Fashion and textile design Books
ACC Art Books Caroline Charles: 50 Years in Fashion
Book Synopsis"Miss Caroline Charles, aged 22 - youngest of the English designers whose fashions have captured New York - returns there to show her Spring collection. She is dark, beautiful and frail, with a small voice. But she is deceptive; she is made of iron; her energy is matched only by her persistence. Nothing will stop her. She is at the top now, and might stay there for 50 years." John Gale, Observer Oct 25th 1964 Caroline Charles is one of London's most respected womenswear designers. She has developed her business over the past five decades and the label is sold and marketed throughout the world. Caroline Charles began in the world of fashion art school followed by a couture apprenticeship and a stint as a photographer's assistant; she then worked for Mary Quant and was inspired by couturiers as well as being a leading designer in the '60s youthquake and swinging London. Her first collections were kooky and fresh and included a white cotton dress made from a bedspread! Caroline Charles was one of the original designers to join what was later to become British Fashion Week. Caroline opened a shop in Beverly Hills in the '70s and in the '90s had many successes with shops and shows in Japan. Her clothes were quickly snapped up by celebrities, which over the years have ranged from Lulu, Marianne Faithfull and Cilla Black as well as special suits being made for Mick Jagger and Ringo Starr. Princess Diana became a regular client as did Emma Thompson who wore a Caroline Charles design to receive an Oscar. Caroline Charles has been invited over the years to be a design consultant to major brands such as Burberry and Marks and Spencer as well as having design collaborations with major accessories and textile companies. In the '90s Caroline Charles designed the official scarf to mark the 40th anniversary of the accession of the Queen. As she celebrated her own 40th anniversary, Caroline Charles was awarded an OBE for services to the British Fashion Industry. Celebrations followed at the Victoria & Albert Museum with another award from the British Fashion Council. Book contributors include: Alexandra Shulman - Editor British Vogue, Suzy Menkes - Fashion Editor International Herald Tribune, Harold Tillman CBE - Chairman of the British Fashion Council, Caroline Baker - Fashion Director, Bruce Oldfield - Designer, Sue Crewe - Editor of House & Garden, Jess Cartner-Morley - Fashion Editor The Guardian and Richard Knight - Christies, London, among others.Trade ReviewTo mark five decades in the business the successful designer has published a book, Caroline Charles: 50 Years in Fashion (ACC Editions, 2012). Full of diary entries, press clippings, and photos this memoir is a unique peek into the fashion world of the 1960s through today... I say Ms. Charles' memoir is another must-have for anyone interested in fashion history. OverdressedForLife.com
£36.00
ACC Art Books Dress of the Year
Book SynopsisThe Dress of the Year is a deluxe study of exquisite fashion from 1963 to the present, drawn from the renowned collection at the Fashion Museum, Bath. Each year, a fashion-world luminary is invited to capture the definitive moment in an international whirlwind of creative style by choosing the outfit that truly represents that year's mood in fashion. The announcement of each winner is widely covered in the British press, and the resulting Dress of the Year collection is a treasure trove of international design. Among the extraordinary roll-call of design names are Mary Quant, Jean Muir, Ossie Clark, Biba, Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, Margaret Howell, Katharine Hamnett, Giorgio Armani, John Galliano, Paul Smith, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Ralph Lauren, Donatella Versace, Tom Ford, Marni, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Kate Moss for Top Shop, Vivienne Westwood and Sarah Burton. The choices are made and explained by a Who's Who of great style writers, including Felicity Green, Prudence Glynn, Beatrix Miller, Grace Coddington, Suzy Menkes, Colin McDowell, Liz Tilberis, Isabella Blow, Iain R. Webb, Alexandra Shulman, Hilary Alexander, Paula Reed and Hamish Bowles. Through specially-commissioned new photography, unseen archive material and contemporary media images, this sumptuous book reveals the Dress of The Year collection in all its glory for the first time. The book champions an important and fascinating fashion project, offering a detailed insight into our ever-changing styles and tastes since the early 1960s, and revealing the complex interplay between haute couture, celebrity endorsement and the High Street.
£44.66
ACC Art Books Christopher Dresser Textiles
Book SynopsisDr Christopher Dresser is best remembered for his pioneering advances in design and associated technology. In the new industrial world of the nineteenth century, Dresser was the first designer to understand that machinery was a good servant but a poor master; he made it his business to understand how machines worked. His success gained him credibility. Dresser became a sought-after consultant to several textile manufacturers, most notably Barlow & Jones, Tootal, Warner & Sons, Turnbull & Stockdale, and Wardle, which allowed him to establish the largest design practice in Britain by 1870. Equally, it was his success in promoting textiles at affordable prices that attracted his popular following in the press. Unlike his contemporaries, he was interested in making designs available to everyone. However, Dresser is less celebrated in comparison to other designers of the era, such as William Morris, because Dresser was obliged to abandon this campaign to improve British taste due to an unexplained illness in the early 1880s. At the same time, Morris was expanding his business just as the Arts and Crafts movement was beginning to gain momentum. Despite being the first Victorian to address the decorative needs of all the population, there is a severe lack of appreciation for Dresser's work - whose influence can be found in many textiles that we take for granted today. This book redresses that balance, giving Dresser the monograph he deserves.
£22.50
ACC Art Books Barron & Larcher Textile Designers
Book Synopsis"A design isn't dozens of little objects, or hungry-looking rectangular windowpanes: it is something that becomes a design by repeating, giving you something that a single pattern doesn't give you. " - (Phyllis Barron, Dartington 1964) During the 1920s and 1930s, Phyllis Barron (1890-1964) and Dorothy Larcher (1882-1952) were at the forefront of a revival in hand block-printing in Britain. As designer-makers they formed a unique partnership, producing innovative textiles and seeing the entire process through from beginning to end. Using whatever materials they could muster - fabric ranging from balloon cotton to prison sheets and velvet, and everyday items such as combs and car mats for printing - and pushing the boundaries of what could be achieved with predominantly natural dyes, these two remarkable women ran a successful business that lasted from 1923 until the outbreak of World War II. Nearly one hundred years on, another special collaboration between the Craft Studies Centre in Farnham, Christopher Farr Cloth and Ivo Prints, has brought a selection of Barron and Larcher's work back into production. The warm welcome they have received across the globe is a testament to the timeless quality of great design. Trade Review"A design isn't dozens of little objects, or hungry-looking rectangular windowpanes: it is something that becomes a design by repeating, giving you something that a single pattern doesn't give you. " - (Phyllis Barron, Dartington 1964); "Michal Silver is the creative director of Christopher Farr Cloth, which produces a number of patterns by the design duo Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher. With contributions from Kit Kemp and Neisha Crosland, this book considers the work, processes and influence of the pair, who ran a block-printing studio from the Twenties to the Forties." - House and Garden MagazineTable of ContentsContents: Introduction - Michal Silver; Setting the scene - Jean Vacher; My Life as a Block Printer - Phyllis Barron; Real Taste - Alan Powers; The Printmakers' Perspective - Sarah Burns, Neisha Crosland, Louisa Loakes; Indigo Christmas Crackers - Jane Weir; How Barron and Larcher have Inspired Me - Kit Kemp.
£25.50
V & A Publishing The Day of the Peacock Style for Men 19631973
Book SynopsisIn the 1960s men's fashion witnessed an extraordinary rebirth that led to lasting social, cultural and commercial change - what media commentators came to coin the Peacock Revolution. This title takes a look at the shops, celebrity photographers, tailors and fashionable dressers who made up the scene.
£33.75
V & A Publishing V&A Pattern: Spitalfields Silks
Book SynopsisThis attractive series reveals the V&A's spectacular and extensive pattern collections. Each title in the series includes a free CD of high resolution images. Spitalfields Silks displays delightful floral designs alongside quirky, stikingly modern silks, all produced in eighteenth-century London. The compact disc at the back of the book invites you to appreciate the ingenuity of the designs, and the endless possibilities for their application.
