4 comments about Vogue Knitting on the Go: Crocheted Shawls (Vogue Knitting on the Go!).

1. This book was surprisingly good. I have been disappointed by the on the go books before but I found this one had several patterns I wanted to crochet and several that were inspirational as well. There's a ton of variety in both the styles of shawl and the techniques. A beginner could find a suitable pattern but the most advanced crocheter could also find a pattern with a little challenge. Many kudos!



2. I got this book as a gift and I'm thrilled with it. I actually like *all* of the patterns inside and I've got six of them waiting in my "to-do" drawer. The patterns are well-written and cover a wide range of skill levels, styles and tastes. Best of all, they're great for crocheters like me who are young and want to make/wear things that are age-appropriate.



3. Two stars, because there are some very pretty patterns here, I am disappointed yet again. I don't understand Vogue knitting. When are they going to wake up and add crochet symbols to their books? They're so much easier to follow. Doris Chan's books use them, Teva Durham uses them, and so do many others. Crochet scarves is the same. What a letdown.
   
   (I don't advocate doing away with written instructions - but both is almost a must nowadays!)



4. 21 crocheted shawls. mohair triangle, broomstick rectangle by Omdahl, circular spiral shawl by Omdahl, granny square that looks like a poncho to me, medallion shawl joined as you work them, elongated loop stitch shawl, rectangular 4 leaf clover shawl in 2 colors with Rowan 4-ply cotton by Kagan, ribbon shawl, star motif shawl joined at end of work, spiraled flower shawl with flower and leaf motifs and joined at end of work in Saucy sport cotton, rectangular lace shawl in Brilla, rectangular linked rings, hexagonal motif shawl (back cover) joined as you work it, triangle motif shawl (front cover) joined in the working in bamboo, mohair shawl in a loop knot pattern, triangular "box" shawl in Koigu yarn, shell stitch shawl by Doris chan inspired by a round doily, colorful triangular shawl of different sizes of mohair in circles, wrap shawl which can be tied at the ends, rectangular shawl based on Mondrian, aran shoulder length shawl with one large button. All the shawls look interesting and fun to make.
   Skill level is mainly intermediate with 3 advanced and 2 very easy but nothing marked for beginners. Yarns used are on the higher end in the main. For crocheters who do shawls this is a must purchase book.Only one caveat: no hairpin lace in this book.

No comments about Beginnings of Interior Environments (9th Edition).

2 comments about 305 Authentic Art Nouveau Jewelry Designs.

1. This was a gift to a friend in Europe and he LOVED it! Very quick shipment and everything great. Amazon is fantastic, as usual!



2. I LOVE this book, and have turned many of these designs into tattoos. Never seen anything like it on any other person, either.

3 comments about Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class, Gender, and Identity in Clothing.

1. overly distracting language, which constantly repeats itself in several chapters. There are good points within the book it just takes a while to reach them!



2. this author has a serious misconception of class. this book is also extremely american-centric.



3. Clothes choices and fashion style often dictate the creation of the self and its image: but how? Crane offers a somewhat scholarly exploration of fashion trends from 19th century France to modern America, drawing important links between style and social change. This approach will interest not only art libraries, but schools offering social science studies.

5 comments about Ready To Wear: An Expert's Guide to Choosing and Using Your Wardrobe.

1. this is a pretty good book but it would be helpful if it had more pictures of outfits that one could put together



2. This is one of the best fashion books around. It's full of useful information, very pragmatic, and particularly helpful for professional women.



3. This book reads very well. The advice is sensible and doable. The author presents an approach to stylishly clothing and organizing oneself.
   
   The author's biases about color preference and style of clothing do come through though one cannot question her belief in what she states-she sold her wedding gown to finance her business venture.
   
   All in all a useful book.



