1 comments about Vivienne Westwood (Va).

1. We caught the Vivienne Westwood retrospective traveling show at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, and were blown away by the inventive, fun, nutty clothes this woman produced. This book serves as a exhibition catalog, although many of the pieces in the show are not in the book, and nothing matches seeing the wild shoes, hats, dresses and frocks in person. The book design is a minor annoyance, as it can be a little hard to find the garment pictured, who was wearing it, or when it was created. And I think frankly the girl has her best work behind her, but the glory of it cannot be exaggerated, or, to put it another way, her exaggerations were truly glorious. Over The Top in the very best way.
   
   Thoreau would no doubt disapprove....

1 comments about Fitting & Pattern Alteration: A Multi-Method Approach.

1. Fitting & Pattern Alteration: A Multi-Method Approach...This guide provides hundreds of clear illustrations with concise descriptions of fitting issues and easy-to-follow directions to resolve them using several methods. The authors cover virtually every fitting aspect of the human body, including the special problems presented by those of us who may have physical problems that translate into badly fitting garments, from neck to ankle.

   Anyone frustrated with the results of their own apparel projects needs this guide on their sewing room bookshelf.

1 comments about The Sneaker Book: 50 Years Of Sports Shoe Design.

1. This interesting sneaker book showcases some of the most popular brands and designs from the 1940's to the 1980's. The information it gives about the sneakers is almost entirely taken from the marketing advertisements by the sneaker brands, and often it shows the printed advertisements themselves which adds to the value of the book by showing how the marketing of sneakers has evolved during the period it covers.
   
   The design of the book itself is highly unique and makes the book one you'll want to leave on a coffee table or other prominent place due to it's beautiful colors and hot-pink shoelace on the binding which contrasts well with it's bright-green cover.

1 comments about Little Black Dress: Vintage Treasure.

1. Pefect little compendium. Wonderful illustrations and photographs. If love history and fashion this is a must.

1 comments about Alligators, Old Mink & New Money: One Woman's Adventures in Vintage Clothing.

1. A completely captivating and charming book! Ms. Houtte's writing style is as refined as her vintage style!
   
   As a dabbler in the fabric arts, a student of clothing construction, and someone born with the "thrifting gene," I found her story so engaging I devoured the book in a weekend. Her total lack of snobbery and self-importance was appealing. Here's someone who made their avocation their vocation and still gets excited about working every day. I absolutely loved the stories about her modeling life, how she got into the vintage clothing and accessories business, and most of all her accounts of the people she's met and experiences she's had.
   
   It's not a how-to book (thank goodness!), but the reader can see Ms. Houtte's confidence grow in proportion to her success as a model and later as a business owner. She relates stories of her failures - both personal and professional - with as much élan as she does the stories of her successes. An interesting and refreshing book about things that in and of themselves aren't of any importance, but taken together really add up to a life well-lived.

3 comments about 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company.

1. This is yet another book that has wonderful illustrations and information about 1920s fashion. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in this pivotal decade in fashion.



2. "1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company" provides over 700 black & white illustrations, detailed descriptions, and prices for clothing for the upper class of the Jazz Age. The focus is primarily on women's clothing and accessories, with everything from sophisticated evening wear to bathing suits, but you will also find a complete array of clothing for men and children as well. Please remember, because they buy directly from the manufacturer, "thus eliminating the no inconsiderable profits of the middleman," B. Altman & Company are able to offer patrons the benefit of the savings. This is a superb record of the styles worn by flappers in the Roaring Twenties; note than this is not simply the reproduction of a catalog from a particular year, but has fashion culled from the B. Altman catalogs of the entire decade. Interesting Footnote: The B. Altman & Company Department Store is now the New York Public Library Science, Industry & Business Library. Dover also has a reprint edition of "Altman's Spring and Summer Fashions Catalog, 1915," which records the fashions worn in the United States in the years before the First World War. This volume will be of interest to the fashion historian and of great use to costume designers working with this period of American History.



3. This is a lovely book of a wide variety of catalog drawings and photos from the B. Altman Company which carried higher quality items as compared to the Sears catalog books. There are men's and women's clothes and childrens clothes, hats, undergarments, stockings, shoes...A real treat if you are interested in what the upper middle class might have worn. And everything progresses by the year, so you can see how the fashions developed.

5 comments about Diane: A Signature Life.

1. Yes, she came from a privileged background, and had many doors opened for her as a result, but definitely deserves all credit for what she made of those opportunities. She plays down the business side of herself, preferring to highlight the creative aspects of her personality, but underneath it all, she does seem to possess a sharp business sense and an intuition for how to best position and market her products. Also, the ability to constantly reinvent herself, and seek out new ideas comes through in the book. Her success story is inspiring.
   
