2 comments about Kimonos (365 Series).

1. I bought this book to learn the basics of the history of the kimono. I don't have much background in the subject, but I found this book to be very interesting although the text is minimal. The pictures are quite lovely, with a few being blurry. All around I think this a good book if you're interested in a basic book full of photos and some good commentary on the various kimonos worn in Japan.



2. This book is a nice primer for people who want to enter the world of the Japanese kimono, but have three jobs to pay for a revolving debt, kids to attend to, and a Family Guy rerun coming up.
   
   The text is informative, but minimal, to the point of museum index cards beside artwork. It whets your appetite, but doesn't sate your hunger.
   
   So if you want to have a bright cheery book sitting around, where people can sorta read it, while talking to you, or looking at the pictures, and realizing they have to get a prada knockoff at payless, while opening a bottle of wine, and surfing the television....then this book is the one.
   
   There was a lot of public street photography that captured mostly the backs of contemporary Japanese women in transit. This was to highlight the Obi (sash to secure the kimono) on thir backs. On one hand, I think it's important to look at an artform in the environment it was meant for, incorporated into one's daily activities. On another, I felt the pictures may have been selected based on what the author thought was aesthetically pleasing, not on historical relevance. In other words, she could be selecting a photo of a kimono that's design is completely incongruous with Japanese tastes and the standards of kimono-making. She could have selected a picture of a person in public wearing a kimono that is frowned upon by the Japanese.
   
   So that made the book seemed as if it was often "shot from the hip." Some beautiful historical pictures and a few by Japan's great Nobuyoshi Araki rounds up this affordable and sensible introductory treat to kimonos.

No comments about Fashion-ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies (Dress, Body, Culture).

2 comments about American Flight Jackets, Airmen and Aircraft: A History of U.S. Flyers' Jackets from World War I to Desert Storm.

1. If you are interested in flight jackets, their design, styles and art work, then this book is for you. There are literally hundreds of colour and black and white photographs of aviator leather jackets. World War Two jackets are covered in detail as are Korean and Vietnam period flight jackets. The book is well set out, has large high resolution photographs and is a well constructed hardcover. The only fault I could find with the book is that in many of the photographs it fails to identify the jacket type and specification. It also does not deal with jacket construction or design. As with many of Maguire's books it has excellent reference photographs and information on who used or wore the artical in question, but fails to provide detailed information on the item other than the basics. Still, it is worthwhile addition to a library, although the book is expensive.



2. Perhaps I enjoyed this book so much because of the fact that it's main focus is the WWII era of flight jackets and that is my favorite area as well. If you want historical jackets (KOREA AND WWII), get this book, but if you want just modern jackets then shop elsewhere.

   If I had to be picky about the book, I would have to say that there were too many blood chits on jackets pictured and not enough pin-up work, but that's only if I had to be picky. The authors did their homework for this book as they don't just give you tons of photographs (BY THE WAY, THERE ARE TONS OF PHOTOGRAPHS) but also chronicle the jacket's history and when possible, the owner's history as well.

   Fantastic layouts as the information is presented in a very professional and orderly way. They break down the jackets by theater as there's a section on the CBI theater, the European Theater, Korean theater, etc. Good paper and a nice sized book.

   A bit on the pricey side but I still got it and I would still recommend it to the hardcore fan of the subject. May be too much cash for the casual fan.

1 comments about The Big Book of Tattoo.

1. Spider Webb's The Big Book of Tattoo is a Must-Own book for tattoo enthusiasts! It contains 512 black & white photoghaphs of tattooed men & women dating from the early 1900's to the 1970's!
   An ideal book for anyone looking for a source book on the history of Tattoos.
   However, this book is not for the prudish... It contains many photographs of nude tattooed & pierced women.
   
   Great for any tattoo enthusiast or anyone who's looking for a source book on tattoo history in the United States & abroad!
   
   I also recommend, The World of Tattoo: An Illistrated History.

5 comments about Dressing Up Vintage.

1. This is not a book for grungy secondhand roses raking around the fleamarkets for funky bargain clothes but for the serious connoisseur of fine vintage this book is indispensable.



