5 comments about Jewelry Savvy: What Every Jewelry Wearer Should Know.

1. This is a wonderful book! Well-written and easy to follow, it makes such perfect fashion sense I was delighted. When you choose earrings or necklaces (and yes, eyeglasses too) that compliment the shape of your face, your personal image is naturally enhanced. Notes about the different metals, qualities of gemstones, history, care and storage make this a handy reference guide for anyone. It's a first-rate book that every woman should make part of her personal fashion library.



2. The appreciation of jewelry is a culturally influenced subjective judgment that can vary widely from individual to individual. Nevertheless there are basic principles related to art, image, and adornment. Expertly co-authored by Cynthia A. Sliwa and Caroline Stanley, "Jewelry Savvy: What Every Jewelry Wearer Should Know" combines basic product information about jewelry, about wearing jewelry, and about purchasing and maintaining jewelry that will enable the reader to acquire a discernable degree of sophistication and self-expression. Of special note is the inclusion of a number of 'Savvy Tips' about jewelry. Enhanced with more than one hundred images and illustrations germane to choosing and wearing jewelry, "Jewelry Savvy" is a unique and very highly recommended instructional guide for those who are beginning their own jewelry collections, as well as anyone wanting to get the best value for their investment in jewelry with respect to their appearance no matter their age or the occasion.



3. I really enjoyed this book. It is helping me define my jewelry wardrobe and discover what looks best on me. The care for different types of jewelry was important b/c I need to take care of what I spend that kind of money on. I also valued the information on wearing jewelry in different ways. The reference section at the back cleared up many questions I had about different types of semiprecious stones. Kudos to the authors!



4. I am a jewelry lover and have taken jewelry and gemology courses and bought lots of jewelry in my life and I found this book to address real issues I've encountered, and it also gave me lots of ideas I never thought of.
   
   I'd recommend it to anyone who loves jewelery, especially good as a gift for mom, aunts, etc. The chapters about grouping jewelry and finding my style were inspiring. Also the tips about recycling jewelry were helpful.



5. The fact that every page of this book is filled with aha's and valuable gems of information makes it a 'must-read'. The blending of comprehensive jewelry knowledge and Image consulting principles is just one of many outstanding features of this book and makes it a very valuable resource. This is the first of its kind - and a definite must-have for every fashion-conscious woman's library.
   
   Jewelry Savvy is an excellent primer on how jewelry can be both beautiful AND be used to enhance one's personal image. Finally we have a full book on this topic, not just a page or two in a chapter on accessories. Jewelry Savvy sparkles as it brings awareness to the forefront, educating us about the powerful presence accessories have in dressing with style.
   
   It is obvious when reading this book that it is thoroughly researched and comprehensive in scope, yet is an engaging read in a conversational style.The passion of the authors for jewelry shines through. I'll be giving this book as gifts - it's that good!
   
   
   
   

1 comments about Embroidery from Palestine (Fabric Folios).

1. This book provides excellent details of various embroideryand applique techniques found on Palestinian garments. It is a worthy companion to Ms Weir's fabulous book, Palestinian Costume.

4 comments about Men Without Ties.

1. It is a good book, but not great as his another one: Rock and Royalty, Versace/Avedon. If you are a fan of Versace, then it's worth to buy one.



2. If you're a female (or well, at least a gay), better brace yourself and get ready for a glossy, eye-filling page after page of the finest young men ever born and bred in the whole world! Those sexy studs are very artfully depicted here in a stylish vein by a very creative fashion designer like Gianni Versace and most of them are quite scantily-clad and some of them even completely naked. A very bold and unconventional piece of art that you can find on any coffee table! Too bad this handsome album is just plain too expensive for me to merely pluck right off a bookstore shelf!



3. Okay, the males are stylish and handsome both--possessed of muscles, adorned with Versace's jubilant, expressionistic attire. But there's more expressionism in the photos themselves. I know of no other book where visual images (here, photos) are not just presented 1-2-3 in static procession, but where portions are repeated--echoed later on--blended with following photos--in a creative interweaving which can only be "art" in the definition of "dynamic combination of symmetry or order, and asymmetry or tension." A beach scene appears, then is blended with another scene later. And interblended with the written text, too. Rare is this twin-starring of word and image, plus this permutation-and-combination of images. Only in comics do word and image so vitally interact. So check out this book for its design-artistry, as well as its aesthetic dudes.....



4. was supermodel Marcus Schenkenberg on the cover. That's why I brought it home! But when I opened it up, I was thrilled to see that every photo was marvelous and artful. Kudos and love to the late Versace, who created this brilliant piece of art.

4 comments about Brilliant Bags: 20 Beautiful Bags to Stitch and Love.

1. After reading the reviews that were already posted, I almost did not buy this book. I am so glad that I went ahead and took the chance. My young girls and I love this book. They are 9 and 6 and are very crafty, I myself love to sew and create "one-of-a-kind" things. The patterns do not need detailed instructions, if you can cut a square with given measurements, you can create on of these bags - my girls have. If you are looking to create something fun and all your own, you will probably like this bag too.



2. Sorry to say the book didn't have great pictures and the purses were not great or even inspiring. The instuctions were good but the purses in the book were not something I would make or recommend to anyone. The saving grace for the book is that some of the instructions can be used in creating my own bag construction.



3. I have not had an opportunity to use the information in this book, but hope to in the near future. It looks very interesting and informative.
   S.Robertson



4. I was hoping for bags, well made bags with patterns for a variety of shapes etc and some interior fittings, but this book is much concerned with embellishing (Sometimes way over the top) some very simple shapes. Not an interior pocket to be seen just inside-out linings and outside flourishes. There is more space devoted to printing on fabric with an apple than on sewing together the purse it decorates. If you need to know how to sew on ruffles, this is for you, but if you want to know how to make good, sturdy bags I think you can look elsewhere.

