1 comments about Our New Clothes: Acquisitions of the 1990s (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications).

1. The Metropolitan Museum in New York has one of the world's great textile and costume collections. This book celebrates the new acquisitions of the costume collection throughout the 1990's.

   This is essentially a picture book that is a recommended addition to anyone who collects books on costume. All illustrations are in colour and there are some lovely photos of items like an English Mantua and petticoat c1708, a hand painted robe a la francaise c1740, an embroidered robe a la polonaise c1780, a man's wool suit with gold bullion braid c1760 and more modern gowns such as dresses by Vivienne Westwood and Christian Lacroix as well as 2 gowns owned by Princess Diana.

   A visually beautiful book that makes you glad that such wonderful costumes have been preserved and published so we can all enjoy them even if we can't visit the museum.

1 comments about Everyday Dress 1650-1900 (Costume Reference).

1. As Elizabeth Ewing herself notes, the dress of common people tended to be worn out since clothing was relatively expensive. Few examples survive. The book has numerous illustrations, and Ewing discusses related issues such as the changing availability of fashion, the difficulties of washing, the booming second hand trade. Ewing also tells us that some fashionable clothing, like the simple Regency dresses, adapted well for all classes, but more elaborate fashions were only for the upper class. She traces the rise of the man's suit.
   
   The book is illustrated with reproductions of period representations of clothing. There are also what look like some modern photos of authentic clothing. These are usually pretty good, although the arrangement is sometimes a little random. Unfortunately, there are no references in the text to specific illustrations. There are certain garments, such as the frock coat and bed-gown which do not seem to be represented. Since these were apparently important garments in their time, if there were no useful pictures, I think an artist's sketch would be in order.
   
   The book is sometimes better for book reports than for getting a very specific notion of what clothing looked like. We are told, in scattered bits appearing here and there in the book, that the "bed-gown" (apparently never worn in bed) was a very loose gown that wrapped in the front; one is described as coming down to the hips. It is described as the usual working gear. If there were any pictures of bed-gown, I didn't see the notation: if this was indeed the common woman's usual garment, I think this a great lack. Was it like a house dress? Was it always short? Was it something that a woman could wear alone in and about her house (at least in the country)? Did she usually put it with a petticoat for more public appearances? Was it also worn in town? Did middle-class women wear it? [I later found a definition and picture in Wikipedia, see ProductWiki]
   
   The book includes an index and a fairly lengthy "select bibliography". References are given by title in the text, without page numbers.

3 comments about Costume Jewelers: The Golden Age of Design (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. If you like browsing through excellent photos of vintage jewelry and seeing a sampling of old jewelry ads, this book is for you. I find the quality is first class for paper, photography and binding. This would make a good 'coffee table' book.
   
   Although containing no index for its 205 pages, the book does have a table of contents and is broken down in sections by designer. So, if you have an interest in fashion jewelry, but not a particular design or substance, you can easily read the names and histories of those who brought costume jewelry to its glamourous height, along with viewing the pictures of jewelry by that particular designer in their own appropriate chapter.
   
   I like looking through the pages on a lonely winter night.
   
   Gail Gupton, Author: The 31-Day Diet of Spiritual Enlightenment and Seekers of Truth



2. Joanne's book is not exactly a research project, designed for someone who wants to know about costume jewelry designers, even though the book's title might think lead you to think that.

   Joanne is a collector and dealer of costume jewelry. This book is almost exclusively a catalog of her personal collection. She includes a price list for the items pictured.

   A very brief explanation accompanies the photographs, usually little more than an identification of the manufacturer. There is no index and a too-brief bibliography.

   Better books on costume jewelry are out there. For instance, try Vivienne Becker's Fabulous Costume Jewelry : History of Fantasy and Fashion in Jewels (1997).




3. Ms. Ball presents interesting and insightful information about the periods, styles and signatures and the lives of the vintage jewelry designers. It's exciting to learn the history surrounding the artists of the 19th and earlier 20th centuries, while comparing things passed down from our families' generations.

1 comments about Bauhaus Textiles: Women Artists and the Weaving Workshop.

1. This is a brilliantly written book focussing on the often overlooked question of how the women accepted into Bahaus developed professionally, and the limitations that were placed upon them, despite the ostensible "equality" that Bahaus proposed. There are copious black and white photographic reproductions of the textile work developed both during study, and during subsequent careers. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in textile design, and it is really required reading for anyone who wants to round out their knowledge of the institution. However, it's not a pretty picture book of textiles - better quality images would have made it 5 stars for me.

2 comments about Coppola and Eiko on Bram Stoker's Dracula.

1. Eiko is a woman, not a man



2. It has full page color pictures of all the costumes from the movie and some of the original sketches. It also explains Eiko's inspiration for his Academy-Award winning costumes.

No comments about Original Annabel Fox: A Rowan Original.

5 comments about Pattern Making by the Flat-Pattern Method.

1. I needed this book for a Flat Pattern class that I'm taking, and this book has been so helpful in explaining with step-by-step guides how to alter basic style into anything that I want. This book is very helpful for people who are interested in becoming fashion designers. You must know how to alter clothes and what your end result will look like. I highly recomend this book.



2. The book starts with the assumption that the reader already has a "commercial basic pattern that has previously been altered to fit the individual". (found in the introduction) To that effect, it commences to show the reader how to ALTER the pattern into different styles to suit the reader. It's not meant to show you how to create a pattern from scratch. Compared to other books I checked out at the library, this was very concise with easy to follow illustrations. I thought it was a great book because it really aided me in making my own patterns. I'm pretty petite, so it's hard to find patterns in my size. Once I found a junior pattern that fit me (which was insanely hard), I used the book to alter the dimensions to create other looks that I would otherwise not be able to find commercial patterns for.
   
   Incidentally a good book for making patterns from scratch is "Basic Pattern Skills For Fashion Design." It starts off using the drape method to get the pattern then proceeds to the flat method for alterations.



3. I liked learning pattern making with this book. It doesn't illustrate how to draft a pattern from scratch like some other books, my favorite being Dorothy Moore's book for that. I used the eighth scale patterns in the book, made a zillion of them, and used those little patterns for "pattern labs" for each example and each style. I took out the spiral binding and put it in a big three ring binder and taped my pattern over each completed style with drafting tape. I learned slash and spread and the pivoting method with great ease thanks to this book.



4. This book is written from the viewpoint that you already have a perfectly fitting bodice pattern, which you created from a store bought pattern. It gives you different style ideas, but no detailed step-by-step instructions. For instance, they tell you to remove the waist dart by combining it with the side dart.They show you a drawing, but no detailed instructions. I've been making patterns for 6 years, and I remember starting out totally confused about the whole moving darts issue. It took me an entire school semester to figure it out. This book is confused. It makes you design using store bought patterns (beginners stuff), then gives you vague directions that only a professional could understand. Don't waste you money.



5. I received this book when I was first beginning to experiment in drafting my own patterns, and I will tell you that this book is worth every penny if you want to be a fashion designer or just want to sew your own clothing ideas. Excellent for beginners, as it is more pattern manipulation (changing a commercial -store bought- pattern to your own design, very easy). If you are quite advanced (ie.Already know how to change patterns) this might not be the best book for you, as you might find it a little elementary to your knowledge, but can be a great reference from time to time when you are trying to remember how to change those pesky bust darts into a mid-yoke.
   A must have for all who dare to push yourselfs beyond the boundaries of the boring old Simplicity's and Vogue's!!

No comments about Miller's: Collecting Fashion and Accessories.

No comments about Jewelry From Sarah Coventry And Emmons.

No comments about Elsa Schiaparelli.