2. Although filled with beautiful photography of period styles, I found this book to be ultimately a disappointment--short on substance.

   The introduction, where she states that "Basing a collection around thrift-store bargins is not only unrealistic, it can take days, weeks, literally years of your time." is the your first clue. The rest of the book is then devoted to extolling the virutes of couture and its designers. Fine for a small amount of those who can afford it, but unrealistic for the rest of the population.

   Tolkien has a mere two pages to fashions of the 1940's (which she calls "simple" and "utilitarian" before moving on to the rest of the 20th century. She divides the various decades into the trends that defined them, but then lets the pictures do the work for her. Tolkien also devotes a part of the book to 90's fashion--a decade which most vintage wearers would not even consider to be "vintage" in the first place.

   If you are looking for a very brief overview of late 20th century designer fashion, you might enjoy this book. If not, Amazon has plenty of other books on the subject that do a much better job.




3. I think this is the best book that I've ever bought on vintage clothes. I love it and I've learned so much. A real find!



4. What a wonderful find! This is a book that does everything it says on the tin and then some. Freely and beautifully illustrated with both period and commisioned photographs, it offers a cornucopia of images that cleverly demonstrates fashion, documenting & reflecting much of the past century.
   The writing is witty and wise: intelligent & informative without being patronising & it is infectious in its enthusiasm. For someone like me, with alot more interest than knowledge in vintage clothing, what I really loved about it was its accessibility and how helpful it was with information- there are handy tips on the where's and how's of vintage shopping and dressing nestling in every corner. Because of the way that it integrates socio-economic and historical detail, it even makes for good reading if you're not that interested in the clothes themselves, as it offers a rich visual history, through clothing, of the century that was. It often seems that every other book is "the definitive guide to..." but this one is the genuine article. No cheap imitation this, it offers an assured overview of vintage style and an indispensible source list of web-sites and stores that sell vintage clothing. And it is so much fun to read.



5. This book starts only at around 1940 and just gives a few glossy pictures for each decade. Models and model-lovers should love it, but it's really more about the culture of buying couture and outrageously priced clothing than it is about vintage. A big ho-hum, and a little bit of a ripoff for the money. Shallow, shallow, shallow.

2 comments about T-shirt 360.

1. 500 pages of designs in a nice portable hardcover. A good reference or inspiration book. Also contains many designs from Europe not found in other collections.



2. This book is a decent selection of many of today's interesting t-shirt designs but has its share of shortcomings. For one thing many of the image sources are not very high resolution which is unfortunate considering the focus of the book is to show off these designs. In addition to low-res photos many of the photos are obscured or otherwise hard to get a good look at just the design. Pedro Guitton's design choices for the book itself are regrettable but thankfully do not get in the way too much. Overall it is a good value for the sheer amount and variety of sources included in the book and is good to pick up now and again for inspiration.

1 comments about Surprise Me: Editorial Design.

1. Surprise me: Editorial Design is nothing but examples arranged in categories. There is something here for the serious designer to gleen from exposure but any help from the author as to criteria for inclusion or particularly striking examples is missing. Since the aurthor is German, many of the examples are European and most reprersent the kind of swiss-griddy laid-back style that finds little currency among contemporary (read:young) audiences. Still, there are things here that can inspire a magazine designer, but there was little to "surprise me."

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop CS: The Art of Photographing Women.

1. This book teach high end skill of photoshop especially for portrait..
   It skip all of basic technique,, so it is not for beginner. BUt the skill they tecah is very useful,, althought it take time to digest and absorb it into your own style..
   
   If you are familiar of photoshop and portrait.. this is a MUST HAVE book..
   
   highly recommended..
   
   JOHN LIN ,



2. I can't believe this book is suppossed to be taken seriously. This has nothing to do with the "art of photographing women." This is about taking a snapshot picture and then transforming her through photoshop into a barbie doll.
   
   Most of the examples show how to trim the edges of a woman's body off to make her look thinner. I feel bad for the women who's pictures are in the book cause by the end of the photoshopping they look like dolls. I returned this book ASAP!!



