1 comments about Agent Provocateur Exhibitionist.

1. I am a fan of agent provocateur lingerie and their campaign. I was excited about this book but when I got it I found it was nothing but pictures of mannequins in store windows. I was expecting more of a fine art nude/lingerie book. Still the direction of the book is clear and I can't ding them for that. It basically is store fronts that are provocative. Maybe I will find use for it. I take off stars because of the let down but it was still neat reading about the company. Agent Provocateur has more balls than Victoria's Secret. Glad there is still something in mass market out there with flavor.

No comments about Doris Day Paper Dolls.

2 comments about Jurgen Teller.

1. Let's face it--you're not the thinking type. They tend towards the important lighting studies of Philip-Lorca diCorcia and Crewdson; they like the contrast of beautiful composition with the seedy underbelly you get from Goldin; or the thousands of serious, non-name photographers who find their sustenance in light, color, line, shape and composition.
   
   
   Not you, though: you want the cliched notion of the Enfant Terrible splaying his les, metaphorically for commercial fashion photography or literally on a white grand piano. You think a photographer can be measured by how many models he can get to hang around him. To the degree you can articulate it (which ain't much), you think amateurish lighting, snapshot composition and a disdain of the technicals is a renunciation of the dessicating academic force in photography.
   
   Of course, it's not like you'll read this or the overwritten introductions to your coffee table art books. You're not totally sure who Jergens Tiller is anyway--he dated Cindy Sherman the fashion model or something? You're just happy to be part of the circlejerk of delusion where talentless, sloppy photographers like Teller are lauded by insensate dolts like you. I'd like to tell you Teller is exploiting you but in truth he's just as dumb and unthinking as you. Enjoy fans--you've earned it.



2. The book is a catalog for a Juergen Teller (retrospective?) exhibition in the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain at Paris. It is very nicely edited and has over 50 works presented during the years 1998-2006. I think the book shows most of the important works from Juergen (like most of the images from the "Nürnberg" -series) in a same book, plus an amazing short story by Marie Darrieussecq and a conversation of Isabelle Huppert and the artist.
   A definite buy. Don't sleep.

No comments about The Invention of Chic: Therese Bonney and Paris Moderne.

5 comments about Lighting Techniques for Fashion and Glamour Photography.

1. The style of the photos are dated and not particularly inspiring. While the content and actual information is solid, I expect the photography books I purchase to have at least a passing ability to impress with photos of clarity and beauty.



2. the book has good illustration to each different types of lighting equipments. but the pictures are a little out of current glamour trend, and the colors are not that good. it does not talk about how to work with your object - the FASHION and the model. it's more like a headshot tutorial. it's good for beginners to grasp essential knowledge of lighting equipments, but on top of that, you need a lot of studio work to testify your judgement of the effects of all these devices.
   
   it's a good tutorial, but not yet leading you towards creating master pieces.



3. I found this book to be ok but the diagrams for lighting set up are very poor- orinetation is not even correct and there is little to explain the finer details of the light positioning etc. Only some of the photos give a diagram/explanation of how lighting was achieved and even then its poor and difficult to replicate. Master lighting guide by christopher grey is a much better book in my opinion.



4. After reading Master Lighting Guide, I wanted to move to the next level. After looking at a few books, I got this one. It was just what I was looking for. The lighting calculations are a bit complicated, but it does help to explain how he set up the shots.



5. its a good one but it says the same like in others books, it talks about the nature of light, then of every type of photography you can make and the main characteristics of the light to get those.
   I would have like it to talk more about the light ratio in each picture captured.

No comments about Roman Dress and the Fabrics of Roman Culture (Phoenix Supplementary Volumes).

5 comments about Imagery on Fabric: A Complete Surface Design Handbook.

1. This book is a great introduction to all forms of surface design, with detailed instructions for tranferring images to fabric in many ways. Awesome introduction or reference for anyone interested in cyanotype, screenprinting, image transfer, batik, etc.



2. I own lots of fabric art books, and none of them come close to the amount of techniques this book has for putting color and images on fabric. It doesn't matter how many supplies I may run out of, because I can always turn to this book for *something* that I can still use. Easy to read and understand and lots of great examples. I always have this book nearby when a creative impulse strikes me.