£10.22
V & A Publishing Rings
Book SynopsisRings are perhaps the most common and yet the most evocative pieces of jewellery. Worn as a sign of love or as a fashion accessory, to mark weddings, remember the dead, or show religious faith, the unbroken circle, decorated or elegantly unadorned, holds a multitude of meanings for every wearer. From simple medieval hoops worn to ward off disease to the glamorous 'rocks' worn by Hollywood starlets, to the stunning works of art created by contemporary artist jewellers, this book offers a beautifully illustrated introduction to rings.
£16.03
V & A Publishing Alastair Morton and Edinburgh Weavers: Visionary
Book SynopsisEdinburgh Weavers was one of the most important textile companies of the twentieth century. Alastair Morton, visionary art director of the company, commissioned a remarkable series of textiles from leading British artists, including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Elisabeth Frink, as well artist-designers, such as Marion Dorn, Ashley Havinden and Lucienne Day. Morton was also a gifted artist, textile designer and weaver in his own right. This long overdue study traces his wide-ranging career and records the history of Edinburgh Weavers and the glorious textiles it produced. Drawing on the V&A's extensive archive this impressive book features over 300 images of artists' textiles unparalleled in quality and scope and is an invaluable resource.
£36.00
V & A Publishing The Ambassador Magazine Promoting PostWar British
Book SynopsisThe Ambassador has been described as 'probably the most daring and enterprising trade magazine ever conceived'. This book takes a detailed look at the background and impact of the magazine and the ambitious photo shoots that showcased the latest couture fashions.
£26.25
V & A Publishing 80s Fashion: From Club to Catwalk
Book SynopsisThis exciting book explores one of the most diverse and innovative periods in British fashion and showcases the work of some of the decade's leading designers - including Betty Jackson, Leigh Bowery, John Galliano, Body Map, Vivienne Westwood and many others. Highlighting the decade's extraordinarily creative interaction between fashion and popular music, the book shows how both catwalk and club fashions were interpreted for a wider audience through the striking photography and innovative graphic designs of key magazines. 80s Fashion includes interviews and original archive material from practitioners such as Wendy Dagworthy and Paul Smith that casts new light on the designs of the decade.Table of ContentsForeword, 7, Wendy Dagworthy / Introduction, 8, Sonnet Stanfill / Accessory: Butler & Wilson / Graham Smith / Johnny Moke, 20, Daniel Milford-Cottam / Designer Statement, 22, Wendy Dagworthy / Accessory: Atelier / Sock Shop, 28, Daniel Milford-Cottam / New Styles New Sounds: Clubbing, Music and Fashion in 1980s, 30, Shaun Cole / Accessory: Patrick Cox / Red or Dead / Judy Blame, 48, Daniel Milford-Cottam / London Calling: Designer Fashion in 1980s London, 50, Sonnet Stanfill / Accessory: Oliver Goldsmith / Mulberry, 74, Daniel Milford-Cottam / Irony and Mythology: The Fashion Magazine Reconsidered, 76, Abraham Thomas / Accessory: Filofax / Bernstock Speirs, 98, Daniel Milford – Cottam / Designer Statement, 100, Paul Smith / Notes, 106 / Further Reading, 108 / Acknowledgements & Contributor Biographies, 109 / Image Credits, 110 / Index, 111
£18.99
V&A Ballgowns British Glamour since 1950
Book Synopsis
£17.80
V & A Publishing Hats: An Anthology
Book SynopsisUsing radical materials and designs that range from refined to whimsical, Stephen Jones’s exquisitely crafted hats ignited a revival of British millinery in the early 1980s and today continue to attract stylish celebrities. Jones has also collaborated with legendary designers, including Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Marc Jacobs. Published to accompany a touring exhibition, Hats offers an unprecedented view of the world of millinery. Drawing on Jones’s own archive and the V&A’s extensive collection, this vividly illustrated book examines the inspiration behind hat design, the history of millinery from the process to the materials to the workshop, and the etiquette of hat-wearing.
£19.96
V & A Publishing A-Z of Wedding Style
Book SynopsisThis entertaining A to Z follows the success of the popular V&A guides to Style and Hollywood Style. Compiled by Kate Bethune, it brings together style tips, pithy advice and engaging opinions in a beautiful book that will make a perfect present for anyone getting ready for a wedding, or indeed recovering from one. Where fashion has always moved on swiftly from season to season, bridal wear can keep a trend or style current for several years or longer – maintaining perennial favourites and occasional revivals. Concentrating on wedding style, but also featuring thoughts on etiquette and history, this book captures some of the abiding wisdom and witticisms that surround the Happy Day.
£9.49
V&A The Wedding Dress
Book Synopsis
£25.00
V & A Publishing The origins of Italian Fashion 19001945
Book SynopsisThis fascinating book explores Italian fashion at the beginning of the 20th century, tracing its growth through two world wars to emerge as a dominant force in global fashion. When the Lombard tailor Rosa Genoni created the first Italian fashion house, she broke free of the prevailing French style and launched a national industry. Illustrated with archival material from the design houses as well as illustrations from the earliest Italian fashion magazines, the book focuses on the most important designers from the period: Gabriella di Robilant, the Italian “inventor” of sportswear; Salvatore Ferragamo and his famous orthopedic shoes; and Elsa Schiaparelli, the first great protagonist of Italian style. These are the designers who shaped Italian fashion, and their influence continues to be felt today.
£19.99
V & A Publishing The Biba Years: 1963-1975
Book SynopsisFounded as a boutique mail-order service in 1963, Biba - the brainchild of designer Barbara Hulanicki - quickly gained cult status, and outgrew several London premises before landing at 99 - 117 Kensington High Street in 1973 as 'Big Biba', 'the most beautiful store in the world'. This book tells the story of the Biba years, from the first ensembles, through the four iconic London shops, to the eventual flourishing of a lifestyle brand that revolutionized British retail and fashion culture. Featuring a wealth of previously unpublished material, including early fashion illustrations by Hulanicki and full-colour facsimiles of the six luxurious Biba catalogues, The Biba Years investigates the innovative ethos of the company - the first retailer to bring affordable fashion to the young consumers of the 1960s and '70s. Extensive garment photography documents the unique Biba 'look', while archival images provide a glimpse into the glamorous surrounds of the hugely popular London stores. An ideal companion to A to Biba: The Autobiography of Barbara Hulanicki (V&A, 2018), this beautiful book incorporates many personal insights from the designer and her contemporaries at Biba, and includes new illustrations by Hulanicki created specially for the publication. The Biba Years provides the last word on a fashion phenomenon, whose extensive impact on the fashion industry can still be felt today.
£31.50
V & A Publishing Style and Satire: Fashion in Print 1777-1927
Book SynopsisFrom the sky-high coiffures of Georgian Britain to the languid silhouette of 1920s 'flappers', Style and Satire tells the story of European fashion and its most fantastical trends from two interrelated perspectives - the lavish, celebratory fashion plate, and the gloriously irreverent satirical print. Beautifully printed, hand-coloured fashion plates depicting the latest styles and fabrics first appeared in Britain and France in the late 1700s - nestled in luxurious periodicals and available for sale as desirable objects in their own right. At the same time (and often by the same artists), satirical prints gloried in the absurdities of fashion, presenting an alternative, often grotesque, vision of the fashionable ideal. Presented here as a joint history for the first time, the two genres describe an emerging, vibrant fashion culture. They themselves also evolved as art forms, first through the pages of the mass-produced Victorian periodical, and then as vibrant, stencilled images in the luxurious publications of the 1920s and '30s. Lavishly illustrated and rigorously researched, Style and Satire presents a fresh and original history of fashion - a vital and witty addition to every fashion victim's library.
£12.99
V & A Publishing Embroidery Designs for Fashion and Furnishing
Book SynopsisThis striking publication presents highlights from the V&A's outstanding collection of embroidery designs for fashion, accessories and home furnishings.
