No comments about Giorgio Armani.

No comments about Purple #6.

No comments about Visionaire 37: Vreeland Memos.

No comments about Couture: An Illustrated History of the Great Paris Designers and Their Creations..

2 comments about In an Influential Fashion: An Encyclopedia of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Fashion Designers and Retailers Who Transformed Dress.

1. This book reads like an extended high school term paper. Some of the biographies could qualify for an entry to the wikipedia- others barely merit an entry in a bibliography...for a high school term paper. The illustrations are inked by the same undistinctive hand- which is rather sad and occasionally pathetic. The absence of context- the absence of variety, the absence of flavor all make for a very dull and uniforming "encyclopedia" indeed. I shudder to think of the school papers that will be written using this book as source material.
   Are the authors and editors that worked on this project so uninspired by this field?



2. In An Influential Fashion isn't for your casual home or art library collection, but will delight collections solid in fashion history and design. Over a hundred sixty fashion designers and retailers from many countries are profiled in entries that cover the personality's lasting influence on the industry. Commercial fashion, licensing agreements, and marketing are all explored in an exciting survey.

No comments about Influence of Ottoman Turkish Textiles and Costume in Eastern Europe, With Particular Reference to Hungary (History, technology, and art).

2 comments about Life's Little Emergencies: Everyday Rescue for Beauty, Fashion, Relationships, and Life.

1. Emme covers everything in this book that a girl has to know, beauty, body, fashion, money, career, travel, party, romance, family and spirit. It is a really practical how to book, with references to products, really good instructions, great anecdotal info, and how to, where to find this stuff. Some great websites mentioned, I could go on and on. This is a handy book, and it will be on my shelf for a long time to come.



2. Thanks, this is a great book to help you with every thing not just little emergencies!!I did not know what to ware at school one day so I just grabed this book and started to read it and my little emergencie was over thanks to this book! Buy this book because it garenties you that it will help you with big or small emergencies!!!

5 comments about Warman's Jewelry: A Fully Illustrated Price Guide to 19th and 20th Century Jewelry, Including Victorian, Art Nouveau, and Costume (2nd ed).

1. As on online vintage jewelry dealer, Atlanta vintage jewelry dot com, Warman's book was one of the first in my reference library. Sure, it has some faults, but not to the degree to make the book 'useless'. I used to spend my evenings in bed reading through the pages, getting familiar with the vast array of information.
   
   The book includes excellent pictures with clarity, and lots of them. It covers jewelry designs from various eras, beginning in the mid-1700's through present day.
   
   Many people in the vintage jewelry circles may refer to Warman's as the 'bible' of vintage jewelry as it also covers both fine and costume.
   
   In spite of its somewhat unreliable index referred to by others, this hefty book is well worth the purchase price. I'm glad for mine.
   
   Gail Gupton, Author: The 31-Day Diet of Spiritual Enlightenment and Seekers of Truth.



2. Over the years, Warman's guides to antiques have established a reputation for reliability. This volume is the third (2002) edition of their jewelry guide. It's lavishly illustrated with examples from many styles, eras, and price ranges. It provides a feast for the eyes and a lot of useful information as well.
   
   Romero divides the material according to time period and, when appropriate, according to style and material and country of origin. She gives concise summaries of the essentials of each and links jewelry fashions to world events and clothing styles. Sometimes her discussions are a little too concise for this curious reader ( to be fair, the book is a guide, not an in-depth treatment), but she provides a full bibliography at the end for those who want to dig deeper. There's also a glossary of jewelry-related terminology and a section on marks.
   
   According to the introduction, this edition reflects the increasing globalization of the marketplace and the influence of internet buying. Romero has expanded coverage of Scandinavian jewelry and added discussions of Neo-Renaissance and Beaux-Arts jewelry. Every illustration is in color, and the captions are fully detailed. Several reviewers of earlier editions mentioned that there were problems with the index. These problems seem to have been corrected in this edition.
   
   Any problems I have with this book are mostly quibbles. The author makes a point of linking changes in jewelry fashions to changes in clothing and in social conditions. I wish that she had put in a few period illustrations showing the fashions and the jewelry worn with them. This is probably a little out of the reach of an identification and value guide, but it would have been a nice touch. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful resource for jewelry collectors and, in fact for anyone who thinks they might like to become one.



3. "Warman's Jewelry," 3rd edition, by Christie Romero, is subtitled "A Fully Illustrated Identification and Price Guide to 18th, 19th, & 20th Century Fine and Costume Jewelry." The book is full of fascinating and useful features, among them an extensive bibliography, glossary, index, and chronology. There are also a number of appendices, including a hallmark identification guide and a guide to the marks and names on Mexican silver jewelry and metalware.