3. This book is a very good guide to all sorts of transfer methods on fabric for any kind of fabric work. It is very user friendly because the wording is clear and concise with very good full color examples that go along with the text. Troubleshooting hints are included with each method as well a lot of other useful hints. The examples and pictures of the actual work are very helpful in that they show many different applications of each technique and really help to get you thinking of ways to be able to further play with and modify the methods shown. Also, it is very clearly laid out into categories per chapter that make it very easy to use as a quick reference. A reference chart is included in the book telling the basic overview of each technique with information concerning the permanence of the method, fabric types recommended for each method, as well as many other useful info that really make this book very easy to use and covers the basics of most any kind of transfer method you could need. I originally had to buy this book for a fibers class I was taking but it has been more helpful after the class ended because it really was a very easy to use by being very easy to quickly reference with it's clear layout and detailed description of all of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the methods clearly labeled. It is a very good book and would recommend it to anyone interested in any kind of quilt or fabric work.



4. After seeing the demonstration today on the Carol Duval Show on HGTV, I am definitely ordering this book! What intersting ideas for quilting fabric! Loved it!



5. From high tech computer photo transfer to the ancient art of leaf hammering, this book is a comprehensive presentation of fabric manipulation and imagery. Avoiding the "cutesy" trap of so many crafts books, this volume is sophisticated and will be useful to artists and crafters of many styles and sensibilities.

   Imagery on Fabric is smartly organized by method, rather than individual project, allowing for much more creativity from the reader. Each process is thoroughly explained and accompanied by fabulous photos of work by professional fiber artists as well as hobbyists. Laury also includes a useful list of resources for the various products and equipment that she discusses in her book.

   When I bought this book I was just fiddling with fabric and art quilts. Laury and her book singlehandedly motivated me to fully embrace fiber arts as an exciting means of artistic expression.

No comments about Ribbon.

5 comments about I Do: 100 Years of Wedding Fashion.

1. This beautiful, full color books features stunningly photographed dresses of all shapes, sizes and colors with a well written and extensive history of gowns and related traditions. The photo spreads are lavish, and not at the expense of the text of the book. But as some other reviewers have mentioned, each time period starts out with a few examples of the appropriate vintage gowns and then shifts into photos of modern gowns interpreting or inspired by that period, which is a little disappointing. Unless you're a designer or a collector this book isn't worth the nearly $90 sticker price, but if you can get it used or at the bargain price (as I did), it's a beautiful coffee table book with enough text to keep you reading for quite awhile!



2. this book had all ages of wedding celebrations and some really great pictures of many years and many celebrities as well as us common folk. I loved looking back at all the great fashions and memories. This would make an excellent gift book to a newly engaged person as she begins to plan a wedding. clinta ingraham



3. Some interesting studies for designers



4. I got this book literally two days ago for Christmas. I love it. I had it on my amazon wish list, and somebody bought it for me. I expected the book to be much smaller -I was happily suprised at the size and thickness! As a browser, it has spectacular large photos.
   
   I am am in the wedding industry and I did recognize some of the more recent photographs from designers' advertising campaigns. I love some of the older photographs, and old sketches. I do think there was an excellent representation of gowns from each decade. Most of the photos seem to come from the fashion industry or pop culture archives. There are only a few more photos from real everyday brides' weddings.
   
   I plan to read the text cover to cover this weekend. So far the captions and the layout I notice are straightforward, organized chronologically. It should be a short read like any coffee table book. The book covers the decades of the 20th century. Each decade shows representations from popular culture, from everyday weddings, from marketing campagins, as well as some designers' over-the-top "visions." I did not expect it to read like "history" book like some of the other feedback. What I expected to get out of it was an inspiring visual browse, and overview of wedding fashions of the 20th century, and I was very satisfied in that respect.



5. This book is definitely modern, presenting sofisticated and classy designs. It focuses on how modern designers are inspired by the past. Unfortunately there's not a lot of documentation, 98% of the dresses are modern, but brides looking for ideas will find it very useful. If you're more interested in the past, I suggest you look up Maria McBride-Mellinger.

No comments about The Japanese Tattoo Design Handbook, Vol. 2.