£26.21
V & A Publishing The Glamour of Italian Fashion Since 1945
Book SynopsisOriginally published to accompany a major V&A exhibition, this beautiful book is an indispensable history of the fashion houses that have become synonymous with show-stopping glamour. The Glamour of Italian Fashion showcases the fashions that turned 'Made in Italy' into an internationally recognized mark of style. It brings together stunning fashion photography, archival material, and previously unseen objects from private collections to explore Italian style from the post-war couturiers of the 'Sala Bianca' to the outstanding success of its ready-to-wear brands. Artisanal leather and fur production, exquisite knitwear and fine tailoring have all contributed to Italy's unique position in the consciousness of stylish people everywhere. Designers and labels featured include Emilio Pucci, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Fendi, Missoni, Valentino, Franco Moschino, Gianni Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Miuccia Prada and Roberto Capucci as well as bespoke tailors and ready-towear menswear specialists such as Carlo Palazzi and Ermenegildo Zegna.Trade Review'This is one for savouring and displaying on your coffee table. Put simply, it's brilliant' The TimesTable of Contents1. Italy's Fashion identity - Great Dressmakes of Italian Fashion - Reorienting fashion: Italy's Wayfinding after the Second World War - The Italian Fashion Revolution in Milan -- 2. Materials of Fashion - Textiles: the Foundation of Italian Couture - Craft and 'Made in Italy' - Prato: Between Tradition and the Future - Knitwear - Fur - Leather -- 3. Fashion and Image - Portrait / Self-portrait: The Image of Fashion - Italian Fashion Designers in Hollywood - Anna Piaggi - Paolo Roversi: An Interview -- 4. Italian Menswear - The Return of the Courtier: Men and Menswear - 'In the Things That Go Over Other Things' - From Tennis Court to Football Terrace: Italian Sportswear and British Male Style - Tailoring and Craft - The Man in the Street -- 5. The Fashion Business - The Business of Fashion - Communication in the Fashion System - La Moda in Vogue - Nattier: Textile Innovators - The Sozzani Sisters
£21.25
V & A Publishing Shoes Pleasure and Pain Pleasure Pain
Book SynopsisBeautiful, sculptural objects, shoes are powerful indicators of gender, status, identity, taste, and even sexual preference. Featuring extensive new photography, this is a beautiful and authoritative guide to the history and culture of footwear.Iconic creations by celebrated designers sit alongside masterpieces by unknown craftsmen in this book.
£30.00
V & A Publishing London Couture: British Luxury 1923 - 1975
Book SynopsisLondon Couture is the first book to examine, in detail, the luxurious garments produced by the rarefied London couture industry - from lavish ballgowns to sharply tailored suits, by way of spectacular royal dress - as well as the designers who conceived them, their clients and the prestigious publications that disseminated and promoted the `London Look' to the world. Expert authors from around the world have delved into the archives of prestigious designers, textile suppliers and fashionable journals, to bring together this pioneering study of the London Fashion houses of the early to mid-twentieth century, renowned for their superb craftsmanship and attention to detail. The full breadth of London's offering is examined, from royal favourite Norman Hartnell to pioneer Charles James, and prestigious houses such as Worth, Hardy Amies and Lucile. The ancillary dressmaking trades in London are also considered, as are the international market for London couture, and the impact of royal dress on high-end fashion. A wealth of visual material supports the extensive, original research - from beautiful features by celebrated photographer Norman Parkinson to the elegant illustrations of Francis Marshall. Previously unseen garments are illustrated throughout the book, alongside historical photography that documents the houses of the great designers, their favoured fabrics and their most glamorous clients, including Queen Elizabeth, Margot Fonteyn, Rose Kennedy and countless stars of stage and screen.Trade Review'a reminder ahead of the Dior exhibition opening at the V&A next week, that Brits can do luxury fashion too.' Lisa Armstrong, The Telegraph, Saturday 26th January 2019; This is the book that I'm sure everyone with a serious interest in twentieth-century fashion history has always wanted - Noel Chapman, Luxury: History, Culture, Consumption, Vol 2, Issue 2, 2016; Brilliant - The Daily Mail, 3rd June 2016; for anyone interested in fashion history, British design, or just loves to look at vintage photographs, this is a wonderful book to have - Workshop on the Web, June 2016; an indispensable resource - Fiona Anderson, Costume: the Journal of the Costume Society, Vol 51, No. 1, March 2017
£40.00
V & A Publishing American Style and Spirit: Fashions and Lives of
Book SynopsisWinner of the 2017 Milia Davenport Publication Award given by the Costume Society of America. Brought to life for the first time outside the attic in which they were stored for generations, here are more than 300 garments and accessories, beautifully preserved and complemented by archival objects, family photographs, and letters. The book is packed with evocative descriptions of whom the garments belonged to, when they were made or bought, and even where they were worn-all by members of the Roddis family of Marshfield, Wisconsin. Author Jane Bradbury describes the joy of discovering the clothes when her aunt, Augusta Denton Roddis, showed her the astonishing collection. A remarkable resource, the book presents the garments and their designers in the context of the various eras in which they were created, from the turn of the 20th century, spanning the 1920s and The Depression, through to the late 1990s. Beautifully designed, this is a must-have for every fashion enthusiast.Trade ReviewThere is nothing more powerful and potent than clothing and this book celebrates the extraordinary nature of ordinary lives, and the power of dress to bring history to life - Hamish Bowles, International Editor-at-Large, Vogue; This stunning book perfectly weaves together the fabric of fashion with the social history of America - Karen Augusta, Fashion appraiser and owner, Augusta Auction Company; substantive and mesmerizing - Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, November 19th 2016; 'This rich account of personal and peer-group taste is not just an absorbing micro-history; it is of broader sociological interest...'- Rebecca Arnold, Times Literary Supplement, December 23rd 2016
£30.00
V & A Publishing King of Fashion: The autobiography of Paul Poiret
Book SynopsisPaul Poiret (1879-1944) led the fashion world in the first decade of the twentieth century and his autobiography tells the extraordinary story of his meteoric rise to fame. From his humble Parisian childhood to his debut as a couturier, to his experiences during the First World War, Poiret reveals all in this captivating tale, first published in 1931. An astute businessman, Poiret translated the spirit of Art Deco into revolutionary garments, and his memoir brings this astonishing period to life.Table of ContentsChapter I - Youth: My family, Bichette's funeral, The first automobiles, My Games, The Exhibition of 1889, The Ecole Massillon, My first theatrical emotions, Umbrellas and how I loved them, Mme Cheruit, M/ Doucet --- Chapter II - Chez Doucet: The Saleswoman, Rejane, The revue at the Epatant, My first earnings, My first adventure in love --- Chapter III - In The Army ---Chapter IV - Chez Worth: The coronation of Edward VII, A Russian princess --- Chapter V - My Debut as a Couturier, The Rue Auber, Bernard Naudin, A clairvoyante, Mrs Asquith, Professor Akldar --- Chapter VI - My Influence: Le Minaret, Plus ca change, Aphrodite, Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape, Boussingault, Dunoyer de Segonzac, Nabuchodonozor, Les Quat' Z'Arts --- Chapter VIII - The Faubourg Saint Honore: My garden, Capital punishment, Travels in Europe --- Chapter VIII - My Amusements: The Mortigny Club, Eschmann at the Embassy, Forain, Abel Truchet, Sailing, My first pinnace, On board the Henriette --- Chapter IX - The High Art of Dressmaking: Industrial Considerations, My mannequins, Rousseau --- Chapter X - The Decorative Arts: My travels in Germany, The creation of the Martine school, Raoul Dufy, The Exhibition of 1925 --- Chapter XI - At Work: Henri Bataille, My occupations, The Comtesse Greffulhe, The isle of Tudy, London, The Russian Ballet, Cubism --- Chapter XIII - The Fetes I Gave: The Fete des Rois, The Thousand-and-Second Night, Boni de Castellane, Fetes at the Opera and at Cannes --- Chapter XIII - The Pavillon du Butard: Ange-Marie Gabriel's Pavilion, Les Festes de Bacchus, Isadora Duncan, Max Jacob --- Chapter XIV - The War: Private Poiret, on the black list, Lisieux, Bordeaux and Clemenceau, Rhiems and reams of champagne, Military tailoring, Court-martialled, and a negro colonel --- Chapter XV - In Morocco: Marrakesh, Fez, Marshal Lyautey, A Pasha's hospitality, At Demnat --- Chapter XVI - Back in Paris: The Oasis Theatre: The shows I gave, The artistes: Yvette Guilbert, Bruant, etc, The parties there --- Chapter XVIII - In America, My criticism of and my enthusiasm for America, John Wanamaker, Yankee Art...??, Travel notes --- Chapter XVIII - My Lectures to the Americans, In New York, In Chicago, In Chickasha, In Los Angeles, Travel notes --- Chapter XIX - Gastronomy: Le Club des Cents, L'oeuf du pecheur, Editions-de-luxe, Literature, My Collections, Cocteau, Denouement fatal --- Chapter XX - The Philosopher
£15.14
V & A Publishing From A to Biba: The Autobiography of Barbara
Book SynopsisBarbara Hulanicki tells the story of the rise and fall of the tiny, energetic boutique that grew into a vast emporium and epitomised Swinging London. The Biba store was to become an icon of hip '60s and '70s London and a hangout for artists, film stars and rock musicians, including the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Twiggy, Brigitte Bardot and Marianne Faithful. But in the early 1970s, Hulanicki and her husband Stephen Fitz-Simon lost control after a series of bitter boardroom struggles and for Barbara, Biba was lost. This lively autobiography evokes the adventurous spirit of the 1960s and describes an extraordinary life with clarity and wit.
