2 comments about Rainbow of Jewelry.

1. The photos are stunning but the chapters are predictable, like in Mrs. Childers' 3 previous books. Why not explain a bit more about the other Haute Joaillerie Houses like, Mellerio dits Meller, Buccellati, JAR and their distinctive and highly original styles. Maybe an idea for the next edition? The photos of European royalty and their US "counterparts" are very nice and one recognises certain highly publicised items like, for instance Jackie O's famous "moon"-earrings and Princess Diana's tiara. All in all, a nice book for a nice price if it's merely (very) easy reading you want.



2. This book is a wonderful feast of photos of the worlds best and most famous jewelry - including profiles of some of the owner's such as Jackie Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, etc. One of the most beautiful books on jewelry that I have encountered.

   Caroline

No comments about Medieval Clothing and Textiles I (Medieval Clothing and Textiles).

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.

1 comments about Japanese Costume and Textile Arts (Heibonsha Survey of Japanese Art).

1. From Dust Jacket:
   
   "Japanese costumes enjoys a just reputation for the beauty of its textile designs, ranging from the most gorgeous embroidered patterns using gold and silver threads to the simplest designs depending for their beauty on subtle nuances of texture and color.
   
   This informative book, with 43 illustrations in full color and 149 in black and white, describes the development of Japanese textile art in relation to the social background of the times - a development due mainly to the efforts of anonymous craftsmen but benefiting also from the contributions of such famous artists as the 17th C decorative painter Korin. The text deals principally with two artistically outstanding forerunners of the modern kimono: the 'kosode' and the costumes of the Noh theater.
   
   ...One of its most interesting expositions concerns the major change that took place in Japanese styles of dress in the second half of the 15th century: the change whereby the earlier outer garments of the upper classes, with wide sleeve openings, came to replaced by the undergarment with narrow sleeve openings, or 'kosode', which then went on to become ever more lavish in its decoration as new techniques were developed. How this change is reflected in the traditional costumes of the Noh drama is yet another absorbing phase of the story.
   
   Not only examples of costume art but also types of textiles, decorating techniques, and designs - all these are discussed here in a book of scholarly excellence and fascinating interest."

No comments about Victorian Fashions CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

No comments about The Great Book of Tattoo.

2 comments about The Nyonya Kebaya: A Century of Straits Chinese Costume.

1. This coffee-table book has beautiful pictures of the Asian models wearing beautiful intricate nyonya kebaya. Set in some old Peranakan (straits Chinese) houses, the photographs show the elegance of the kebayas. An inspiring book of good photography, bringing readers to appreciate the beauty of Asia.
   
   This book inspired us to published our book, continuing the works of the late Datin Seri Endon Mahmood of promoting Malaysian arts & crafts: Batik Inspirations - featuring top batik designers. Similarly, there are background of Peranakan homes, but this time with models wearing dresses made from batik Malaysia.Batik Inspirations - featuring top batik designers



2. This is a beautiful book. Informative text and excellent photos educate as well as inspire. Anyone who appreciates embroidery will be impressed by the traditional Malaysian machine embroidery used on these lovely and striking blouses. Designers and embroiderers would find this book a wonderful addition to their reference libraries: colorful embroidery and delicate cutwork are combined in a way that most non-Asian readers would probably find delightfully novel. The history and social context of the kebaya are interesting and are clearly described, but for me the best part of the book is the photographs of vintage kebayas. In many cases, close-ups are provided so that details of the embroidery can be seen clearly. This is not a how-to book, but some technical information is provided. However, it is a delightful design reference for any embroiderer or digitizer.

5 comments about Dressing in the Dark: Lessons in Mens Style from the Movies.

