Reviews (9)

Absolutely lovely!
If you have ever had a charm bracelet, currently collect charms, or have ever wanted to start a collection - this book is for you!The ideas, history, and photos of the bracelets are all wonderful.It inspired me to clean up my old charm bracelets and, along with my current one, put them on display.They are works of art that tell a story.This book is also a great gift.It has inspired those I've given it to as it inspired me.

Charmed Bracelets by Tracy Zabar
I was browsing one day at the Gardner in Berkeley, CA and saw this book. I bought it for a friend and it was so fun that we decided to start charm bracelets of our own. The fever caught on and now there is a group of us that are trading and swapping stories. My bracelet is becoming my history and its great to watch it evolve.
Charmed Bracelets
Having recently inherited my Mother's charm bracelet, I have a new appreciation for the "charmed" beauty of it.Each charm meant something special to her and I want to continue that legacy by adding to it for my daughter.Loved the book and reading about the history of charms.The pictures are great too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Beauty & Grooming - Fashion    4. Charm bracelets    5. Charms (Ornaments)    6. Consumer Health    7. Jewelry    8. Art / Fashion    9. Costume    10. Jewellery & jewellery-making   

Reviews (2)

Absolutely breathtaking
I bought this book while visiting Williamsburg with a friend.It so captured my attention that I had to read some of the stories to my companion.We were both quickly enthralled.I brought it back with me and introduced my quilting group to it.Several more copies sold the next day.The stories are heart warming.The photographs are incredible. Humane & understanding
This book is superb & worth the extra effort to special order it. The author interviews women (and a few men) of Southern Appalachia, where quilting as a mainstay of life has never really gone out of fashion --hence they've never had a quilting "revival" either. Photographsare gorgeous, and the stories about the people make you feel rooted to theland. One of the more intriguing stories is the "HangingElephant" quilt, which shows an applique block of an elephant beinghung for the crime of killing a Tennessee man in 1916. The book is printedon heavy, high quality paper. Quilt history buffs and anthropologists willlove this book. As for hobbyists, it's not a how-to book, but thephotographs will furnish much inspiration and food for thought. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques/Collectibles    3. Appalachians (People)    4. Crafts / Hobbies    5. History    6. Quilts    7. Quilts & Quilting    8. Tennessee    9. Textiles & Costume    10. Needlecraft art (eg lace, quilts, etc as art objects)   

Subjects:  1. Beauty & Grooming - Fashion    2. Beauty & Grooming - General    3. Clothing and dress    4. Fashion    5. Fashion & Grooming    6. General    7. Health & Fitness    8. Health/Fitness    9. Women's clothing    10. Self-Help / General   

Reviews (4)

Best Of This Type Hat Book
This coffee table size and style book reviews its subject by hat style. Big photographs and good illustrations take the reader through a brief history of tophats, boaters, bowlers, ballcaps (the only style that America can lay claim to creating), fezzes, etc. This book is more scholarly than I assumed upon my first impression.I come back to it regularly for information.

A coffee table history of hats
There aren't many books about hats, which gives this one an edge.Most of the text in the book deals with history of hats.The history starts to get detailed around 1800.So only about half of what you find in this book applies to hats you might find in a thrift store.In the margins are small period advertisements for hats and depictions of hats from cartoons and simple drawings.Scattered throughout are full page color plates with photos of hats.Half of the text pages are printed on green paper, so the illustrations there would be green and white.It bothers me a little.
Hats from every angle - in texts and pictures (GREAT!!!)
For me, this is the most comprehensive book on the subject that is available - and that includes several out-of-print-books as well. The pictures are great, often full-page, mostly in colour. The texts cover every angle of hat history, style, trade, designers, and everything else you can think of. The pictures cover all kinds of hat styles, usually putting traditional or classic shapes in contrast with modern versions or interpretations, there are also pictures of hats by a lot of great designers with a short synopsis on their work and simply wonderful hats. The book is a rare treat for the eyes and a great source of information. Be warned, however, that the subjects are treated usually rather briefly, and not in detail. Turn to other books concentrating on single aspects for that - for an overview, you can't do better than this. I want to point out, however, that the book does NOT deal with the do-it-yourself-creation of hats, and anyone looking for information on hatmaking or millinery instruction has to turn elsewhere. Still, if you're interested in hats and / or millinery, you don't want to miss this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Beauty & Grooming - General    3. Fashion    4. General    5. Hats    6. Headgear    7. History    8. History: American    9. Fashion design    10. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (7)

