Book Description

From antique shops to such upscale stores as Tiffany and Cartier, from flea markets to the chic design houses of Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel, charms are making a grand reappearance on the fashion scene. Drawn to these tiny treasures for their ability to express elements of the wearer's personality, today's charm lovers are using them to adorn everything from bracelets and necklaces to dog collars and diaper pins.

In The Charm of Charms, photographer Jade Albert and writer Ki Hackney tell the fascinating story of this ever-popular jewelry item. The stunning color photographs provide an up-close and personal view of hundreds of cherished charmed jewels, including pieces belonging to Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, the Duchess of Windsor, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige among other celebrities. The intriguing stories behind these beloved trinkets are told in the lively, informative text, which also covers the history of charms and amulets from prehistory to the present. Combining up-to-the-minute trendiness with nostalgic glamour, this gorgeous volume will appeal to fashion and jewelry enthusiasts both young and old. AUTHOR BIO: Jade Albert's work has appeared in Vogue, Time, and Parents magazines, and in advertising campaigns for Target, Polaroid, Sony, and other companies. She was the photographer of Cindy Crawford's book, About Face (2001). Ki Hackney is the coauthor of People and Pearls: The Magic Endures. ... Read more

Book Description

This new detailed guide to learning the skills and techniques of drawing modern fashion and figure is also a rich reference source for a broad range of modern garments and accessories. Extensively illustrated, this introduction teaches by example, the power of drawing as a means of communication and expression and strives to show students how to perceive things in order to be able to draw them correctly. The first section is dedicated to drawing the human figure, while the second portion deals with how to draw a wide range of modern garments and accessories and the types of techniques used to render them convincingly and elegantly in different fabric designs and textures.This volume offers a complete presentation of proportions of the croquis, draping the figure, accessories, flats, and features an encyclopedia of details, how to draw textiles and real clothes, the art of illustration, and computers and fashion drawing.For designers, fashion professionals, teachers and students of fashion. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A must for aspiring Fashion Designers!!
I attend the Fashion Institute Of Design and Merchandising where "9 Heads" is used to teach the students how to illustrate fashion. My teacher was also the author of "9 Heads" and she is amazing. My fashion sketching has improves so much along with other students. This book is extremely helpful and very detailed. A must have for anyone who wants to learn how to Fashion Illustrate. :)

Great for drawing women...only women
This is ALMOST the Bible of Fashion Design, save for the fact that it does not show you how to draw men's, juniors, children's, or infant's clothing. This is a must have in anyone's collection, but upon having Ms. Riegleman as a teacher I must warn the reader not to adopt the style in the book as their own but to use the book as a means to develop their own personal style.

If this is the best book out there,
drawing skills must truly be at an all-time low. I bought this book because of Amazon's 5-star rating, but I found the drawing style distinctly unsophisticated and melodramatically adolescent. The figures look like comic book characters, and the flats look, at best, ready to photocopy. Do yourself a favor and attend proper figure drawing and anatomy classes for instruction in the human form, then learn to draw fabrics, draping, shoes, and buttons from old-fashioned, time-tested observation and practice, practice, practice.

Best Fashion Book I Own
I am a fashion student at Parsons, and this book is the exact equivilant of two years of training. My drawings improved beyond belief even after just a few days of studying this bible. The drawings are informative and have a style and flair that only the best illustrators posess. Impressive -- A must have for any fashion student!!

Best Fashion Designer Book
Mrs.Nancy Riegelman was my teacher at Fashion Institute(FIDM)of Los Angeles,she is the best teacher that I ever had and her book reflect her talent. Now I am teaching Fashion Illustration too and I use her book as a reference for my work.Buy this book and you won't be deceived, you will learn a lot and keep on getting better. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Madeleine Vionnet's greatest distinction as a designer was her discovery of the bias cut. Cutting patterns along the bias forces the fabric to cling to the body and move with it, which created her trademark look of draped, form-conscious clothing. When designer Issey Miyake first saw a Vionnet dress, it was like the first time he saw Winged Victory at the Louvre: "I thought then that the statue of Nike had been reincarnated in the dresses by Vionnet. She had captured the most beautiful aspect of classical Greek aesthetics: the body and movement." Vionnet's long career as a dressmaker and designer began with the 20th century. Always conscious of women's bodies and inspired in part by modern dancer Isadora Duncan, she soon dispensed with corsets and other constricting garments, and used barefoot models to present her first solo collection. Though simple, her dresses were never plain; the use of a Cartier necklace as a halter strap is a classic Vionnet innovation. This inimitable combination of comfort and glamour made Vionnet's clothes a favorite among European nobility, Hollywood royalty--notably Marlene Dietrich, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Katharine Hepburn--as well as socialites and other trendsetters. Close to a century after its introduction, the bias cut remains an important element in clothing design.