4. This is a terrific pracitcal guide to organizing your wardrobe and style to make life easier, and project a confident image. Mary Lou provides useful advice on how to understand your lifestyle and body, and organize your wardrobe accordingly. And her stories are fun! Since reading her book, I've redone my closet so I can walk out of the door feeling completely put-together (no shoes with messy heels, clothes with missing buttons, or mismatched accessories.) I also consigned 20 pieces, invested in a few outfits that make me feel terrific, and people keep asking me if I lost weight!
   
   I highly recommend this book regardless of your budget, age, style or body type! And I hear Mary Lou Andre might have a new book in the works - can't wait!



5. Mary Lou Andre knows what she is talking about when she gives down-to-earth advice on organizing your closet and building a good basic professional wardrobe. Her recommendation to first go "shopping" in your own closet so that you can focus on what you really need to buy to make everything work is excellent. Following her advice in this book will help you avoid impulse buying and style mistakes.

1 comments about Yves Saint Laurent (Memoirs).

1. For those who are fashion addict, but not only for the trends, this book is a "must have". In a group of very representative photos you will find a good summary of his work. One jewel, Mister Bergé, former Yves Saint Laurent Couture President and close friend of him introduce the book with the conviction of somebody who was with him since the begining. I love it.

5 comments about Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer.

1. This is a rich, fulfilling introduction to the life of Edith Head. One needn't be interested in fashion to find the author's description of the studio system in which Head flourished fascinating. Although part of the Paramount studio, Head worked everywhere at one time or another, on loan or in demand. She was quite a character. Although intimidating, she was in fact a desperately insecure woman whose fears the author places squarely in the studio system's insecure power structure. Chierichetti persuasively makes the case that the weird nepotism and vicious back-biting made one relax at one's own peril. Head stayed on her toes for decades and survived while other's were forced out or replaced by the girlfriends or relatives of thoughtless executives. The author blends personal anecdote with careful research, thus creating a very satisfying biography of this remarkable figure as well as a fine summation of the system that produced her. I was especially intrigued by the idea of the role costume design played in the overall "look" of the films. This is probably rather obvious to those in the know, but for me this was a new way of looking at favorite pictures. Head seems to have had a hand, literally, in the making of hundreds of classic pictures, yet the author seems rather restrained in his praise of Head, whose limitations he points out. This seems a good approach, for while we must all recognize her remarkable career, Chierichetti wants the reader to bear in mind the numerous talents who populated the Hollywood design world.



2. Don't read this book if you are expecting an exceptional book about Edith Head. Or even a good one. If you are looking for a book that is not-so-good, congrats - dig in. And enjoy.



3. Edith Head is the single best-known costume designer Hollywood ever produced (she's such an iconic figure that a character modeled on her appeared in the Disney movie "The Incredibles" a couple of years back) and has probably won more Oscars than anyone else in film history. Given that, you would have expected a pictorial biography of this woman to be chock-full of her best designs. Well, it isn't. As other reviewers have noted, the pictorial selection is disappointing, and the writing is plodding. Considering that the author wrote an excellent book on costume design in film some years ago ("Hollywood Costume Design", which should be available from various Marketplace sellers), it's perplexing that what should have been a tour de force has fallen so flat. I suppose those who want to see an in-depth exploration of Ms. Head's work should look for the book "Edith Head's Hollywood" instead.



4. This is a breezy, readable, can't-put-it-down bio on the infamous, iconic Edith Head. The real advantage this author has, is one of proximity, having worked with her.
   This is not a filling meal... it made me want to find her own book - even though she dismisses it later in her life. It digs few probing holes, perhaps because she herself covered all the holes so well. But there is so much DISH here, we don't miss the meal. I'm giving this as a gift to someone who worked in the textile industry.
   The real quibble of this book is that there are so FEW pictures of her finished work. With so many juicy anecdotes about different stars, and backstage stories about films, it would have been really nice to have wardrobe shots. Publishers... it isn't too late to add these!
   I'm currently reading a bio of Coco Chanel, and it is interesting to see many paralells between the two women, including the trademark streamlined, simplicity they both shared. Edith Head didn't just look inscrutible. She was. This is a fun, fast read.