Disappointed
I purchased this book because I "love" color.I devoured the old Color Me Beautiful books years ago and hoped this would be an updated look at colors.
Easy, Sensible and Attractive
This book is a great read and a good introduction to the concept of color palettes arranged by time of day.The book is easy to understand and the layout is very pleasing and attractive.The suggested color combinations and photographs included are very effective-what I've always expected in a book dealing with such a visual topic but have rarely found.
Excellent Resource For Color Information
This was the best book since the now badly outdated Color Me Beautiful (they really need to update that thing; it too was great in its day).
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Beauty & Grooming - Fashion    4. Beauty, Personal    5. Color Theory    6. Color in clothing    7. Fashion    8. Personal Guidance    9. Art / Color   

Reviews (3)

finishes the story of 1939
This book is a tour de force narrative of the modern world, using, of all things, fashion as the yardstick.Dr. Handley has shown with firm authority the relevance of fashion to everyday living using copious, well-chosen examples from haute couture, pop, and ready-to-wear markets to elucidate the link between these markets and the amazing marketing and technical campaigns of du Pont and Imperial Chemical Industries.The role of plastics in today's world starts with nylon, and the introduction of synthetic fibers. This story is seldom told, and by being sympathetic to all participants in this saga, Handley weaves an excellent story.The chemical details are weak, but everything else in this book is great.

!
This is an incredibly well-researched, well-written, and interesting book on an obscure topic.The photographs included are amusing and helpful.

Fabric Into Fashion
Which do you prefer, synthetic or natural?The answer is obvious to everyone, but on closer examination, the question becomes cloudy.Take fibers, for instance.There has been a boom in cotton and even hempclothing because it is "natural," but then one has to consider theartificial fertilizers used and all the insecticides poured on the land tomake the plants to make the textile."Polyester" is something of a badword to many people, as it is a synthetic, but it comes from petroleumderivatives, remnants of plants that are millions of years old rather thangrown last season.Ever since artificial fibers were invented, there hasbeen a see-saw of taste for them and against, for sensible reasons and forirrational ones.The history of this see-saw forms much of the story in_Nylon: The Story of a Fashion Revolution_ by Susannah Handley.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Art    3. Clothing trade    4. Fashion    5. History    6. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    7. Popular Culture - General    8. Synthetic fabrics    9. Textiles & Polymers    10. Fashion design   

Reviews (4)

The best of its kind....
I'm dyslexic and left handed -- and after several decades of false starts learning to knit -- I finally got it.What I couldn't figure out from all the wonderful knitting books available now is how to get the beginnings and endings (and the errors in the middle) to work as well as the actual knits, purls, yarnovers, and slips....
Hooray for Crochet
Well done you. It is a great thing to write a book, another to actually have it published, and a sheer triumph if it is a good read. Congratulations on achieving all three.

Good all-around reference book
I like the book very much, however, I feel the layout and the photography could have been tighter and more artful.There's a bit of a rushed-to-put-together feel about it, which is disappointing.Nevertheless, good value for a finishing reference book because it applies to all needlework disciplines. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Clothing Construction    2. Crafts & Hobbies    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Fancy work    5. Hobbies/Crafts    6. Needlework    7. Needlework - General    8. Quilts & Quilting    9. Textile Arts    10. Textile crafts    11. Weaving    12. Crafts & Hobbies / Weaving    13. Needlework & fabric crafts    14. Spinning & weaving   

Reviews (5)

Wow!
This book has really changed the way I think about clothing. I typically waste a lot of time and money shopping for clothing, but The Ultimate Guide to Shopping and Caring for Clothing has really helped me find ways to preserve the clothes I have and has taught me a few tricks about making wise purchases.

Wonderful book!
I recommend The Ultimate Guide to Shopping and Caring for Clothing to anyone who wears clothes. The first-aid tips for stain removal have come in handy and I have finally learned how choose the right tie for my husband.

Great Bridal Gown Advice
I purchased The Ultimate Guide to Shopping and Caring for Clothing mainly because it includes a section dedicated to bridal gowns. I have to say that before reading this section, the long-term care of my bridal gown was the furthest thing from my mind. I'm really glad that I picked up this book because it helped me choose the right gown that I will be able to enjoy for years to come. When the big day comes, I will heed to Steve Boorstein's advise on the cleaning and preservation of my newly-purchased heirloom. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Beauty & Grooming - Fashion    3. Consumer Health    4. Diet / Health / Fitness    5. Fashion    6. Reference    7. Apparel    8. Clothing    9. Clothing and dress    10. Shopping   

Reviews (5)