   The 272-page book is full of hundreds of clear, beautiful full color photos of jewelry. Each photo is accompanied by essential information on each piece depicted. The items shown represent a huge price span; in this book you'll see a $336,000.00 gem-encrusted platinum bracelet, a $10.00 brooch shaped like a poodle, and lots in between. Many types of jewelry are pictured: necklaces, cufflinks, earrings, lockets, scarf pins, etc. Included are pieces representing a broad variety of artistic approaches: whimsical, elegant, gaudy, graceful, fierce, futuristic.

   Also fascinating is the broad range of materials covered: diamonds, emeralds, opals, turquoise, gold, coral, agate, wood, rhinestones, plastic, brass, porcelain, etc. The photography is accompanied by an interesting, well-written text. Jewelry production is placed in historical and cultural context. There are also special sections devoted to jewelry of particular cultures (Native American, Mexican, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish). Interesting trends such as Victorian-era black jewelry and "eye miniatures" are also highlighted. Overall, this is an endlessly interesting and stunningly beautiful reference work.




4. AS AN OLDER PERSON, I HAVE 'LIVED THROUGH' MANY OF THE FADS WHICH JEWELRY MANUFACTURERS REFLECT. I STARTED COLLECTING JEWELRY, AND DECIDED TO WRITE A RESOURCE BOOK FOR THE NOVICE. WELL, WHEN I READ MS. ROMERO'S BOOK, I FOUND THAT IT WAS SO INCLUSIVE THAT IN ORDER TO FILL IN THE GAPS, AS IT WERE, MY WORK IS REALLY CUT OUT FOR ME. THIS BOOK IS A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO ANY JEWELRY COLLECTOR'S REFERENCE LIBRARY. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE SPACE TO REVIEW IT.



5. A great book, with lots of valuble information, but the index, is not accurate.this makes it very frustrating to look things up....warmans should issue partial refunds to the dedicated customers who purchased the book...

4 comments about Lisa Fonssagrives: Three Decades of Classic Fashion Photography.

1. I not only grew up at a time when this lovely woman was modeling for some of the worlds best photographers but I was also getting into photography in a small way. Being a visual person I've spent too much time mooning over beautiful womens images and Lisa Fonssagrives was the loveliest. They don't make them like that any more in spite of the endless supply of beautiful women in our media. A lot of it has to do with the state of the world of couture where the women who buy most of the expensive gowns are featured in the fashion magazines, no matter that they are not ravishing beauties. Look at Lisas face and figure with a fashion photograpers eye and you'll know what I mean. Images of her in her later years show the ravages of time but I would still have felt honored to escort her around town as did some lucky photographers, Horst in particular. This book tells you something about her life and has a great collection of her images both from her work in fashion and in her real life with her family. I came away with the impression that she was also a beautiful person and quite unimpressed with all the fuss that was made over her. I paid an arm and a leg for my copy and I'm glad I have it now, still an inspiration to go out and find myself such a model.



2. Despite the fact that all the photographs in this book are of one person, this is the best collection of fashion photographs from the 1930s to 1950s era that I have seen.
   
   This collection shows the beauty of a woman who had unique physical attributes to depict, what was regarded at the time as the ultimate in femininity and fashions of that era. Images, captured by a number of the most highly regarded fashion photographers of the day - such as Richard Avedon, Lillian Bassman, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Erwin Blumenfeld, Horst P. Horst, Clifford Coffin and Irving Penn - provide a wonderful testimony, to this unique and naturally beautiful woman. In addition to this, there are pictures of Lisa as she was in her later life.
   
   At her most popular, pictures of Lisa Fonssagrives were splashed across the covers and editorials of such magazines as Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Indeed, Lisa was the first fashion model to be featured on the cover of Time magazine in September 1949. The book also includes a short essay from the distinguished photo-historian Martin Harrison, which details Lisa's involvement in fashion, and the photographing of it.
   
   The book's collection of images includes a number of nude depictions of Lisa. However, if it is sexual titillation you are looking for, then this book is not for you. If on the other hand, if you wish to see nude images created by Horst P. Horst and Fernand Fonssagrives, for example, that provides strong evidence why such nude images can only be described as art, then this book is for you.
   
   In all, this book features a unique collection of photo images that in themselves provide a unique visual history of what was regarded as the ultimate in fashions of the Classic Look period. Buy it - gaze in wonderment at some of the best fashion photographs ever taken!



3. Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn was a beautiful woman and the world's first top model. This book is a collection of her most beautiful photos taken by some of the world's best photographers, including Lisa's husband, Irving Penn. There is some nice biographical information in the book, but it focuses primarily on the photographs, which are breathtaking. It's hard to find a nice copy of this book these days since it's been out of print for a while, but I highly suggest you do some searching on Amazon Marketplace or ebay: the book is totally worth it.



4. Lisa Fonssagrives was the first true supermodel. She had a cool easiness to her modeling, she was almost surreal. Her beauty was perfection. I do not believe there has ever been a model that can compare to her. The supermodels of today, Cindy, Naomi, Claudia are all beautiful, but not in the same way that Lisa was perfect. Its so nice to see her images captured in a book. I hope that in the future more will be done to regenerate her place in history.

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