3. This book is beautifully presented and laid out and printed on quality paper. Most of the chapters have exercises with step-by-step instructions which are clearly presented and illustrated. The actual image files used in the book are available for download on the author's website and are used in the exercises. What you'll learn isn't just applicable to photographing women, but very useful for editing photos in general and for getting to grips with Photoshop. The next best thing to having a live teacher.



4. This book is a must have for professional and who want to edit in Photoshop like one. I can say that this is the best book.



5. A possibly better title would be "The Art of Retouching Women" as this book concentrates on the use of Photoshop to fix photographs that need drastic correction rather than the actual photography of women. Even so, it's Kelby's usual entertaining beginner Photoshop book with lots of cool graphics and tips that work, even if they are sometimes convoluted. If the photographs you take of women could use some repair and retouching, this book offers lots of good advice.

1 comments about Isabella Rossellini: Looking At Me: On Pictures and Photographs.

1. This is a fabulous book, the type that you can sit with for hours and enjoy. It is reminiscent of Sante D'Orazio's first book, but on a much simpler scale. The photos are great, the commentary a little bare-bones but interesting. As a photographer, it's also interesting to see how different photographers have captured the same subject, sometimes more than once. Highly recommended and nicely published.

2 comments about Chic In Paris: Style Secrets & Best Addresses.

1. This book is not what you think it is. I thought it was going to be a book filled with Chic fashion tips and it was mostly interviews with different women telling you what beauty prducts they use. There was very little about fashion. Go check it out at a library, but save your money.



2. Written by Susan Tabak, a $1,500 a day personal shopper, CHIC IN PARIS is a stylish book that offers readers insidery information about the fashion philosophies of eight affluent, glamorous French women.
   
   Far from a recipe for great style, CHIC IN PARIS does not offer precise advice for dressing well-- as the popular What Not To Wear series does. Instead in each of the eight chapters, the author poses general questions to each style icon. And the answers are timeless or vague -- depending upon your expectations.
   
   Here you will not be told to wear skinny, bootleg or bell-bottomed jeans, but instead you will be encouraged to disregard trends entirely and wear the fabrics, colors and styles that make you feel good, in a sensual way.
   
   Recommended for both Francophiles and fashionistas. CHIC IN PARIS is the classic gift book. With its ruby red, faux crocodile cover, lush design and dozens of full-color photographs, this is a coffeetable-style book -- meant to be touched and looked at with quick glances, rather than read cover to cover. Consequently the words are few and the printing quality deluxe.
   
   Having sufficiently praised this book (because in truth I like it and think it offers value), I must say that the more I look at it, the more I wonder about its path to printing and the integrity of the information. For starters there is no traditional credit page here. The publisher is not clearly identified. And the price/bar code is noted with an adhesive sticker on the cover, that makes me wonder if CHIC IN PARIS is a self-published book that was marketed to the public after its production.
   
   Then, as I investigate this further, I note that all of the traditional contact information contained here, relates to the author's company, Paris Personal Shopper, including a Manhattan phone number and a website address. Yikes! Is this a brochure?
   
   This, of course, doesn't reveal the book's lack of integrity. But then I begin to google the eight style icons and note that most hype the designers/companies they are most closely associated with.
   
   Ultimately I don't think that any of this matters. After all art gallery brochures are always self-published and are always for sale -- until they sell-out, of course. So because CHIC IN PARIS is a nice looking book that definitely offers valuable fashion perspectives, I recommend it to those who are interested in:
   
   Georgina Brandolini (Valentino's unpaid muse of 22 years);
   Loulou de la Falaise ( designer and 30 year Yves Saint Laurent muse);
   Inés de la Fressange (clothing designer & former Chanel model);
   Mina d'Ornano (boutique owner & accessories designer);
   Marie-Hélène de Taillac (jewelry designer);
   Spela Lenarcic (fashion stylist);
   Carole Rochas (jewelry designer); and
   Nathalie Rykiel (Sonia's daughter & CEO of Rykiel Woman).
   
   -- Regina McMenamin