No comments about DRESSED TO KILL: British Naval Uniform, Masculinity and Contemporary Fashions, 1748-1857.

4 comments about The Language of Clothes.

1. Well written, well argued history, not text book like at all, but like a long New Yorker article. A pleasure to read. It's not about silly petty fads but great social movements that underlie trends and revolutions. I think more photo illustrations would help.



2. The best pick-up line is to tell a woman how her clothes communicate aspects of her personality. Women love to talk about what the colors, patterns, and styles of their clothes mean. "The Language of Clothes" is all you need to do this -- although I also recommend "Big Hair: A Journey into the Transformation of Self," by Grant McCracken, to discuss what women's hair means. "The Language of Clothes" consists of chapters about how clothes express youth or age, a time or era, certain places, social status, etc. The best chapters are about how clothes communicate gender and sexual messages. This book is also one of the best birthday presents to give to a woman. (I shouldn't be sexist -- the book also discusses men's clothes.) The book has *lots* of clothes, and lots of photos. It's long and carefully researched. It makes you think. Women happily spend hours paging through it.
   --
   Review by Thomas David Kehoe...



3. Novelist Lurie here turns her attention to the history and social interpretation of clothing, linking politics, sexuality and social issues such as class to the evolution of clothing design and style. From Victorian to modern times, The Language of Clothes takes a sweeping look at the history of clothing's evolution and trends, making for an excellent guide.



4. I can't wait to go out and buy this book, which I read in hardcover from the library. It is very well researched and illustrated and discusses clothes and fashions from long ago up till today. And not just fashions and how they change, but what they MEAN. For example, did you know....in olden times, not just elegant clothing, but cloth itself was and admired and expensive commodity. The more cloth making up one's clothing meant that person was wealthy. Paintings of the period featured draperies in the background to indicate a person's wealth, and even today designer clothing uses more cloth and is cut fuller, carrying on the tradition. Anyone interested in not only fashion and clothing but symbols and history should read this book, it is just fascinating and delicious.

No comments about Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800-1815.

1 comments about Concepts of Pattern Grading: Techniques for Manual and Computer Grading.

1. I have been looking for a book that really helps me understand the "grading" process to paper patterns. I have found the book. I bought this book on accident, and I have still not been sad about it yet. It is a wonderful book filled with great ideas, and lots of illustrations to help you understand the process.
   This book is not going to teach you how to pattern a costume, but this helps you adjust your design to different sizes for mass production. So if you are looking how to make patterns this is not the book, it is for someone with some training, or understanding of paper pattern drafting.

4 comments about Wearing Vintage.

1. I enjoyed reading "Wearing Vintage". I've been a fan of vintage clothing for a long time, but had never read up on it and didn't really have a sense of the history of the items. I'd just buy things that looked cool. Now I have a better idea of shat era things are from and how they would have been worn back then.
   
   I really enjoyed the tips on getting out spots and stains from vintage fabrics. These will definitely come in handy!
   
   I also liked how the book was organized by era and item and that it featured both men's and women's clothing and accesories. I'd have liked more photographs, but the ones that are in the book are fantastic.
   
   This is a great starter book on vintage clothing. Five Stars!



2. This is a very exciting read with a few annoying shortcomings. The book is laid out by clothing type (formalwear, swimwear, daywear, outerware, loungewear, accessories); however, some items are in several chapters (like jeans). Each chapter is divided into men's and women's sections but again, some clothing items are in several sections. Additionally it is almost impossible to follow clothing by fashion (20's, 30's, etc.) or by designer without literally flipping through the entire book. There is a very nice glossary, website index and footnote section in the back, but the index leaves much to be desired. My last complaint is that there are many clothing styles mentioned and described but there are no pictures to show me what these things really look like and exactly how they are different. For me this was especially frustrating in the outerwear section. As you probably can deduce, I am not a fashion design expert but that is why I bought this book.
   
   Overall, I found this a very enjoyable book, despite the above frustrations; there are many excellent photographs and the text is pleasing to read.



3. This book contains great photos of clothes, up close and in detail. The book is divided into clothes categories, rather than by era, but it gives some detail about 20th century fashion trends in each era for each clothing item. Although the author imparts bits of history, she does not do this as if the book were an introduction to fashion history. There is also some information and advice about wearing vintage pieces in general. The resource section is a nice bonus because it describes how to clean and care for items, as well as a glossary of terms, among other sections.

   I think an assumption behind this book is that readers are not so much looking to wear all pieces from the same era like a costume, but rather they are looking to find unique pieces to wear, according to their own sense of style.

   If you are searching to reproduce a specific era, I would seek another fashion book that was specifically written about that era. However, if you are interested in fashion in general and vintage in particular, this book is for you. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially someone who wants to find unique clothing and learn a little bit about 20th century clothes.




4. Great overview of Vintage... one of the first books I've read on Vintage, although I've been a collector for a long time. This book is easy to read and has photos for reference... I would have liked some extra shopping references and online references to sites like:...

1 comments about William Morris and Morris & Co..

1. I did not purchase this book, but I did check it out from my library. I have to say that this is a great book displaying William Morris' textile and wallpaper designs in contemporary settings.
   
   I have seen books that use William Morris' designs and the rooms are not fresh, but look dated. You won't find that in this book. The photos are rich in detail and gives readers great decorating ideas.
   
   If you are a collector of William Morris' wallpapers or fabrics, or if you love beautiful interiors that blend contemporary with traditional, then I think you will enjoy this book.