5. Edith Head was the Coco Chanel of Hollywood. Mysterious, implacable, and scary good at her job. I enjoyed reading a biography of her life and career. Unfortunately, as a costume designer, what I hoped to learn more about was her creative process and the tricks she used to make the actors look like their characters. This book was more of a love letter, so my search for knowledge continues.

No comments about The Trench Book.

5 comments about The Power of Style.

1. Great, great book on the diva's of style. I will love and cherish it forever. I also go back sometimes and reference it to see how good-bad I'm doing. This is a must by!



2. In 'The Power of Style,' writer Annette Tapert and Diana Edkins, then curator of photography at Conde Nast, have created a short history of self-invention --- specifically, the transformation of English, French and American women into society figures and "style icons." You may know nothing about most of these women except their names: Daisy Fellowes, Rita Lydig, Millicent Rogers, Pauline de Rothschild, Mona Bismarck, Elsie de Wolfe. Others you know mostly as auras: Diana Vreeland, Coco Chanel, the Duchess of Windsor and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Good. The less you know, the better.
   
   Why do I say this? Because if you have your nose pressed against the glass at all, you see only the woman in a dress --- not how she got there and the price she paid to get what she thought she wanted. In other words, you see someone who, if you're honest, you might like to be, just as you once fantasized about being a princess. But you're not a kid any more. You know that life is deals. You may even suspect that rich men aren't always so nice to their women. And so, reading 'Power of Style' fresh, you can have a pure reaction --- some admiration, to be sure, but also pity, also compassion.
   
   Dailsy Fellowes, for instance. She married a prince, who "did her the favor of dying during World War I." (They'd had three children. One was like her husband, Daisy said. The other was "like me but without guts." And the third "was the result of a horrible man called Lischmann." Pretty blunt, huh? But then, seeing a pretty child in the park, she asked the nanny, "Whose is that?" The nanny replied, "Yours, Madame.") On her yacht, she liked to hurl dinner overboard, shouting "Oh my, it's gone bad!" What was great about her? Her fashion sense. Whatever she wore, others wanted --- even the necklace she had made of corks. And she could write: "Isn't it time you let your furs out for an airing?" And her baubles were so brilliantly designed that jewelers would go to the opera and train binoculars on her neck, then rush home to make copies. But then there were human qualities. Her husband went broke; she quietly replenished his funds. She paid for cosmetic surgery for less rich friends. When she wrote a book, an orphanage got the royalties. A complex woman.
   
   Or Diana Vreeland. We recall the one-time editor of Vogue for her ludicrous pronouncements --- "Pink is the navy blue of India" --- but almost no one knows how loyal she was to her husband, an empty suit who couldn't make a living and had a keen eye for other women. She pretended she was rich; in fact, she desperately needed to work. Her entire life was thus an act, and she was a brilliant performance artist, a kind of society impersonator. Which begins to suggest her extraordinary discipline. She had her shoes --- including the soles --- shined every day. She injected herself with vitamins. She famously arrived at her office at noon; in fact, her phone calls started at 8 AM. When she was fired, she kept her mouth shut. "I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity," she said. Complex, again.
   
   These profiles are addictive; you want to read them, pen in hand, to mark the great bon mots, the gems of wisdom, the unbelievable stories --- and Ms. Tapert's sage conclusions. You will also savor the photographs, many never seen before; they are full of good ideas that today's designers would be shrewd to copy. Mostly, you will gain a deep appreciation of these social butterflies as professional women, careerists of a special kind.
   
   A book of cautionary tales. A dream book. A chronicle of parallel lives. It's the same book --- but each woman will find her own meaning in it. Who would have thought that something as shallow as Society could have such depth?



3. This book showcases women who rose to public prominence through their individual style. Not all were born wealthy, not all were pretty but each of these women had an inner spirit and an outstanding sense of style that caught the eyes of the public (and of wealthy, influential men).
   
