4 comments about Star Trek Fans and Costume Art (Folk Art and Artists Series).

1. This book is really like a kid's picture book than an adult reference book. It shows some good pictures (maybe that will give ideas for your costumes) but that's about all it does. It appears that this was some grad-student's project that just happened to get published. As long as it cheap though, it wouldn't hurt to add to your collection if you want to see some examples of cosplay.



2. I always wondered how and why star trek fans get involved in making costumes and what types of events they attend looking like Starfleet or an Alien. Heather Joseph-Witham answers those questions and much more in this fanstatic book about Star Trek Costume Art. The photos are great, and really show how these wonderful fans create their works of art. A good read - A great collectable!!!



3. "Get a Life" is the derogatory dismissal often aimed at the
   Star Trek fandom. As Heather Joseph-Witham discloses in her
   fan-friendly little book, Trekkies usually do "have a life"
   outside of fandom, and most take "fan-dumb" not too
   seriously. That costumed Klingon or Starfleet Officer is quite likely
   an environmental engineer, a college professor, a parent and
   homemaker, a Kung Fu Master, a computer wizard, a police officer, a
   priest, pastor, or rabbi, or even a technician at NASA! For these
   people, the creation of costume art is a diversion or a hobby, and the
   "professionalism" of the costume is much less important than
   the wearability and pure fun of it. The "hall-costumes"
   featured in Ms. Joseph-Witham's book are that kind of art, their
   wearers those kinds of fans. These costumes are often whipped
   together out of fabric remnants, leather strips, thrift-store fur
   coats, inexpensive polyester or vinyl, crepe hairpieces. The fan
   interviews conducted by the author reveal that many Trek enthusiasts
   are attracted to the archetypes embodied by the series' various
   characters and alien species. Thus, a fan chooses to role-play a
   Klingon warrior, a Vulcan science-officer, or a Bajoran priestess
   based on his/her affinity with that archetype. And although all the
   convention-goers in this book are members of a tightly-bonded
   community, the relative annonymity of costuming allows them the
   opportunity to portray themselves in a manner which they otherwise
   might not attempt in public.
   @



4. As a trekkie who has been costuming for years, I did not feel that this book accurately represented costumers. I am always improving my craft. Each costume gets better and better and yet the ones in this book seem very amatuer. There was not much attention given to details. I am ecstatic that a book was done on trekkies in costume. I just think better costumers could have been found and perhaps a little less detail given to the woman's bosom.

No comments about Fabrics: The Decorative Art of Textiles.

1 comments about Palestinian Costume.

1. Jehan Rajab's 'Palestinian Costume' is one of a tiny handful of books on this subject, and it has become a classic. It is based on the collection of Palestinian costume held at the beautiful Tareq Rajab Museum in Kuwait - and the fact that that collection still exists after the Gulf War is a miracle in itself. (for those interested in that particular story I direct you to Jehan's book "Invasion Kuwait"). Indeed this book was to have been the first of three, the others discussing Syrian and Jordanian costume, but all Jehan's notes and research were destroyed during the war. This makes this book even more precious.

   In format, it covers the costumes regionally, concluding with a chapter on jewelery and traditional embroidery motifs. Many original photos have been used, as well as careful studio shots of the garments. The text is informative and interesting. The book is a must, not only for those of us working in this field, but for anyone who cares about the survival of cultural traditions.

   (For those who would like to see more of the Rajab collection I recommend the Palestine Costume Archive's exhibition catalogue 'Portraits without names: Palestinian costume'. For this exhibition, which has been touring Asia and Australia since 1995, the Tareq Rajab Museum kindly lent some 50 costumes and textiles, many of which are illustrated in the catalogue).

No comments about A Gentleman's Wardrobe.

1 comments about Dr. Martens: The Story of an Icon.

1. This book is a beautiful, colourful, illustrated history of those very cool shoes. It is more than the history of a shoe, but the history of the people who wear them. Filled with quotes and annecdotes from famed punks and other musicians. Brimming with beautiful photos with an emphasis on the footwear.
   Singing to readers praise for various bands including The Who and The Clash, as well as providing a very thorough history of a number of doc-wearing subcultures. There are the stories of the skinheads, punks, mods, and more.
   Steeped in tales of history from the 60s til the present, with mentions of all the things that made these decades important, from The Clockwork Orange to Madness.
   This book is witty, attractive and very easy to admire.

No comments about Designs for the Three-Cornered Hat (Le Tricorne).

No comments about Jurgen Teller (Photo & Sexy Books).

No comments about Bally: Since 1851.

No comments about New Fashion Print.

No comments about American Bandanna.