Madeleine Vionnet is a tall book that echoes many of the designs inside. It is filled with contemporary photographs of the clothing, period pictures shot by Man Ray and Steichen, design sketches, and, perhaps most interestingly, patterns for the clothes. The accompanying text traces Vionnet's evolution from an 11-year-old seamstress, through her days apprenticing at the famed Callot Soeurs couture house in Paris, and on into the design empire that secured her an enduring spot in fashion history. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Get it while it's been remaindered...
...as it will go up significantly in price when it goes out of print. A gorgeous resource, with excellent photographs of Vionnet's dresses and, notably, the inclusion of scale patterns for many of the dresses depicted. One of the best available monographs on a designer from this time period.

Simply Wonderful!
I knew that I would love this book, but I did not know how much. The format is great. The pictures are nice and clear, and BIG. This book makes me wish I was alive in the 20's and 30's. Well worth the price.

Exceptional insight into bias construction. Amazing book!
Probably the best book I have read on bias construction. Decribes many of the techniques Vionnet used, like rules for mixing bias with straight weaves. The scale patterns are a major plus.

Magnificent magnificent MaGNiFiCenT
I unwrapped "Vionnet" and thought I'd give it a quick flip-thru before getting on with my day. I spent the next 6 1/2 hours splayed out on the living room floor with this book. (I'll leave erudition to the other reviewers...) It is simply magnificent.

A book that does justice to the genius of Vionnet.
I make and design clothes for the Madame Alexander doll Cissy. In the process of doing this, I began to do research on clothing made in the earlier part of this century. It was then that I discovered the beautiful work of Madeleine Vionnet. I saw the best work of many others, but Vionnet's dresses were pure magic, flowing and exquisite, so unlike anything of their period. So, when I saw this book with 38 patterns, I knew it was a necessity, and it certainly impressed me. The text was informative, and the photographs clear and showing the clothing well. Unduly impressive. ... Read more

Book Description

The bag is one of the most universal and oldest objects invented by humankind. What began as a prosaic item for everyday use can now be a luxurious treasure that confers instant status. In this unique, lavishly illustrated volume, published to accompany the exhibition Le Cas du Sac, noted fashion historian Farid Chenoune and 24 experts present an unimaginable wealth of bags made for everyone from kings and celebrities to shamans and vagabonds.

This comprehensive book explores the bag as high-fashion totem; travelers' bags; bags for professionals; bags related to money and ceremony; and bags as talismans. The beautiful illustrations, including paintings, fashion photographs, and ethnographic and decorative objects, reveal the variety and importance of bags throughout time, from designer Philip Treacy's silk evening bag printed with Andy Warhol's signature Campbell Soup cans, to the pangu, the bags used by Bamum tribal kings of Western Africa for holding the sovereign's regalia. A co-publication with Hermès, the Parisian designer of luxurious bags and leather goods, Carried Away is sure to delight fashion enthusiasts and those interested in material culture from around the world. AUTHOR BIO: Farid Chenoune is a cultural and fashion historian. He teaches at the Institut Français de la mode and the Ecole national supérieure des arts décoratifs. He has written, among other works, A History of Men's Fashion; Beneath It All: A Century of French Lingerie, and a monograph on Jean-Paul Gaultier. He writes frequently for French Vogue. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Surpasses my expectations
There are reasons I like this book and reasons that I am disappointed.The reason that I am disappointed is that I thought that this book was going to have lots of pictures of purses from different eras.The reason I like this book is because it is more than just a book with pictures of purses. "Hmmmm..." you might be thinking."Whatever does she mean?"