£9.49
V & A Publishing Silver and Gold: The autobiography of Norman
Book SynopsisSir Norman Hartnell (1901-1979) was the star of London couture during the interwar years, gaining international fame as dressmaker to the British royal family. His autobiography, first published in 1955, tells the story of the creation of his couture house in 1923, his formal appointment as dressmaker to the royal family in 1935, and the most momentous commissions of his career: Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown in 1947 and her magnificent coronation dress six years later. Best known for romantic eveningwear shimmering with beads and embroidery, Hartnell is credited with reintroducing the crinoline to world fashion through his full-skirted designs for Queen Elizabeth. Silver and Gold describes an extraordinary life with elegance and panache.Trade Review'originally published in 1955 but still on point' -- The Gloss, March 2019 -- 'Silver and Gold is highly recommended, and, with its lovely cover illustrated by Beatriz Lostale, would make a charming addition to any bookshelf' -- Meredith Noorda, The Journal of Dress History, Volume 5, Issue 1, Spring 2021
£9.49
V & A Publishing Tim Walker: Wonderful Things
Book Synopsis'Each shoot is a total love letter to an object from the V&A, sometimes several objects. My relationship to objects is like falling in love with someone. It relates to how we interact as people, how you become best friends with someone. It's a search for a new friend...' TIM WALKER Published to accompany the V&A's mesmerizing exhibition Tim Walker: Wonderful Things, this book is a journey through the creative mind of one of the world's most inventive photographers. It presents over 100 compelling photographs, from ten magical photoshoots inspired by objects from the V&A's enormous and eclectic collection. Featuring conversations between the set designers, stylists, hair and make-up artists, models and muses who bring Walker's imagination to life, it includes contributions by Jack Appleyard, Zoe Bedeaux, Terry Bloxham, Edie Campbell, Gwendoline Christie, Josephine Cowell, James Crewe, Malcolm Edwards, Karen Elson, Katy England, Edward Enninful OBE, Amanda Harlech, Shona Heath, Hungry/Johannes Jaruraak, Ibrahim Kamara, Kate Phelan, James Spencer, Jerry Stafford, Tilda Swinton and Gareth Wrighton. Previously unpublished behind-the-scenes imagery and preliminary sketches combine to reveal Walker's extraordinary creative process, from his detailed research in the labyrinth of storerooms and galleries at the V&A, to his spectacular final pictures.Trade Review'A gem to be savoured again and again...', Lara Faye, Stylist, March 31st 2020 'an anthology of some of the photographer's own best bits alongside contributions from the likes of Kate Phelan, Ibrahim Kamara, Katy England, Edward Enninful, Tilda Swinton and Edie Campbell.', Natalie Hammond, The Best Fashion Books You'll Want To Read (And Then Show Off On Your Bookcase), Grazia, 14th January 2022.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements | Director's Foreword, Tristram Hunt | Notes on Contributors | Preface, Susanna Brown | Introduction: Inspiring Things, Tim Walker, Shona Heath and Susanna Brown | Illuminations, Tim Walker and Terry Bloxham | Lord of the Flies, Tim Walker, Ibrahim Kamara and Gareth Wrighton | Pen & Ink, Shona Heath, Katy England and Susanna Brown | Cloud 9, Tim Walker, Kate Phelan and Edward Enninful | Box of Delights, James Spencer and Malcolm Edwards | Lil' Dragon, Zoe Bedeaux , Hungry / Johannes Jaruraak and Malcolm Edwards | The Land of the Living Men, Tim Walker and Edie Campbell | Handle with Care, Amanda Harlech, Karen Elson and James Crewe | Why Not Be Oneself?, Tilda Swinton, Jerry Stafford and Tim Walker | Soldiers of Tomorrow, Jack Appleyard and Josephine Cowell | The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Tim Walker and Gwendoline Christie | Picture Titles
£24.00
V & A Publishing Dior by Dior: The autobiography of Christian Dior
Book SynopsisChristian Dior (1905-1957) rocketed to fame with his first collection in 1947 when the "New Look" took the world by storm. This charming and modest autobiography gives a fascinating and detailed insight into the workings of a great fashion house, while revealing the private man behind the high-profile establishment. It is also a unique portrait of classic Paris haute couture of the 1950s and offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes. Dior details his childhood in Granville, the family and friends closest to him, his most difficult years and sudden success, as well as his sources of inspiration and creative processes.Trade Review"This autobiography not only gives readers detailed insight into the workings of the fashion house, but also reveals the nature of the man behind it." -- Daniela Saunders, 20+ Must- Have Fashion Coffee Table Books, Country & Town House, 24th May 2022, "A fascinating insight into the iconic design house" -- Hello Magazine, "an excellent primary source...and invaluable addition to fashion history literature" -- Caroleen Molenaar, Journal of Dress History, Vol. 4, Issue. 3, Autumn 2020, "This intimate autobiography allows us to discover the man behind the creative genius acclaimed internationally." Eleanora Dal Bosco, 1 Granary, January 3rd 2022Table of ContentsPrologue: The Two Christian Diors Part One: The Birth of Maison Christian Dior One: The Reluctant Couturier Two: A House of One's Own Three: The New Look Four: An Innocent Abroad in the U.S.A Part Two: From the Idea to the Dress Five: The Idea Six: From the 'Toile' to the Dress Seven: The Birth of the Collection Eight: The Dress Rehearsal Nine: The Eve of the Battle Ten: The Showing of the Collection Eleven: The Romance of Clothes Part Three: Inside a Couture House Twelve: The Mannequins Thirteen: The Clients Fourteen: Domestic Expansion Fifteen: Paris to New York and Back Again Sixteen: Christian Dior-London Part Four: The Adventure of My Life Seventeen: My Early Years Eighteen: Friendships and Frustrations Nineteen: Portrait of Myself
£9.49
V & A Publishing Dior: A New Look a New Enterprise (1947-57)
Book SynopsisIn 1947 Christian Dior rocked the fashion world with his New Look, which dominated postwar fashion and firmly secured the name of his house in the minds of the public and the fashion industry. He drew on historical models of femininity, the unique skills of Parisian haute couture, and a myriad of suppliers to produce stunning designs that captured a mood of optimism after World War II. Dior also designed and marketed ready-made luxe lines and broke new ground by creating and controlling innovative global licensing agreements for all Dior products, from perfume to stockings, jewellery, bathing suits, and even men's ties. Newly expanded and updated to accompany the V&A Exhibition Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, this absorbing and beautiful book examines the seminal years of Christian Dior, 1947-57, from a truly international perspective.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter One THE EARLY YEARS Chapter Two A NEW HOUSE, A NEW FEMININITY Chapter Three COUTURE PIRACY, PROTECTION & LITIGATION Chapter Four THE CHRISTIAN DIOR BOUTIQUE Chapter Five GLOBAL EXPANSION AND LICENCES Chapter Six THE CELEBRITY COUTURIER, DIPLOMAT AND ARBITER OF TASTE References 130 | Tables 136 | Chronology 138 | Dior at the V&A 139 Select Bibliography 140 | Acknowledgements 141 | Index 142
£24.00