   On the negative side, there was too much name-dropping. Some parts were annoyingly elitist - I think she must have said at least half a dozen times in the book (or at least it seems that way) that her ex-husband was a prince whose bloodline descends from the roman empire (or some other empire, don't remember). Connections to royalty are mentioned in awestruck tones, which is grating on the nerve. There is also a lot of touting of her own achievements - admittedly the pride is well deserved, but some subtlety in talking about it would have been classier.



2. This book is very interesting. YOu get to learn about the fashion industry and what to expect. Since I myself am interested in entering the fashion world as a career this book helped me understand that at times buisness may be stressful but always worthwhile. Diane von Furstenberg is a women that went through many hardships but was dedicated to her work, and someday i hope to do my work as succesfully as she did.
   -amanda, Grayslake



3. This has to be one of the most insipid tales yet told. It's promoted as "she didn't have to work - but she did". She did? When? Where? Look - don't promote an idea and then tell the story that completely contrasts it. This person has yet to understand what "work" is. This book is a story of a rich person who uses connections to get richer. Wow! - what a story!
   Now if it was about a person who worked from nothing - and built a brand like the rest of us schleps would have to, then I'd say she did something - "she worked"! But not the case here, even though she portrays it that way. Unconvincing and boring.



4. Diane lets us inside her very glamourous life. she takes us from the 60's to the 90's. her life is full of fashion, family, friends and love. i really enjoyed this book and have a new admiration for diane.



5. Diane gives us a facinating glimpse into her world of the fast lane of the 70s and the glamous life which she led. But a glimpse is all we really get and Diane spares us many details which she must have felt would offend the people still important in her life. Further, while she ostensibly takes responsibility for how her businesses went horribly wrong, we somehow get the feeling that everyone else was to blame. Hey, the next time you license your products to Sears, please take a step inside. You will see that it's not Saks! In sum, a fun read but it not a revealing biography or any kind of a business book.

3 comments about Traditional Indian Bead and Leather Crafts.

1. The instructions are simply written and easy to follow. The designs are colorful and reflects Native American designs. It is limited in the number of products you can make using the book.



2. Good book. The author makes the instructions easy to follow. The only bad thing I noticed was the pattern for the leather pouch is smaller than the directions say it should be, but nothing tells you this. Good instructions to put the bags together and do the beadwork.



3. I found this book extremely helpfull for the bigginer leathercrafter. The illustrations and photographs are beautifully done. The intructions are very easy to follow. This book is a must-all for any one desiring to learn all aspects of working with leather.

3 comments about Patterns for Costume Accessories: The Solution to Almost Any Costume Accessory Need.

1. Just received this book and glanced thru it. What I needed from a review was what exactly was in the book. Mind you I don't know how good the patterns are but it includes a number of hat patterns. Some of the usual- newsboy, chef, mob cap, but a nice coif, deerstalker, and beanie. Lots of neckwear from jabots and cravats to an Egyptian collar and a fischu. There are spat, gaiter, slipper and soft boot patterns. Many of the aprons and purses you can find in commercial pattern catalogues but are nice. You can also find the glove in a commerical pattern but this book also includes mittens and cavalier cuffs. Probably the best thing about this book is the baldric, sword belt, quiver and bow case pattern. Some patterns are difficult, others aren't but not having to bother figuring out even the simplest pattern can save time. Again I have not actually made anything from the book yet but it looks very promising! Especially since the authors have excellent resumes- Carnegie-Mellon, New York City Ballet, etc.



2. "Patterns for Costume Accessories: The Solution to Almost Any Costume Accessory Need" is a fabulous find! This is a MUST for everyone who does any kind of costume sewing, be it for a child's school play or a community theatre production, or even a professional production. I make costumes for a wide variety of theatres in my area. I design and build costumes for public and private schools, college and community theatres and some professional theatre work. I have always had a hard time finding just the right boot or bag or other accessory to complete the time period I was working with. This book is a tremdous time saver in that it includes patterns that can be used for children as well as adults. Just enlarge or reduce the pattern pieces (this can even be done on a copy machine to save time)to fit the actor's size. The directions for sewing are standard and are very easy to understand. It is so nice not to have to spend time creating patterns for accessories. This book is such a great find that I am giving some as gifts, so I won't have to lend mine out because I am sure I will be using this book for each production I work with.
   Deborah Scarlato



3. This is INVALUABLE. I opened it and breathed a sigh of relief. Solved all my needs on the show I was doing -- and will probably do the same for all the shows to come! A real life-saver for any costume designer and particularly those of us in the schools & community theatre world.

1 comments about Essential Fashion Illustration: Poses (Essential Fashion Illustrations:).

1. it's okay. not quite what i expected. i would have liked to see more nude drawings and even maybe some photos of models and then a simple sketch of them.