I love looking at bags in fashion magazines.I thought this book was going to be like that...only longer.Instead, it contains the history of bags, the relationship between bags and culture, the psychological meaning of different bags, and dare I say it, the philosophical perspective of bags.Lest you think I am being sarcastic, I really think the author Chenoune does a good job covering these issues in a tongue in cheek manner."Carried Away" shows the bag as more than just a fashion trend.Although the book does show examples of the bag as woman's fashion accessory, such as the ubiquitous Hermes bag, the book is more of an art book.

"Carried Away" is divided into several sections. My favorite section is about purses in the movies.The author chose still pictures from certain movies.Then, Chenoune explains how the choice of the purse by the costume designer relates to the characters in the movie. Basically, what does the purse say about the psychology of the character and the mood in the scene?I also like the section that shows pictures of different bags and their uses in history, like the painter's bag.

I think for many people this is going to be a book that they pick up in the book store and browse, but not buy.However, I think that other people intested in the bag as an art form, a cultural indicator, or a historical benchmark will find this book interesting enough to read.Therefore, I would not recommend buying it sight unseen, but it is definitely worth a look. ... Read more

Book Description

A superb reference book and an ideal instructional textbook for classroom use, this beautifully illustrated guide is organized into units that reflect required courses at leading design colleges. Twenty step-by-step exercises cover methods of finding inspiration, developing observation techniques, and creating fashion drawings in both color and black-and-white media. Separate sections are devoted to getting started and understanding figure proportions, planning and designing garments, and creating and assessing flat specification drawings. The book also features cross-references to its various art instruction techniques, a designer’s glossary, and a helpful index. This book guides students through their first steps in fashion illustration, covering everything that is presented in the best college-level courses. It makes a fine starting point for all students of fashion, introducing them to fashion drawing as a first step toward a career as a creative costumier. More than 250 illustrations in color and black and white. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a real course in fashion design
Unlike other fashion design books, the authors do not teach figure drawing and clothing. They start out with a visit to a museum where you need to gather information, then find a theme and make four sketches. The individual lessons build upon each other so that the beginner can easily follow. The authors require you to be active, go out and find your sources of information and inspiration. You learn to do what fashion designers do: look at architecture and find ideas for a new fashion line, look at flowers and find a color scheme, etc.
The book has 24 lessons that lead the student of fashion design from the first sketch to the fashion show. It's a good book if you are looking for a guided course that helps you to improve and evaluate your designs.

Important principles of fashion illustration
The book mentions the main and the important principles of fashion illustration, how to use colors and more. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

Figure Templates for Fashion Illustration
This book promises more than it delivers. The basic templates are useful, but in all other aspects this book is lacking.
The written information is scant and repeated - very superfluous. Mr Ireland's style is very outdated and uninspiring for those hoping to make a career out of fashion - in any form. I would recommend this book only as a basic early tool for novices hoping to improve their figure construction.
For inspiration I recommend Laird Borelli's FASHION ILLUSTRATION NOW.

great for copying
this isn't the 'how to draw the fashion model' book you wish taught you everything you ever needed to know. However, its good to have around when you just need to pump an idea out. It has women, men, and children.

Figure Templates For Fashion Illustration
This book is an excellent resource at a resonable price. It is more than a primer. I'd recommend it to anyone, experienced or novice, who designs/illustrates fashion.

Figure Templates for Fashion Illustration
Mr. Ireland has produced a helpful tool. I am a fashion designer and find the templates helpful when I need to do quick working sketches. I also teach Fashion Merchandising students, the templates are wonderful for the students with limited artistic abilities. It helps them in their presentation of professional storyboards. The book is also useful in acquiring basic drawing skills. I would recommend this book to anyone interesting in learning basic fashion drawing skills and for those with more advanced drawing skills ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An absolute delight,for every woman who owns an LBD!
Breakfast at Tiffanys!What a super, fun and pratical book.The little black dresses legacy as an arbitor of fashion and good taste is world renowned.Practically all females and probably a large percentage of males can relate to their girlfriends overstuffed warddrobe dilemma of, I don't have a stitch to wear! Preceeded by 'Eureka' Why of course, my little black dress.I would highly recommend this delightful morsel for any fashion concious woman. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