Chanel Bio is everything it should be.
I found it strange that some readers gave negative or highly critical reviews of this biography.Someone even commented on the difficulty in reading the French names!It's a little late to change Chanel's nationality and thank God!This biography is successful on a number of levels but primarily two: it recounts the fascinating life, in great detail, of the late Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and it puts her professional contribution to the world in context.On a personal level, her life-story reads as a Dickens novel.Her's is a truly "rags-to-riches" story.Chanel was a woman who created a life and a legend against the odds.She was one of those rare and stunning creatures rising from practically nothing to become a household name.Her family was destitute.Her father abandoned her at an orphanage.Her attempts in music and theatre came to nothing.Her sewing skills were atrocious!Only after a young gentleman named Balsan recognized her talent through her unconventional beauty did her true potential begin to emerge.Chanel knew all of the greatest people of her age: Stravinsky, Cocteau, Dali, Misia Sert, and the Duke of Westminster, among others.Many of these people she knew intimately.How tragic that even after these acquaintances and global successes as a designer, Chanel never really found success in love.Professionally, the impact of her designs are still with us today and influencing generations of new designers and artists.From a perspective of fashion, Chanel almost single-handedly pulled the 19th century world into the modern age by pulling women out of corsets and sliding them into pants.The "little black dress" and classic Chanel suit are not only articles of clothing, they are timeless works of art.Madsen has succeeded in writing a biography that does not fall short as other books on Chanel have in the past.His biography begins BEFORE her birth and continues on AFTER her death.He explores her roots and discusses the ongoing impact of her life, while filling in all the opulent details in between.If you want to know who Chanel was and why she is still so important today, pick up this book.Now if they would only do a feature film treatment!

Chanel book review
I agree with the other 2 reviewers.This book is very difficult to follow and the author jumps from character to character and topic to topic too frequently.The pictures are nice, but I feel the author could have done a better job at creating more excitement and interest for the reader.

Not Captivating!
I did not enjoy this book and wished I did my own research on a better author to portray Coco Chanel. It was lengthy in boring details and never developed a true feeling for the subject matter. Coco lead an extremely captivating life - so I find it difficult to believe that someone could write such a book lacking in depth! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Artists, Architects, Photographers    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Fashion design    6. Fashion designers    7. France    8. Women fashion designers   

Reviews (4)

more of the same but poor diagrams
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.

Exactly what I needed
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.

the same
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.
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Subjects:  1. Photo Techniques    2. Photography    3. Photography Of Specific Subjects    4. Subjects & Themes - Fashion    5. Techniques - Lighting    6. Photographic equipment & techniques    7. Photography / Lighting   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Commercial - Fashion Design    4. Commercial - Illustration    5. Design - Textile & Costume    6. Fashion    7. Art / General    8. Fashion design    9. Graphic design    10. Illustration & commercial art   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Art    3. Beauty & Grooming - General    4. Diet / Health / Fitness    5. Fashion    6. Fashion & Grooming    7. Hairstyles    8. History    9. United States    10. 20th century    11. Costume    12. First World War, 1914-1918    13. History of specific subjects    14. c 1800 to c 1900    15. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (20)

What to Wear?
I enjoyed this book and found it informative. However if you have a general knowledge of the time then some information will not be helpful. For instance the author spoke of mourning clothes and some of the different stages.I believe most people who are interested in the time already know such facts.
Very Well Done
I must disagree with some of the previous reviewers on a number of issues about this book on women's clothing styles of the Civil War period.
A good resource, BUT...
...take it with a grain of salt. This is an excellent overview of period fashions, but unfortunately it's become the reenactor's bible. Ms. Leisch is not a historian and I find it difficult to believe that one person found the absolute truth from such a relatively small sampling of photos. Yes, Godey's Lady's Book was the "Vogue" of today, but since the dawn of tim less-affluent women have copied the fashions of the well-to-do in more affordable fabrics. I've seen reenactors chastised or expelled from events "because you're too old for this outfit" etc using ONLY this book as the basis. (I have a daguerreotype of my great-great-grandmother, age 35, middle class, in a Zouave jacket, with her hair parted on the side, by the way) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beauty & Grooming - General    2. Dress And Costume    3. General    4. History - General History    5. History: American   

Subjects:  1. Advertising & Promotion    2. Architecture    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Display of merchandise    5. Fashion    6. Interior Design - General    7. Fashion & beauty industries    8. Fashion design    9. Interior design   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Contemporary Art    4. Fashion    5. Individual Artist    6. Art / Individual Artist    7. Photographs: collections   

Reviews (2)