   It is interesting to see how each woman expressed her individual fashion sense within the very narrow sartorial dictates of her era. Their collective appeal lies in managing to balance conformity with originality to come up with a signature style that transcends time. Yes, they had access to great coutouriers, jewelers and stylists. But so did other women of their wealth and social rank who did not create a similar aesthetic legacy.
   
   What can we learn from them? One, that a woman need not resort to tasteless skin exposure to make a fashion statement. Two, a conservative dress code can be maintained without being bland and forgettable. The third (and I think the most important) lesson is that you need not be dazzlingly gorgeous to create a lovely sense of style that makes the most of your assets.



4. I'm not particularly fashionable myself but I love to read about beautiful things, beautiful clothes and beautiful people. This book is delightful and I've read it several times. Interestingly enough, the lesson learned is that beauty, money and glamour are not the answer. Most of the women profiled lived unhappy lives despite having those qualities in abundance. Nevertheless, it is a lovely "guilty pleasure" to read this book and learn more about how the other half lived.



5. You need this book if you love fashion. I wish the book was larger; that's my only wish! Some people say they wish there were more colored pictures, but early photography was B&W; for one reason, it captured the nuances of the clothing, and I guess color photography wasn't as prolific in the times that some of these ladies had their heyday. This book is interesting both to READ and to LOOK at! You will pick it up several times a year just to drool over the lovely pictures and re-read the lives and choices of these ladies. It's my very favorite book on style, and I have Ultimate Style: Helena Rubenstein: Over the Top; Oscar de la Renta; Shocking: Elsa Shcaparelli; and I even count Happy Times (Lee Radziwill) as one of my style books. I recommend all of these books, by the way! Also get D.V., Diana Vreeland: The Bazaar Years, and Vreeland if you like Diana Vreeland--=she's a really interesting style icon. Someone needs to put together an exhibit on her for the Metropolitan Museum (since she was the longtime curator of their Costume Institute and she made it what it is today, as far as I can tell from what I've read...incredible style, imagination, and flair!) Please buy this book; you won't regret it. It's a glimpse into a bygone era that still fascinates us and calls on us to imulate it.

2 comments about Fashioning Fabrics: Contemporary Textiles in Fashion.

1. The book itself contains nice layouts, plenty of accompanying text to reflect the designers it features, and nice to impressive photography that also reflects the designers' points of view. Most of the photos' visual impact comes from the (edgy) color and textile combinations used (including make-up affects); however, I wished it would've contained bolder layouts, but I guess this is what's to be expected of a paperback, slightly smaller footprint fashion book as I'm partial to the larger size books that can really wow you with one page full of vibrant color topped with a micro or macro aspect. The models were high fashion, runway model types wearing very creative pieces throughout the book but also expect lots of contextural writing. Note that I didn't actually read the book but scanned through the pics and some representative writings only for a minute because I was buying it as a gift for my high school grad niece who's interested in art school. I was more interested in how the visual impression of the photos would appeal to her. I was excited and thought it'd be good to excellent for her EXCEPT and unfortunately for one darn little but questionable photo! It was a frontal photo of a group of runway models wearing one featured designer's fashion (statement) in which one model was completely nude from the neck down and the other was nude from the waiste down (they were wearing "designer-modified" middle eastern type traditional women's clothing). I'm not a prude, and I probably should've known better via the fashion world perspective on the human body as art, but I certainly don't want my niece's parents to remember me as the aunt who unwittingly gave their daughter a book containing this particular photo. Had it not been a gift and for myself, I probably would've been fine with the book. So I'm returning it and felt the need to FYI other potential buyers. There was another tiny photo of a model's "behind" dressed in ethereal textile but it was done nicely and that I could've lived with.



2. This book shows us how to take a simple fabric and turn it into something more by manipulating or embellishing it into something else. We see the work of skilled designers who specialise in making something more out of a flat piece of material then transform it into something wearable.