THE PUBLISHER'S CATALOGUE PRESENTS THE BOOK AS FOLLOWS
"Why brilliant fashion designers, a notoriously non-analytic breed, sometimes succeed in anticipating the shape of things to come better than professional predictors, is one of the most obscure questions in history; and, for the historian of culture, one of the most central." Eric Hobsbawm The Style Engine is an unprecedented survey of the culture of fashion and the fashion industry -- from the products and objects themselves (clothes, accessories, etc.) to the immaterial, ephemeral, shifting meaning outside of the products (the interdependence between the fashion world and mass media, the cult of the fashion designer, symbolic story-telling as seen on the runway and in magazines). This sophisticated social and cultural study of fashion is splendidly illustrate with images by the most celebrated photographers and narrated by a multifaceted group of international experts -- cultural anthropologists, journalists, academics, designers --- examining the allure and mystery of fashion from different viewpoints. "Fashion and Entertainment, Image and Media" takes a look at mass media and shows how fashion has influenced pop music, movies, television, photography, and advertising. "Fashion, Identity, and Society" demonstrates how fashion is a social phenomenon and cultural industry comparable to the entertainment, news, and information industries. "Industry/Economics" explains the process itself, from threads to textiles to finished product. "The Methodology of Fashion Design" not only reveals the manufacturing and marketing of the designs (clothing), but also exposes the contexts in which these objects acquire value (fashion). Fashion is one of the truly international languages, speaking to individuals in every country of the world, and this fascinating book will speak to those legions of style-obsessed readers.

METROPOLIS MAGAZINE REVIEWED THIS BOOK
 The Style Engine argues that fashion isn't running on empty.by Philip NobelDesign can be defined as making something new for a reason. Designers must always differentiate between the new that is new for a reason and the new that is only new; to do otherwise risks making merely art­or worse: fashion.All design disciplines court confrontations with vagary, but only one­fashion­exists so close to its seductions that it has become a synonym for aimless flux. Considering its mandate of seasonal variation and its love of annually renewed shock tactics, it¹s easy to see why so many would lump fashion in with art­bad art­before they would consider it a design discipline, the fashion world¹s unequaled lionization of its designers notwithstanding. The Style Engine, a collection of 25 essays by writers from within and beyond the fashion industry, deploys strong arguments to fight this dismissive view of fashion. It attempts to fill in fashion¹s overlooked back story so that it can be considered as the equal of its more sober design siblings.The book, and an exhibition by the same name that hung in Florence last winter, are the first projects of the Fashion Engineering Unit (FEU), a new, self-consciously intellectual institution that bills itself ³an observatory on the economics of creativity and the intelligence of style.² Funding for the group comes from Pitti Immagine, the commercial concern responsible for organizing the important menswear shows that bring over 25,000 rag traders to Florence twice each year.Historically, writing about fashion has been high and low. The FEU is looking for the middle way. It is telling that in The Style Engine critiques of fashion by Baudrillard, Benjamin, and McCluhan are discussed (with varying degrees of justification) alongside breathless promotions by Vreeland, Mirabella, and Wintour. Between the extremes of academic writing and hemline notes in the popular press, the FEU is trying to promote a culture of criticism around fashion that will bare its economic motivations and effects, its mass media aspirations, and the substructure of craft and industry on which it rests.As a vehicle for this redemptive mission, the book works very well. It¹s divided into four sections­roughly covering media, image, techniques, and money­which plot the terrain on which the FEU plans to develop its ³fashion culture.² Of these four categories, ideas concerning the economics of the fashion industry may be the best developed; lucid arguments spill out of the final chapter (³Fashion, Business, and Industry²) and pepper many of the preceding texts. In his introduction to the first section, ³Fashion, Spectacle and Media,² Giannino Malossi, the editor of the book, curator of the exhibition, and director of the FEU, establishes The Style Engine¹s delightfully frank approach to fashion¹s slow dance with commerce: ³Every fashion originates as an industrial product and, at the same time, as a form of mass communications, and every media phenomenon is the potential prelude to a fashion and that fashion points to a series of products for mass consumption.² Bridging economic discussions and the examination of fashion as a cultural medium, several authors rely on the versatile idea of added value. The concept is introduced in understated terms by Mario Boselli, president of Pitti Immagine­³[Fashion] is on the cutting edge in terms of capacity to create added value, not only through the processing of raw materials but also through the development and creation of immaterial contents²­and expanded elaborately in John Durrell¹s essay, ³The Value of Style: Dismantling and Assessing The Style Engine.² Durrell, an international management consultant specializing in pricing strategy, finds the value style adds by analyzing the relative financial returns of popular brand names; here, glamour is at last measured in real market terms.The same clear-eyed spirit also pervades the excellent essay by Nadine Frey, ³Mass Media and Runway Presentations,² which opens the book. After a thoroughly enjoyable lampoon of runway theatrics, Frey explains how the evolution of the fashion show from decorous practicality to raucous display was fueled by the increasingly insular nature of the events themselves. In the 1970s, ³fashion designers . . . began conceiving fashion shows that were more about concept than clothes, shouting their message so loud that it could be heard over the heads of the inevitably interpreting buyers and press.² Another irreverent essay­perhaps the best in the book­is Valerie Steele¹s ³Why People Hate Fashion.² Steele, chief curator of the museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and editor of a quarterly called Fashion Theory, addresses The Style Engine¹s most critical question with an elegant formal tour de force, introducing each paragraph with a contentious statement­³Fashion is an irrational form of female fetishism² or ³Fashion is capitalism¹s favorite child²­and wrapping it all up with a subversive epiphany: ³It is precisely the artificiality and pointlessness of fashion that makes it valuable as an esthetic fantasy.²I¹ll just ape the first part of Steele¹s technique: Fashion expresses itself as a cloying heap of pretentious images. Along these lines, The Style Engine¹s relationship to the fashion world it attempts to revise is troubled. As Frey¹s essay­and the editorial decision to place it first­make clear, one adversary here is the face fashion makes for itself. To achieve the critique it aspires to, the FEU and its authors must help us to see beyond the too well-known culture of airs, ointments, and emaciation that hides the profundity they are trying to tease out. The discussion of fashion in the context of commerce is a way to distance this project from the strong images that we inevitably bring to the book. Unfortunately, any progress made toward new visions is quickly undone. Most of the book is generously illustrated with images of the most contemptible superficiality­soft light, high cheekbones, fashion as you know and hate it. The front of the book even mimics a fashion magazine¹s advertising emporium; one flips through seven full-bleed photo spreads before finding the table of contents. You half expect the book to offer up sample perfume.This might be the intention of the designer; the images might be rhetorical­intended to confront the reader with normative visions of the spectacle of fashion­or ironic. But for those at any remove from authentic fashion images, it is too easy to see in the random photography reasons to revert to the impression that fashion is just a trifling soup of desire, art without reason, not really design. ... Read more

