manuals were simply bought as nothing more than very expensive coffee table books with very little readable and implementation value.

No comments about Clothing as Material Culture.

No comments about Apparel Product Design and Merchandising Strategies.