V & A Publishing Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Textile Society of America's R.L. Shep Award 2020. The kimono is the ultimate symbol of Japan, revered within the country as the embodiment of national culture and regarded internationally as an exotic fascination. The iconic garment is often viewed as traditional, unchanging and timeless, but this book counters that conception, presenting the kimono as highly dynamic and fashionable dress. The cultural and sartorial significance of the kimono is explored in historical and contemporary contexts, both in Japan and the West, where its impact on clothing styles has been felt since the seventeenth century. Beautifully illustrated, the book features over 250 kimono and kimono-inspired garments from the V&A and collections around the world, revealing its sartorial influence on pop stars from David Bowie to Bjoerk and examining the ways in which fashion designers such as Issey Miyake, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen have reworked its legacy.Trade ReviewThe ground covered in the book and accompanying exhibition is vast: rich food for thought and glorious artistry to admire. Hettie Judah, iNews, 27th April 2020Table of ContentsForeword, Tristram Hunt Introduction: Kimono, Kyoto to Catwalk, Anna Jackson Kimono in Japan Status, Style and Seduction, Anna Jackson Creation and Commerce, Anna Jackson and Iwao Nagasaki Clothed in Splendour: Bridal Kimono from the Edo Period to the Present Day, Masami Yamada Picturing Fashion in Edo-Period Japan, Masami Yamada Fashion for the Foreign A Taste for the Exotic: Foreign Textiles and Japanese Dress, Anna Jackson The 'Nippon Kimono' Voyages to Europe, Yuzuruha Oyama Interwoven Gowns: A Tale of Global Trade, Ariane Fennetaux Geographically Confused, but Familiarly Exotic: The Influence of Kimono in Seventeenth-Century England, Susan North Shifting Styles Fashioning Modernity in Japan, Anna Jackson The 'Kimono Craze': From Exoticism to Fashionability, Elizabeth Kramer and Akiko Savas Picturing Kimono in Britain, Europe and America, Elizabeth Kramer Radical Restructure: The Impact of Kimono, Akiko Fukai Kimono as Costume Kimono Codified: Uniform for the Nation, Josephine Rout Geisha: Perpetuating the Kimono Mystique, Lesley Downer Kimono Rental, Tourism and Sartorial Expression, Elizabeth Kramer Behind the Screen: Kimono as Costume, Josephine Rout Kimono Reinvention Kimono Reborn, Rupert Faulkner Moriguchi Kunihiko, Anna Jackson Kikuchi Nobuko: Stylish Rebellion, Kohka Yoshimura Kimono Transformation Kimono Dreams, Claire Wilcox Statement Piece: The Kimono Jacket Trend, Elizabeth Kramer Kimono Revolution, Sheila Cliffe Jotaro Saito, Anna Jackson From Edo to Instagram: Japanese Fashion, Josephine Rout
£34.00
V & A Publishing Mary Quant
Book SynopsisDame Mary Quant is a fashion icon. The first focused study of her career, this book shows how she revolutionized fashion, harnessing youth, streetstyle and mass production to create a new look for everyone. It surveys the development of her business in the context of British, European and American fashion in the post-war period, and explores how her innovative marketing created a powerful global brand. Featuring new photography of Quant garments, alongside previously unpublished fashion photographs and designs, this book is a dynamic and authoritative account of the designer and her legacy.Trade Review'excellent' --Burlington Magazine, July 2019, 'explores the fashion icon's trailblazing career and prominence in the 1960s - namely, the mini skirt - showcasing never-before-seen fashion photography and captivating designs.' --Daniela Saunders, 20+ Must- Have Fashion Coffee Table Books, Country & Town House, 24th May 2022Table of ContentsIntroduction: Making Fashion History Part One Before Bazaar 1919-1955 Part Two Boutique to Wholesale 1955-1962 Modelling Quant, Stephanie Wood Photographic Interpretations, Susanna Brown Part Three Into the Big Time 1963-1964 Doing Business in Transatlantic Fashion: The Experience of Mary Quant, Regina Lee Blaszczyk Part Four The Shock of the Knee 1965-1967 Quant and Cosmetics, Beatrice Behlen Quant and Advertising: Collett Dickenson Pearce, Janine Sykes Part Five Liberated Fashion 1968-1975 Selling the Total Look: Quant and Interiors, Johanna Agerman Ross Part Six Lifestyle Brand 1975-2000 Conclusion: Fashion for Everyone Appendix: Mary Quant Labels, Elisabeth Murray
£24.00
Laurence King Publishing Textile Design
Book SynopsisThis book offers students and those wishing to enter a career in textile design a basic grounding in its three main disciplinesprinted, woven, and mixed media. Using a wealth of imagery and case studies from designers and studios at work today, the book looks at the basic principles of design and production, and gives practical advice on creating a collection. Education and employment are also discussed, giving an insight into the industry and helpful adviceon finding a job.
£28.00
Laurence King Publishing Fashion and Sustainability: Design for Change
Book SynopsisThis book examines how sustainability has the potential to transform both the fashion system and the innovators who work within it. The book is organized in three parts. The first part is concerned with transforming fashion products across the garment''s lifecycle and includes innovation in materials, manufacture, distribution, use, and re-use. The second part looks at ideas that are transforming the fashion system at root into something more sustainable, including new business models that reduce material output. The third section is concerned with transforming the role of fashion designers and looks to examples where the designer changes from a stylist or shaper of things into a communicator, activist or facilitator.
£24.00
Laurence King Publishing Pattern Magic: Stretch Fabrics
Book SynopsisPattern Magic is the cult pattern–cutting book from Japan. Taking inspiration from nature, from geometric shapes and from the street, this book harnesses the sheer joy of making and sculpting clothes. Pattern Magic takes a creative approach to pattern cutting, with step–by–step projects for fashion designers and dressmakers to enjoy.All the basic information you need to start pattern cutting is included, from the basic block to measurements and scaling. Each project is beautifully illustrated with clear diagrams and photographs showing the stages of construction, the toiles and the finished garments. These easy–to–follow illustrations and detailed instructions make it easy to create stunning, sculptural clothes with a couture look. • Step–by–step projects for fashion designers and dressmakers – with clear diagrams and photographs. • Gives all the basic information needed to start pattern cutting: from the basic block to measurements and scaling. • Easy–to–follow, detailed instructions make it easy to create stunning, sculptural clothes with a couture lookReviews for Pattern Magic:''The feeling of figuring the puzzle out makes this book series a joy to explore'' House of Pinheiro''If you''ve mastered the basics of pattern cutting, have caught the bug and are eager to experiment with complex 3d designs, you should definitely take a look at Pattern Magic'' Tilly And The Buttons Blog''I''ve had an explosion of inspiration, and I''m not even an expert in sewing!… I''m sure that many of you, fashion designers or not, can learn a lot from these tutorials'' ImaginativeBloom.comCONTENTS:Part 1: Creating form through inspiration:Accents, Gathered hole, Crater, The drop hole, Lumps and bumpsPart 2: Making patterns for haute couture garments:Draped design, The twist, Hide and seek, Interwoven design, Bamboo shoot, The knot, Two distinct expressions, An intriguing curve, Bunka–style sloper (block) for an adult woman, Bunka–style sloper (block) for an adult woman (Size M) (half–scale)
£18.00
Laurence King Publishing How to Create Your Final Collection
Book SynopsisDesigning a final degree collection is a fashion students first chance to approach the reality of the industry. This handbook provides a step-by-step guide to creating this collection, with each chapter exploring a different step of the project: from understanding the brief and identifying the market to research, development and sampling.