1. Certainly the concept of this book is intriguing, as I'm sure many of us have unforgettable images emblazoned in our memories of Sinatra strolling around "Oceans Eleven" nattily dressed in a pastel cardigan and tight slacks, of Sean Connery dispatching cold war baddies and martinis in a white dinner jacket or of Alain Deleon pulling off impossibly dangerous heists with nothing but tough guy bravado, a Gitane, and a dirty t-shirt. Perhaps you'd like to know how they look so cool, so charming, so tough? Well, Marion Maneker doesn't know either (or he just refuses to tell.) His selection of icons included is sometimes silly, sometimes baffling (I'm not sure he could fawn any more over the impossibly dull Gary Cooper and what kind of "lesson" does a picture of a shirtless Steve McQueen in nothing but boxer shorts and a tie around his neck provide?) While the list of those excluded would actually make a better book (Where's Peter O'Toole for instance?) Even more disconcerting are the clothes he features as a suggestion for approximating the actors sense of style. For instance, he shows a picture of Brad Pitt in "Fight Club" and then on the facing page features a white collared shirt and gold tie draped over a pair of purple, floral printed pants which he claims will give you a "tough, in-your-face attitude." I'm sure the Hells Angels would be trembling. While I agree this is comical, it's a fairly expensive joke when you include shipping costs. On another page he shows a suitcase packed with nothing but white sweaters, white shoes, white pants and white belts (if I remember correctly I think this was supposed to make you a doppelganger for Redford in "The Great Gatsby.") I guess this is fine if you're packing to compete at Wimbledon in the 1920's, if you're someone's guardian angel going to earth, or if you're Tom Wolfe, but with these suggestions the rest of us would surely become walking monuments to absurdity. Thankfully these recommendations are few and far between. By the way, if you think suspender-wearing, greasy haired corporate raider Gordon Gekko from Wall Street was/is the epitomy of style, and who doesn't really, than you're on the same page as Maneker. Congratulations, you're now qualified to write a terrible book. Frankly, the only lesson you're likely to learn is how to convince a local bookstore to exchange a book you bought from Amazon



2. redford as gastby clothed by ralph lauren, and more recently,tom ford, late of gucci, is leaving milan for hollywood. does fashion imitate the movies or vice versa?

   the book is a great concept, but it wasnt as exhaustive as it could have been. theres a real emphasis on steve mcqueen and cary grant-but we already knew those men were dapper dressers (does anyone remember adolphe menjou? he was as elegant as could be!). carson kressley was right, this book is a good primer for dressing swellegantly. its printed beautifully, the photos are some ive never seen before-but if youre looking for something a little more in depth regarding movies and american style, page through tommy hilfiger's 'all american'.




3. If you can get beyond the incredibly shoddy editing of this book (for example, the identified Gable is not always Gable), the heavy empahsis on Cooper and other sartorial conservative icons, and the uninspired (repetitive) use of language, you might come away with something useful from this book. In the end, the book's abrupt ending--it just stops--is representative of how its wonderful concept is so very poorly executed. This book never lives up to its potential, and both men's style and the movies deserve more.



4. Elegant and not superficial book.
   Not for everybody but only for style amateur of Hollywood men actors.
   Many photos and fine advices.



5. I love watching Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. Carson used this book to show a case on how to dress with style via Cary Grant!

3 comments about Stylishly Drawn: Contemporary Fashion Illustration.

1. This book and Fashion Illustration Now are the same book with different titles!



2. this book is amazing!! all the illustrators are great!!! it is so inspirational and sensational and yes! this is my bible!!! you won't regret for buying this beautiful book!
   I showed it to everyone i know even to my teachers and they LOVED it!!!
   This is really one of the best fashion illustration books i've ever seen!!
   satisfaction guaranteed!!! : )



3. I was utterly inspired and awed by this book. It contains all my favorite illustrators and many more that I am glad to get to know. As an amateur artist/illustrator I had to get down to work as soon as I was first done leafing through it. Truly inspirational! If I had anything against it was that Jordi Labarda's work selection for the book was not a fraction of his talent and creativity. Great otherwise! Loved the bios at the end too.

1 comments about Fashion Identity (Index Book).

1. "Fashion Identity" is yet another high quality book from the Spanish publisher Index Book. The graphic images of identity for the fashion industry would be inspiring to any design professional working in the field. I'm honored that one of my logo designs is included. - Jeff Fisher, Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, and author of "Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands" and "The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success."