Book Description

Fashion illustration is hot. More and more, the most arresting visual images seen today are not photographed, they are stylishly drawn. This smart, sophisticated, trendsetting book showcases the work of 29 of the world's top fashion illustrators-an international galaxy of talent whose evocative illustrations often seem to define what is hip and contemporary.

The artists, who include Ruben Alterio, Mats Gustafson, Jean-Philippe Delhomme, and Jeffrey Fulvimari (the illustrator of Madonna's The English Roses), are divided stylistically into three groups: Sensualists (who work in the fine arts tradition with paint, ink, woodblocks, and stencils, and who concentrate as much on the process of illustration as the subject); Gamines & Sophisticates (whose work is figurative and who use caricature and cartooning to create characters and comment on behavior); and Technocrats (those wizards of computer-generated art who are exploring the limits of illustration's newest frontier). Together, these illustrators are revitalizing the marriage of art and fashion in the new millennium. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great for inspiring fashion illustrators
Okay so it took me FOREVER to find and buy this book only to find out its the samd as Borrelli's Stylishly Drawn...and I mean EXACTLY like it nothings different aobut the 2.

Despite that I love the illustrations in it. They are very very very inspiring and helpful to fashion students and illustrators alike. ENJOY!

Great illustration ideas
I'm currently trying to create my own fashion portfolio for entry into university, the problem with me is i usually have tons of wonderful ideas, but because i'm a complete beginner my presentation skills and methods are limited. This book enlightened me on many kinds of media i could explore with.
This book gave me numerous ideas, and i always return to the book for more inspiration whenever i feel stuck.

Whether you're someone who's into classical methods or someone who loves to design digitally, this book is for you.