Jewels-Not Only for Jewel Lovers
For anyone who is interested in the fascinating story of some of the worlds most popular types of jewels, this book is for you. For anyone who is interested in visiting little know and remote parts of our planet, this book is for you. For anyone who is interested in better understanding why people are mesmerized by beautiful objects and why other people undertake dangerous jobs to find them, this book is for you.
Sparkling History
"It is an ordinary gemstone," writes Victoria Finlay of the sapphire in a ring given to her by her parents, "yet like most other ordinary gemstones it has a good story to tell, if you go looking for it."Go looking she does, not only for the story of that sapphire but for those of other gems, and yes, she found good stories and writes them up in _Jewels: A Secret History_ (Ballantine Books).Indeed, she values the stories more than the stones' rarity, perfection, or size.She set out to tell stories of nine different stones, from semi-precious to precious, and from two to ten on the Mohs hardness scale.The scale, invented in 1825 by mineralogist Freidrich Mohs, simply rates stones and other substances by what they can scratch and what scratches them; talc rates a one and diamond, the hardest substance known, rates a ten.Finlay ranges her chapters from softest stone to hardest: amber (Mohs somewhere between gypsum 2 and calcite 3), through jet, pearl, opal, peridot, emerald, sapphire, ruby, and finally diamond.(It is interesting that value tends to increase with hardness, indicating that we place a premium on durability.)Even the biggest stones, Finley notes, are objects that are really rather small, but the stories encompass great swaths of human history and technical expertise.
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Subjects:  1. Fashion    2. Gems    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Jewelry    7. Jewelry making    8. Precious stones    9. Rocks & Minerals    10. World - General    11. World History    12. History / World   

Editorial Review

Store-bought patterns usually need a bit of finessing to take them from a general size to an individual's perfect fit. Sandra Betzina, the host of HGTV's Read more

Reviews (9)

Never sew without it!
This is by far my favorite pattern fitting book. Every pattern you sew must be fitted--and differently for every person you sew for. Every fitting solution I have tried from this book turns out great. Each fitting solution in this book is given in one-paragraph summary form (the "Fast Fit") for the extremely experienced tailor, and then given in simple, numbered steps for the very beginner.In each fitting solution Ms. Betzina makes an extra effort to find the simplest modification that affects the fewest pieces of the pattern, unlike some alteration books that have you shredding the pattern into small pieces.She even gives you the sequence in which to make your modifications.
My Most Useful Sewing Book
I borrowed this book from the library about 10 times before I finally bought it.If your clothes wrinkle at the bust or pull across the tummy, there's a reason and this book gives it to you and then tells you how to fix it, so all your clothes fit like a dream and make you look 10 pounds thinner.No kidding, good fitting clothes will make you look younger, thinner, richer and smarter.

An easy, wonderful guide
Andra Betzina's FAST FIT provides the author's quick tips on easy pattern alterations for every figure. Here the host of TV's Sew Perfect provides an accessible, easy key to understanding fitting patterns, isolating different pattern problems and walking readers through the process of making changes. An easy, wonderful guide. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts & Hobbies    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Fashion    4. General    5. Hobbies/Crafts    6. Sewing    7. Crafts & Hobbies / Sewing    8. Dressmaking & tailoring   

Reviews (1)

The one that gets used most in the business
I can't believe nobody has reviewed this book because it is -hands down- the best book in the business. It's self-published so its release and publicity is limited but I can tell you this is the book that is most often USED in the apparel industry. Not the book most used in schools, but in real life (I've been a pattern maker for 25+ years). I guarantee all the pattern grading services keep it on hand! The way the grading charts and mapping is set up in the book most closely mirrors the way we work in the industry. The charts in competing books (Price/Zamkoff) are so complex but Handford's book nails it.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Commercial - Fashion Design    4. Design - Textile & Costume    5. Sewing    6. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    7. Fashion & beauty industries    8. Fashion design   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Art    3. Brunschwig & fils    4. Crafts / Hobbies    5. Decorating - Upholstery/Fabrics    6. General    7. History    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. Interior Design - General    10. Textile Arts - General    11. Textile fabrics    12. Textile fabrics in interior de    13. Textile fabrics in interior decoration    14. Art / Design / Textile & Costume    15. Interior design   

Reviews (14)

Every Black Woman Needs to Read This
I love this book so much.Ayana Byrd really did a thorough job in researching both the psycological and spiritual elements involved in this subject of "Black Hair".
Who Knew?
I'm not black, but I am a hair junkie--wanted to go to beauty school but was forced by my parents to attend college (WRONG CHOICE!). So I probably knew more than the average marshmallow about black hair, but this book was really enlightening! By the time it got to the text of the "My hair, your man" ad--which left me completely perplexed and clueless up to now--I felt like that ad was a personal slap in the face. It took me that long to realize what a personal issue hair is for black women. Don't get me wrong, most white women hate their hair too, but it's not such a hot-button topic.
informative and educational, but not a hair guide.
This book doesn't explain about the maintenance or management difficulties of African hair. Or how time consuming it is...Read more

Subjects:  1. African American women    2. African Americans    3. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    4. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Lifest    5. General    6. Health/Fitness    7. Race identity    8. Reference    9. Social conditions    10. Sociology    11. Black studies    12. Fashion design    13. History of specific subjects    14. Social Science / African-American Studies