£28.49
Merrell Publishers Ltd Fashion Futures
Book SynopsisToday fashion is moving forward at a faster pace than ever before, with advancing technologies and new materials reinventing clothing as we know it. Futuristic garment designs are often inspired by surprising sources: biological science, climate change, space suits, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and nanotechnology. Fashion Futures offers a fascinating survey of these new directions, charting the transformational products, design processes, maverick materials, and groundbreaking practitioners that are revolutionizing fashion. Design expert Bradley Quinn also explores radical retail operations, fashion forecasting, and the relationship between fashion and other disciplines. Featuring inspirational interviews with international trend forecasters and designers, and packed with illustrations of extreme designs and prototypes , Fashion Futures is a thought-provoking overview of how fashion will look, perform and be manufactured and purchased in the twenty-first century.Trade ReviewThe photos and cover design make this a great coffee table book but the insightful predictions and interviews with the most cutting edge designers, engineers and marketing executives working in the fashion industry also make this book a must-read for those interested in fashion. - BLOGCRITICS An intriguing look at the composition of fashion in the 21st century. - EDGE Fashion Futures offers an entirely new way of looking at the world of fashion. - NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS 'A thought-provoking overview.' - BESPOKE MAGAZINE
£29.75
Merrell Publishers Ltd Cult Shoes: Classic and Contemporary Designs
Book SynopsisWhile very few of us can boast a shoe collection to rival that of Imelda Marcos, it's difficult to deny the mood-enhancing effect of a shiny new pair of shoes. And when a woman goes shoe-shopping, whether for skyscraper heels or wear-with-anything ballet flats, she's spoilt for choice. Cult Shoes is a lavishly illustrated exploration of the world's top shoe brands and designers, from Manolo Blahnik to Melissa, Camper to Clarks, and from the eighteenth century to the present day. Fashion journalist Harriet Walker selects 30 famous names that have an enduring appeal or command a devoted following, and recounts the history of each brand and its most iconic designs, among them the scarlet leather Repetto pumps immortalized by Brigitte Bardot in 1956 in - And God Created Woman and Terry de Havilland's multicoloured wedges, which have adorned the feet of celebrities since the late 1960s. A must-have for any shoe fanatic, the book also includes a concise illustrated introduction to the history of footwear, and short features on key personalities and lesser-known but influential brands.Trade Review'Your indispensable guide to footwear ' - THE INDEPENDENT 'Will make a fabulous gift for women of any age ... you will take on hero status when you bestow this book upon any fashionista.' - NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS 'Beautiful tome' - DESIGN WEEK 'From the high heel heiress to the ballet flat fashionista, it's the perfect holiday gift for the woman who is both a bibliophile and a shoephile.' - THE WELL-HEELED SOCIETY
£25.46
Merrell Publishers Ltd Bikinis BellBottoms and Little Black Dresses 70
Book Synopsis
£17.95
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Inside Subculture: The Postmodern Meaning of
Book SynopsisWhat motivates people to dress in a manner that marks them out as different to the conventional norm? Is it true that, with dress, 'anything goes' in our mix-and-match postmodern culture? Have easily recognizable, authentic subcultures imploded in a glut of ironic revivals and stylistic fragmentation? Does this supposed 'post-subcultural' generation actively celebrate ephemerality, transience and disposability, merely casting off and trying on one alternative identity after another in an ever-accelerating fashion frenzy? This exciting book is a considered sociological examination of such questions. By listening to the voices of the subcultural stylists themselves - their subjective perceptions of their style and the ideas that lie behind them - the author provides original insights into issues of subjectivity and identity. Situating an empirical case study within a wider consideration of postmodernism and cultural change, the author rejects cultural studies perspectives that attempt to 'read' subcultures as texts. Drawing on extensive interviews with people who dress in what might be deemed a stylistically unconventional manner, he seeks instead to establish whether contemporary subcultures display modern or postmodern sensibilities and forms. He argues persuasively that they do both - a stress on postmodern hyperindividualism, fluidity and fragmentation runs alongside a modernist emphasis on authenticity and underlying essence. He concludes that a Romantic libertarianism has permeated working-class culture and that the distinction between 'individualistic' middle-class countercultures and 'collectivist' working-class subcultures has been over-emphasized.Trade Review'Highly recommended for academic libraries.' Library Journal 'Interview excerpts provide powerful illustrations of some of the points made on identification and dress style, and the book is also commendably thorough in its fieldwork details; the interview schedule in particular makes it a book that could be recommended as background reading to students on research methods courses as well.' Times Higher Education Supplement
£108.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Inside Subculture: The Postmodern Meaning of Style
Book SynopsisWhat motivates people to dress in a manner that marks them out as different to the conventional norm? Is it true that, with dress, 'anything goes' in our mix-and-match postmodern culture? Have easily recognizable, authentic subcultures imploded in a glut of ironic revivals and stylistic fragmentation? Does this supposed 'post-subcultural' generation actively celebrate ephemerality, transience and disposability, merely casting off and trying on one alternative identity after another in an ever-accelerating fashion frenzy? This exciting book is a considered sociological examination of such questions. By listening to the voices of the subcultural stylists themselves - their subjective perceptions of their style and the ideas that lie behind them - the author provides original insights into issues of subjectivity and identity. Situating an empirical case study within a wider consideration of postmodernism and cultural change, the author rejects cultural studies perspectives that attempt to 'read' subcultures as texts. Drawing on extensive interviews with people who dress in what might be deemed a stylistically unconventional manner, he seeks instead to establish whether contemporary subcultures display modern or postmodern sensibilities and forms. He argues persuasively that they do both - a stress on postmodern hyperindividualism, fluidity and fragmentation runs alongside a modernist emphasis on authenticity and underlying essence. He concludes that a Romantic libertarianism has permeated working-class culture and that the distinction between 'individualistic' middle-class countercultures and 'collectivist' working-class subcultures has been over-emphasized.Trade Review'Highly recommended for academic libraries.' Library Journal 'Interview excerpts provide powerful illustrations of some of the points made on identification and dress style, and the book is also commendably thorough in its fieldwork details; the interview schedule in particular makes it a book that could be recommended as background reading to students on research methods courses as well.' Times Higher Education Supplement
£28.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Textile Book
Book SynopsisTextiles are central to our lives and are at the heart of the world's largest industries. In recent years there has been a dynamic shift in attitudes toward textiles, fuelled in part by explosive developments in technology. While textiles have always retained roots in craft and industry, the discipline now embraces a much wider range of practices. Innovations in the industry demand a fresh approach to the subject, which this comprehensive introduction ably supplies. Taking as their starting point the very meaning of textiles, Gale and Kaur go on to show the astonishing range of opportunities for careers in the field, from the creative (artists, craftspeople and designers) to the social and industrial, to the commercial and associated practices (buyers, journalists, researchers and scientists). The Textile Book takes us behind the scenes with professionals to reveal what various jobs involve, what influences decision makers, and how their decisions affect what we buy next season. What happens to clothes before they reach the shops? What determines the 'must have' item? How can recycled bottles be transformed into silk-like yarns? These and many other questions are explored to show the diversity that makes up the contemporary global textile scene. Woven, printed, embroidered, knitted -- textiles are pivotal to the everyday experience of people in all parts of the world. This wide-ranging and informative book conveys the excitement and new challenges textiles represent and is essential reading for anyone working with, studying or simply interested in textiles.Trade Review'Although the authors planned this book as a text/reference book, I recommend reading every page ... a valuable authority that provides an historical and global view of the past, present, and future of textiles.' Handwoven 'Essential reading for anyone considering a career in textiles.' Embroidery Magazine 'The Textile book takes a compelling and very broad look at a myriad of aspects of fabrics and the