Excellent Book
I've been searching for this book 2 years now, I finally found it here. For those who like fashion illustration or design in general this is a great reference book. The illustrations are sophisticated and most of them are sure to become classics in the future -Jordi Labanda, Jean Philipe Delhomme or Anja Knoencke.

The thing is that i found out after buying this book (that is kind of scarce to find) that Stylishly Drawn also by Laird Borrelli is nothing else that the same book but published under a different house editor.

This book is worth the waiting and look i`m not an illustratior or fashion designer, but a graphic designer.

cheers for a job well done! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

A valuable primer on the fashion industry for the 21st century! Fashion Design is the definitive reference for anyone who is considering acareer in the fashion industry. It describes the qualities and skills needed tobecome a fashion designer; examines the wide range of career opportunitiesavailable; and gives an authoritative, balanced overview of the fashion businesstoday.Using an approach that unites history, theory, and practice, Fashion Design aimsto inform and inspire. Packed with over 300 illustrations, here is practicalguidance and proven advice on such topics as the uses and language of clothing;patterns and fabrics; measuring, cutting, draping, and sewing; building acollection; researching and sketching; portfolios and self-presentation; plusmuch more. It equips aspiring designers and other fashion professionals with avaluable road map to this competitive, cutthroat industry. It also serves as anexcellent reference and career guide for professionals interested in retailbuying, marketing and sales, and other areas of the fashion business. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

EXCELLENT BOOK!
I've read this book and the moment I opened it, I couldn't put it down! (I lost weight reading this book) Not only does the author cover how to break into the industry, she covers the basic ways to create clothing. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

One of the most beautiful books I have seen
Being familiar with two earlier Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI) publications--The Evolution of Fashion (19th & 20th Century) and The Revolution of Fashion (18th Century)--I was excited to discover that Taschen had produced a new book covering fashions from the 18th to the 20th Century found in the KCI collection. Although I was concerned that this new book might just be a revision and compilation of photos from the two earlier exhibits (with, perhaps, some additional costumes to cover the second-half of the 20th Century), at 700+ pages, I figured there must be at least a few new entries.

The book arrived today and I have been unable to put it down. As soon as I opened the book, I knew that my fears had been unfounded. The new book not only includes costumes found in the earlier books, but includes detailed close-ups of those costumes and many new costumes. The depth of color and detail in the photos is extraordinary. (Taschen is well known for the quality of its publications.) Although the text accompanying the photos is generally quite minimal--limited in many cases to date, description and the inventory number of each piece--it will often include some historical information in an introduction to a period or style. Moreover, many of the 20th Century entries are preceded by a short biographical sketch of the designer whose fashions follow.

The KCI is well-known for its extensive collection of Western costume. One of the Institute's rather unique features lies in its presentation of those costumes. Rather than laying the clothes out flat, they are displayed on manikins in the manner in which they would have been worn--including shoes, hats, gloves, purses, fans, etc. Through this book, Taschen has succeeded in making the KCI collection accessible to the rest of the world.

(As testament to the quality and beauty of this book, two co-workers I showed the book to today--people who are not costumers or designers--have placed their orders for a copy.)

Without a doubt, this book will be a well-treasured addition to my library.

The Only Costume/Fashion Book You Will Ever Need
If you like costume and fashion history, this is the book for you. It is everything I look for in a book on this subject...a detailed, clear picture on every page, a brief description of what I am looking at, and a sensible timeline. This book is a grand overview of the Kyoto Costume Collection which, in less than 30 years, has become one of the major collections and resource centers for fashion. It shows many pieces that I have not seen in other books and collections, and includes detail photographs of the outfit as well as a full length view. I own 2 copies and tirelessly recommend this book and give it out as gifts.

Worth Every Penny and Much More!
This beautiful book blew me away! As a long time fashionista I always crave a book of many color pages showing lots and lots of exquisite dresses from centuries past as much as the last few decades and this book does it up right in spades for anyone who loves to look at page after page of full page color photographs showing loads of very fine detail in haute couture...over 650 pages of this, with a really fine quality printing of the images.
First rate! Should be in every serious fashionista's library!

