No comments about Gianfranco Ferre (Made in Italy).

No comments about Teutonic Mythology, Part 2.

1 comments about Khaki: Cut from the Original Cloth.

1. Whoever would have believed that you could produce a beautiful, interesting book of photographs of people in khaki trousers, but here is is. KHAKI: CUT FROM THE ORIGINAL CLOTH is a collection of over 100 photographs by sixty-six photographers including George Platt Lynes, Duane Michaels, Herb Ritts, Weegee, Edward Weston, Annie Leibovitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Claxton, Richard Gere, Allen Ginsberg, Greg Gorman, Milton H. Greene, Philippe Halsman, Robert Capa, George Hurrell et al. There are photographs of the rich and/or famous as well as ordinary souls: the Kennedys, Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, Paul Bowles, Teddy Roosevelt, Clark Gable (at least three times), General Douglas MacArthur, Marilyn Monroe (thought she isn't in khakis), Amelia Earhart et al.
   
   What makes this volume so inviting is that the photographs are all so different and I wager that you would never guess the unifying theme of khaki trousers if you didn't know that already. Some of my favorites: William Faulker (photographer unknown, p. 125. He is dressed in a coat and tie with rumpled khakis that are all too familiar to us who live in them.) Christoper Isherwood photographed by George Platt Lynes. The natural side lighting makes this fine photograph (p. 44). The series of photographs by Duane Michaels, "John Takes His Pants Off" (pp. 2-3), and what I would call a narrative photograph on page 74 of soldiers in World War II getting their feet inspected by someone I assume is an officer. (The photographer is Hulton Getty; the date is January 1, 1943). Picasso strolling on the beach with his son and his mistress photographed by Robert Capa in 1951 (pp. 126-127). Finally the most mysterious photograph of all, "Night Duty," photographed in 1941 by Weegee (p. 116). The two men appear to be guards or police officers. They are carrying pistols and wearing only caps and khaki trousers.
   
   Gallery owner and authority on photography David Fahey (co-designer of the enormously successful exhibit of Herb Ritts "WORK" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1997) edited this most entertaining book, Elton John wrote the preface, and Richard Martin wrote a brief essay on the history of khaki. KHAKI will both surprise and delight you.

1 comments about Crafty Bags for Stylish Girls: Uniquely Chic Purses, Pouches & Pocketbooks.

1. Crafty Bags for Stylish Girls has some great close up pictures of some VERY cute and unique bags, that the author created using a glue gun or craft glue! Personally, when you look at the bags you won't believe it.

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...

No comments about Brioni (Universe of Fashion).

No comments about Fashion Images de Mode, No. 6.

5 comments about Crafting Handmade Shoes: Great-Looking Shoes, Sandals, Slippers & Boots.

1. From the book you learn to make simple flat to low-heeled shoes. Each shoe comes with a pattern and exact description how to enlarge it for your shoe size. The instructions are basic and not always easy to understand, but the book is a good primer. The book is out-of-print but available for $25 directly from the author over the Internet simpleshoemaking.com. The book is black and white, with color photographs on the cover and worth its price. It is in no way worth the ridiculous price asked by second-hand dealers.
   I also recommend "Make Your Own Shoes" by Mary Wales Loomis, which shows how to make higher-heel elegant ladies' shoes from fabric on your sewing machine. And "Handmade Shoes for Men" by Laszlo Vass, which shows shoemaking in great color photographs, but has no patterns.



2. This book contains some very pretty pictures and cute useless information but when it come to actually using it the instructions that are provided on how to create a basic pattern and size the shoes you are making are almost impossible to follow! The instructions sometimes even refer you to further instructions ("see page 116" for example) that are not actually there! The book is well presented so it looks like everything should be in order but when you actually really try to put it into practice as I have tried to do (for two days of my holidays!) it just doesn't add up. I have read some other reviews that actually commend the book; the only explainations that I can think of for this is that: 1. the reviewers haven't actually tried following the instructions to make shoes, 2. they are relatives of the author and are trying to promote the book, 3. they have a completely different copy to the one I have.



3. I came across this book quite by accident, and what a happy accident it was! I haven't yet made any of the shoe projects in the book, but I have read through everything, and do feel that I will be able to achieve some good results with Sharon Raymond's instructions.

   The tidbits of shoe trivia scattered throughout the book are truly delightful!




4. I bought this book thinking it would be a useful tool when creating shoes for stage productions. I didn't really think the end result would be "good enough" for everyday wear. But I was wrong.

   This book is really pretty amazing. I would have thought a host of expensive and hard-to-find tools and materials would have been necessary to create "real" shoes, but that's not necessarily true, as laid out in this book. Sure, if you want leather shoes (as opposed to fabric), it will cost a little, but you can make one of the more simple designs in this book and not have to invest a lot of dough. The author even suggests taking the finished upper portion of your shoe to a shoe repair shop to have soles put on it...Sound wonderful to me, although I haven't tried to find a shop locally to see if that's really do-able.

   At any rate, if you want to make serious shoes, this book is definitely for you. And if you just want costume shoes, you can take the basic principles found in this book and do that, too.




5. Go ahead - just TRY to find a book on hand-crafting sandals and shoes on a small scale that wasn't written before 1973. This is the first updated book I have found on the subject.

   The book lays out in logical order the basics of leather, working with it, construction techniques and variety of projects that use those techniques in modular fashion.

   The book is easy to follow, the project instructions are not cluttered with commentary, and are concise. This book is excellent for a beginner who has had no experience in making shoes and sandals at home, and does not assume a great knowledge in any one craft. Instructions as to what tools are needed, how to buy leather and findings, and finishing are all included. Willingness to try something new and a little time is all that is needed on your part. (plus a trip to the craft and leather stores!)

   The kind of shoes and sandals presented in this book are suitable for most casual wear. The style of construction used doesn't lend itself well to what most people would consider business-like or formal shoes. They will be sturdy and if you construct them well, I see no reason why they wouldn't last as long as any commercially available shoe.

   Although it is not stated in the book - all the projects are clearly designed for women. But the book shows you the basics of creating your own patterns. After all - feet are feet - no matter who they are on, so with a little creativity you can design your own patterns (and choose materials) that would compliment a man's outfit, with the instructions in this book.

   One minor disapointment, the book does not have a project for strap sandals. However the author has a thoughtful website and sells several additional patterns (to be used with the techniques in this book) for sale at very minimal cost.

   The author also includes some colorful trivia and history on shoes, througout the book.

1 comments about The 80's and 90's: Power Dressing to Sportswear (20th Century Fashion).

1. "The 80'S and 90's: Power Dressing to Sportswear" is the last book in the "20th Century Fashion" series, and somewhat of a disappointment, but perhaps because it was researched in the 1990s, when fashion was still changing. Still, the 80s fashion section was OK, but again, not the best. I do not recommend.

No comments about Braquenie: French Textiles and Interiors Since 1823.