humans using them...the authors seem to have tapped not only solid history, but a good deal of the most up-to-date information, including 'smart fabrics'...this subject, and its treatment in this book, is food for a lot of thought, discussion, and research.' Costume Journal 'Those studying textiles and the general public should find this book very useful.' Choice 'Upper division or graduate students as well as professionals in our field would certainly benefit from the content information of The Textile Book. More importantly, those in the textile community who read it, will be encouraged to engage in broad discourse that the subject deserves in order to better ensure the subject's future as an academic discipline.' Nancy Lyons, South Dakota State UniversityTable of ContentsContents Preface vii Part I Overviews 1What is Textiles?1 This Book3 2The Cultural Place of Textiles7 Gentility and Gender7 The Inner Spirit13 Capitalism and Communism16 Lifestyle23 3Perceptions of Fabric30 New Fabrics, New Aesthetics31 Fundamental Skills and the Evolution of Textile Practice33 The Influence of Skill35 The Influence of Science and Engineering38 Re-evaluation42 Part II The Creative 4The Textile Designer45 Design Practice49 Global Comparisons of Textile Design53 Futures61 5The Designer-Maker63 The Origins of Designer-Makers66 Employment67 Market68 Business71 Case Study: Lindsay Bloxam75 Personal Issues76 Establishing a Business78 Selling Stuff80 The Broader View82 6The Craftsperson85 Comparing Makers89 The Importance of Process-Led Practice93 A Role in the Modern World94 The Appeal of the Handmade98 Supporting Organizations99 7The Textile Artist102 Textile Art, Craft or Design?104 The Reason of Textile Art108 Issues of Content111 Ownership115 Part III The Social and Industrial Context 8Global Textile Traditions119 Regional Exchanges120 Patronage123 Ritual, Symbolism and Stories125 Weave127 Embroidery129 Print and Dye131 Contemporary Uses of Traditional Textiles134 Recent Textile Traditions136 9Ecology139 Pollution, Politics and Ecology139 The Role of Organizations and Agencies143 Government Policies and Organizations148 Eco or Green Design153 Case Study: Corporate Environmental Policies157 10Industry161 The Industrial Story162 Power and Influence170 The Future174 11The Role of Trends and Forecasting180 The Textile Industries and Forecasting183 The Forecasting Gurus and their Roles188 Part IV Related Disciplines and Studies 12The Buyer194 The Buyers Role195 Issues Affecting Buying Decisions196 Buying Textiles and Design-Led Textile Products200 The Suppliers Concerns203 International Issues204 The Future207 13Journalism212 The Media Industry212 Lifestyle and Textile Journalism215 Courting Fame220 The Internet223 14Science226 A Scientific History227 The Basics230 The Science Design Gap233 The Stuff of Fiction236 Future Issues241 15Research245 Archaeology and Anthropology245 Textiles, Cultural Identity and the Culture Industry 250 Museums and Collections255 Contemporary Textiles and Critical Studies 259 Bibliography263 Index27
£90.00
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Textile Book
Book SynopsisTextiles are central to our lives and are at the heart of the world's largest industries. In recent years there has been a dynamic shift in attitudes toward textiles, fuelled in part by explosive developments in technology. While textiles have always retained roots in craft and industry, the discipline now embraces a much wider range of practices. Innovations in the industry demand a fresh approach to the subject, which this comprehensive introduction ably supplies. Taking as their starting point the very meaning of textiles, Gale and Kaur go on to show the astonishing range of opportunities for careers in the field, from the creative (artists, craftspeople and designers) to the social and industrial, to the commercial and associated practices (buyers, journalists, researchers and scientists). The Textile Book takes us behind the scenes with professionals to reveal what various jobs involve, what influences decision makers, and how their decisions affect what we buy next season. What happens to clothes before they reach the shops? What determines the 'must have' item? How can recycled bottles be transformed into silk-like yarns? These and many other questions are explored to show the diversity that makes up the contemporary global textile scene. Woven, printed, embroidered, knitted -- textiles are pivotal to the everyday experience of people in all parts of the world. This wide-ranging and informative book conveys the excitement and new challenges textiles represent and is essential reading for anyone working with, studying or simply interested in textiles.Trade Review'Although the authors planned this book as a text/reference book, I recommend reading every page ... a valuable authority that provides an historical and global view of the past, present, and future of textiles.' Handwoven 'Essential reading for anyone considering a career in textiles.' Embroidery Magazine 'The Textile book takes a compelling and very broad look at a myriad of aspects of fabrics and the humans using them...the authors seem to have tapped not only solid history, but a good deal of the most up-to-date information, including 'smart fabrics'...this subject, and its treatment in this book, is food for a lot of thought, discussion, and research.' Costume Journal 'Those studying textiles and the general public should find this book very useful.' Choice 'Upper division or graduate students as well as professionals in our field would certainly benefit from the content information of The Textile Book. More importantly, those in the textile community who read it, will be encouraged to engage in broad discourse that the subject deserves in order to better ensure the subject's future as an academic discipline.' Nancy Lyons, South Dakota State UniversityTable of ContentsContents Preface vii Part I Overviews 1What is Textiles?1 This Book3 2The Cultural Place of Textiles7 Gentility and Gender7 The Inner Spirit13 Capitalism and Communism16 Lifestyle23 3Perceptions of Fabric30 New Fabrics, New Aesthetics31 Fundamental Skills and the Evolution of Textile Practice33 The Influence of Skill35 The Influence of Science and Engineering38 Re-evaluation42 Part II The Creative 4The Textile Designer45 Design Practice49 Global Comparisons of Textile Design53 Futures61 5The Designer-Maker63 The Origins of Designer-Makers66 Employment67 Market68 Business71 Case Study: Lindsay Bloxam75 Personal Issues76 Establishing a Business78 Selling Stuff80 The Broader View82 6The Craftsperson85 Comparing Makers89 The Importance of Process-Led Practice93 A Role in the Modern World94 The Appeal of the Handmade98 Supporting Organizations99 7The Textile Artist102 Textile Art, Craft or Design?104 The Reason of Textile Art108 Issues of Content111 Ownership115 Part III The Social and Industrial Context 8Global Textile Traditions119 Regional Exchanges120 Patronage123 Ritual, Symbolism and Stories125 Weave127 Embroidery129 Print and Dye131 Contemporary Uses of Traditional Textiles134 Recent Textile Traditions136 9Ecology139 Pollution, Politics and Ecology139 The Role of Organizations and Agencies143 Government Policies and Organizations148 Eco or Green Design153 Case Study: Corporate Environmental Policies157 10Industry161 The Industrial Story162 Power and Influence170 The Future174 11The Role of Trends and Forecasting180 The Textile Industries and Forecasting183 The Forecasting Gurus and their Roles188 Part IV Related Disciplines and Studies 12The Buyer194 The Buyers Role195 Issues Affecting Buying Decisions196 Buying Textiles and Design-Led Textile Products200 The Suppliers Concerns203 International Issues204 The Future207 13Journalism212 The Media Industry212 Lifestyle and Textile Journalism215 Courting Fame220 The Internet223 14Science226 A Scientific History227 The Basics230 The Science Design Gap233 The Stuff of Fiction236 Future Issues241 15Research245 Archaeology and Anthropology245 Textiles, Cultural Identity and the Culture Industry 250 Museums and Collections255 Contemporary Textiles and Critical Studies 259 Bibliography263 Index27
£29.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Englishness of English Dress
Book SynopsisIs there a peculiarly English 'look' and if so how does one define it? From the 'traditional' dress of the Victorian rural working class through to the contemporary collections of Vivienne Westwood and a younger generation of London-based designers, notions of Englishness, either real or imagined, have always been at play in considerations of English fashion and clothing. This provocative book explores how far these fraught ideals can be applied to the dress of the past and present. English expressions of taste and creativity have had a profound influence on style over the last three centuries, and the pursuit and subversion of an English 'look' have shaped conceptions of fashionability from the pastoralism of the eighteenth-century through to the eras of Twiggy, Punk and beyond. But are these simply stereotypical characterizations that relate to an imagined 'Englishness', or is there some concrete basis for them? If the former, what has led to their development? If the latter, what definitions can be employed to unravel such complicated conceptions of national identity? What role has social decorum played in developing an 'English' style, and is this preoccupation with etiquette in fact unique to England ? With chapters authored by leading scholars in the fields of costume history, social history and cultural studies, this is the first book to examine the ways in which fashion and dress might be considered in the context of national identities as they apply in England. Presenting an overview of how particular designers and consumer groups have striven to present or contest versions of Englishness through clothing from the 18th through to the 21st centuries, it will fascinate anyone interested in dress history, national and ethnic identity or English cultural history.Trade ReviewThis highly illustrated text will fascinate anyone interested in dress history, national and ethnic identity or English cultural history. International Textiles A well-researched scholarly piece that is definitely worth reading ... highly recommended for those who are interested in dress, fashion, and cultural and national identity. ITAA Newsletter The Englishness of English Dress is an intelligent, thoughtful and engaging collection of essays addressing the construction of national identity through dress and tradition ... Every essay in this book is worth reading - not always the case with collections of this sort. It should be on the bookshelf of anyone with an academic interest in the language of dress. Embroidery Magazine Whether the subject is tennis garb, home dressmaking, rural working-class clothing, royal couturiers, or fashion photographers, the volume's contributors turn the idea of universal Englishness upside down and inside out. Business History Review