this book is one of the best
This book is spectacular. I have nothing bad to say about it at all. It chronicles fashion from the 18th century to today, and it shows as well as tells you clear examples of every changing detail. I'm interested in both historical and modern fashion, and this book is a fantastic resource for both victorian fashion and current fashion and everything in between. the picture quality is top notch and every item is displayed and photographed flawlessly. the text is interesting and informative. i'd say this is a must have for any fashion student, especially ones interested in alternative or historical fashion. I like that this book chronicles western fashion, but since it was published in japan from a japanese school, it examines the effects that the east had on western fashion. they also include lots of women designers even from historical times when women were not commonly coture designers. there is detailed information about why fashions changed and the influences impacting the changes without getting off the subject and turning into a history lesson. this book gets an A+ and is worth every penny i paied for it. (at a museum, so i didn't get the amazon discount either.)

nice nice nice
It is extremely nice and informative book. It helped me, when I was doing my fashion design practise at PPUPPY couture house. So if you want a book to enjoy and learn about fashion - this is the book. ... Read more

Book Description

A colorful survey of the often provocative and always highly creative relationship between art and fashion.

A crocheted wool coat of exuberant textures and glowing colors, a dyed and pleated silk vest of baroque sensuousness, a headdress of ribbon intricately ruched in the shape of a leaping fish, an evening gown made from shredded dollar bills, a kimono that carries art appliquéd on its sleeve—these are just a few of the beautiful, imaginative, even surreal works of wearable art included in this richly illustrated book, published to accompany an exhibition at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Melissa Leventon shows that wearable art is the latest in the long line of aesthetic dress reforms that began with the Arts and Crafts movement. She then traces the history of this art form as it developed out of the hippie styles and studio fiber art of the 1960s and 1970s until today, highlighting many of the leading practitioners and discussing its characteristic forms and processes. The works brought together range from pieces that are only technically wearable to one-of-a-kind works that are at home either on one's back or on one's wall to limited-edition luxury clothing.

Artwear will be invaluable to fashion designers and students, art and textiles professionals, craftspeople, and anyone with an interest in the fashion world.

Featuring work by Yves Saint Laurent, Issey Miyake, Erté, K. Lee Manuel, Kansai Yamamoto, Ben Compton & Marian Clayden, Genevieve Dion, Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Janet Lipkin, Kaisik Wong, Friends of the Rag, and many others. 200 color illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description

Written by a seasoned professional Fashion Designer, this comprehensive reference covers all the technical aspects of developing precise professional patterns for garments. The focus throughout is on the procedures and principles of professional flat patternmaking using Basic Slopes (i.e., Pattern Blocks, Master Patterns, or Foundation Patterns), and on cutting and testing each completed pattern in tissue, pinned on the form completely marked. The exceptionally clear and visually detailed illustrations can easily be understood by readers without having to read the accompanying text. All the patterns diagrammed are shown in the exact stages and sequence of development--from plot to completion--including all necessary markings, such as punch holes, notches, seams, and grain lines.All About Patterns. Introduction to Pattern Making. CAD. Preparing the Form for Measurement. Drafting Basic Slopers from Measurements. All About Slopers. Sub-Sloper Development. Dart Manipulation: Pivot and Slash (Bodices; Skirts; Sleeves; Collars: Concave, Convex, and Straight; Flat and Stand Variations; Sleeve Bodice Combinations: Fitted and Deep Armhole Variations; Shirt; Suit-Coat; Capes and Hoods; Pant--Culotte-Shorts; Jumpsuits; and Dresses). Garment Details--Construction and Finishing (Buttons and Buttonholes; Seam Finishes; Hem Finishes; Buttons, Hooks and Eyes, Snaps; Basting Stitches). Figure Analysis: Bodytypes. Overview of the Fashion Industry.For fashion design students, professional designers, and anyone in the business of fashion design, regardless of their level of expertise. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not Comprehensive as the Title Claimed
Anyone looking for a comprehensive pattern making would be better off go for other books i.e. that of Helen Joseph Armstrong, or Winifred Aldrich.

Basic Sloper in page 34 where HI measurement (chest line) is taken 3 in below A (neck point) seems to be too generic for a comprehensive pattern book, I suppose.

There is no children pattern included in this Comprehensive book either. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Reference to help teach the Designer
Rendering with Fashion by Bina Albing is a very descriptive and helpful illustrated book for all students. This book has proved to be extremly helpful to the new student in drawing and finishing a fashion product. It gives prompt examples to the learning with colorful examples to help one learn. Idealy all students should get this book for future no matter the experience already learned. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Provides the inside story at the House of Dior
Christian Dior: The Early Years provides the inside story at the House of Dior, from its introduction of the 'New Look' to 1957, upon Dior's sudden death. When Christian Dior presented his first collection, the young designer presented clothing which featured narrow waists and beautiful evening dresses: a new look for the fashion world of the mid1940s. He drew each dress himself and his designs would change the fashion world of his times. The oversized presentation of this volume allows for fullpage displays of his works accompanying a biography of his life and achievements.

A MEMORABLE VISIT WITH DIOR
Born in a small village in Normandy, Christian Dior did not hesitate to disobey a parental injunction to undertake a "serious occupation." He knew what he wanted and fled to Paris where he became a designer at Robert Piguet.

The City of Lights was gray in 1946; there had been the war, German occupation, and rationing. But, luck was with Dior. He met the country's richest and most powerful industrialist, Marcel Boussac, who offered to back the young designer. Space became available at 28-30 Avenue Montaigne, an address well known to fashion aficionados today.

In 1947 Dior introduced his first collection, and the world was ready for his innovative return to the feminine figure with narrow waists, long skirts, and an attractive bustline. The rest, as they say, is history.

All interested in the world of fashion will delight in this detailed history of the workings of Dior's fashion house, and the remarkable people who worked for him in developing a boutique and perfume which would enjoy worldwide acclaim. Also included are stories of his famous clients, such as Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, and the Duchess of Windsor.

Enriched with some 100 illustrations this keepsake volume concludes with "Monsieur Dior's Fashion Vocabulary" and a timeline noting events after Dior's death in 1957 to the present day.

- Gail Cooke

World-class achievements in clothing & style
Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957 by Esmeralda de Rethy (daughter of Princess Liliane of Belgium who was one of Christian Dior's very first clients) and fashion historian Jean-Louis Perreau is an incredible, superbly illustrated and informative coffee table book providing a vivid fashion record perfectly capturing the founding of an empire of style in the post-World War II decade. Full-page photographs, some color, some black and white, many nearly half a century old, adorn the pages along with Dior's original sketches and commentary. The text traces the travails, efforts, and world-class achievements in clothing, style, and love of life in this high society treasury. Christian Dior is very highly recommended reading for students of 20th Century fashion history in general, and the influential contributions of Christian Dior in particular. ... Read more

Book Description

One of fashion's great icons, Bill Blass transformed American chic into the single most important influence on contemporary fashion. Favored by First Ladies, celebrities, and women of style, his sophisticated gowns and impeccable suits embody modern sophistication.

As exquisitely tailored and visually extravagant as a Blass ensemble, this impressive volume features over 100 new photographs and a stunning array of historical images by such notables as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Horst, and Guy Bourdin, in addition to Blass's own sketches. Published to accompany a major retrospective of the designer's 50-year career, it has been created with Blass's full cooperation, and every page reflects his exceptional taste. This is the book Blass fans have been waiting for. ... Read more

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Images from Sample

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Book Description

This is the first book to focus exclusively on the work of fashion designer Ossie Clark (1942-1996), a key figure in the style and fashion worlds of London in the swinging '60s. Clark created jumpsuits for Mick Jagger, silk dresses for Bianca Jagger, and snakeskin out?ts for Eartha Kitt, and is the subject of a famous portrait by David Hockney. The fusion of his brilliant cutting with the extraordinary prints created by his wife, textile designer Celia Birtwell, resulted in designs that paid witty homage to Art Deco and Hollywood glamour.

Author Judith Watt has interviewed models, friends, and colleagues from the 1960s-and has unearthed exclusive audio archives featuring Ossie Clark himself-to create this unprecedented portrait of a major figure in modern fashion. The illustrations include Vogue fashion shoots (including images by such famous photographers as David Bailey), portraits, documentary photographs, wonderful unpublished sketches owned by Birtwell, and stunning new photographs of iconic outfits.

Published to accompany a major retrospective exhibition, this book will bring new admirers to the work of a man whose continuing influence can be seen in the work of John Galliano, Gucci, Prada, and other major designers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

this book is a must-have for any designer
beautiful patterns/ clothes/ sketches. great book. buy it, it's one of my fav's this year. ... Read more