£38.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Re-Orienting Fashion: The Globalization of Asian Dress
Book SynopsisWhen Hong Kong entrepreneur David Tang opened his Shanghai Tang boutique on New York's Madison Avenue, it was not an isolated example of the globalization of Asian fashion. Further evidence is written on the labels in our closets, and paraded in the form of salwaar-kameez and silk sarongs by the rich and famous of London. The phenomenon merits scrutiny. This vanguard attempt points to the colonial era as the origin of fashion globalization, and describes its development as paralleling the gradual take-over of Asian daily wear by Western dress. From indigenous Batak weavers to Hong Kong designers, and from Indonesian businesswomen's power suits to Korean feminists' national costume, this book explores the sartorial interface of East and West.The globalization of Asian dress needs to be understood as part of an ongoing Orientalism that construes Asia as a feminine Other to the masculine West. The conventional Orientalist definition of fashion as an exclusively Western phenomenon has proved self-fulfilling in both East and West so that the conceptual boundary between the two is continually reasserted by design. Paying close attention to Asians' decisions about what clothing to make, sell, buy, and wear, the case studies in this book challenge Orientalist stereotypes of Asian style as passive and traditional and highlight how these actions are often made invisible by global cultural, rhetorical, and material practices that feminize Asia and the fashion world. This timely book will be of interest to dress and fashion theorists, anthropologists, sociologists, historians, art historians and all those interested in globalization, Orientalism and their effects.Trade Review'This is a very good book that will be read with great appreciation by people who understand the importance of fashion in the web of human society.'Fashion Theory 'This book will be useful to readers (or fashion theorists) who are interested in understanding globalization of Asian dress from anthropological, sociological, political and historical perspectives.'Myoung Kim, University of Wisconsin, in International Textile and Apparel Association newsletter (Jan 06)Table of ContentsContents Notes on Contributorsvii Acknowledgmentsix Introduction: The Globalization of Asian Dress: Re-Orienting Fashion or Re-Orientalizing Asia?1 Carla Jones and Ann Marie Leshkowich 1Three Scenarios from Batak Clothing History: Designing Participation in the Global Fashion Trajectory49 Sandra Niessen 2The Ao Dai Goes Global: How International Influences and Female Entrepreneurs Have Shaped Vietnam's "National Costume"79 Ann Marie Leshkowich 3Korean Alterations: Nationalism, Social Consciousness, and "Traditional" Clothing 117 Rebecca Ruhlen 4Designing Diasporic Markets: Asian Fashion Entrepreneurs in London139 Parminder Bhachu 5National Colors: Ethnic Minorities in Vietnamese Public Imagery159 Hjorleifur R. Jonsson and Nora A. Taylor 6Dress for Sukses: Fashioning Femininity and Nationality in Urban Indonesia185 Carla Jones 7Fashion-Nation: A Japanese Globalization Experience and a Hong Kong Dilemma215 Lise Skov Afterword: Re-Orienting Fashion Theory243 Sandra Niessen Index267
£33.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Fashioning the Body Politic: Dress, Gender, Citizenship
Book SynopsisWith an afterword by Roger Griffin.Fashion is often thought of as a matter of personal taste, completely unconnected with the public domain of political life and citizenship. Overturning this perspective, this absorbing book reveals that, from the French Revolution to post-revolutionary China, fashion has played a significant role in political participation and protest. Fashioning the Body Politic challenges the perception of helpless fashion victims, subject to manipulation by consumerism and the fashion industry, and shows how, in a range of historical and national contexts, certain styles of dress and display were significant for both men and women's political participation and the formation of their identities as citizens.How did 'dressing up' in a variety of ways allow suffragette women to perform unconventional forms of political protest? In what ways did the uniforms of scouts and guides function to erect gender, racial and religious boundaries? Following the ban on traditional clothing in Imperial Russia, how did Russians appropriate European fashions and ethnic costumes to fashion new identities for themselves? Using these and a wealth of other case studies, Fashioning the Body Politic offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between men, women and fashion and shows that the political domain has always been permeated with the cultural practices of dress, display and bodily performance.
£33.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Global Circulation of African Fashion
Book SynopsisTransnational movements of people, cultural objects, images and identities have played a vital role in creating an informal global network for African fashion - from clothing designers and tailors to dyers and jewellery makers. This book traces the changing meanings, aesthetics and histories of the thriving informal African fashion network through its multicultural cross-roads of Los Angeles, Kenya and Senegal.In African communities, designers compete with each other to survive and often travel long distances in search of new markets. Such competition and bridging of cultures fuels creativity and innovation. From adapting western fashion magazines to combining 'ethnic' designs with dramatic new colours and techniques, artisans weave a variety of borrowed influences into their traditional practices. Rabine explores the interrelationship and tensions that exist between these popular and mass cultures, including the ways that global circulation threatens to destroy artisanal skills. With its unique insights into the operation and ethics of these global networks, this book offers a timely contribution to contemporary studies of fashion, transnationalism and globalization.Trade Review'This is a landmark book in many ways. First, it grounds the study of global fashion in a way that sheds new and important light on issues of political economy, ethnic identity, and transnational aesthetics. Second, it moves far theoretically beyond the 'disconnect' that often exists between understandings of production and consumption of fashion. And, Leslie Rabine illustrates - indeed models - the kind of scholarship that is so desperately needed at the interface of the humanities and social sciences: deep readings of cultural materials, coupled with courageous and self-reflexive ethnography.'Susan B. Kaiser, University of California at Davis 'Within the study are some fascinating details - not least a searing indictment of a particular World Bank discussion paper, published in its Africa Technical Department Series in 1993.'African Business'This book contributes to discussions of fashion, transnationalism and globalisation through its exploration of th
£32.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Goth: Identity, Style and Subculture
Book SynopsisGoths represent one of the most arresting, distinctive and enduring subcultures of recent times. The dedication of those involved to a lifestyle which, from the outside, may appear dark and sinister, has spawned reactions ranging from admiration to alarm. Until now, no one has conducted a full-scale ethnographic study of this fascinating subcultural group. Based on extensive research by an 'insider', this is the first. Immersing us in the potent mix of identities, practices and values that make up the goth scene, the author takes us behind the faade of the goth mystique. From dress and musical tastes to social habits and the use of the internet, Hodkinson details the inner workings of this intriguing group. Defying postmodern theories that claim media and commerce break down substantive cultural groupings, Hodkinson shows how both have been used by goths to retain, and even strengthen, their group identity. Hodkinson provides a comprehensive reworking of subcultural theory, making a key contribution to the disciplines of sociology, cultural studies, youth studies, media studies, and popular music studies. Readable and accessible, this groundbreaking book presents a unique chance to engage with a contemporary, spectacular culture.Trade Review'I would recommend it as a valuable text that should be included on undergraduate reading lists for courses dealing with fan, music and popular cultures.'Garry Crawford, BSA'While most of us might have moved swiftly on and started wearing baggy jeans, there remains an enormous goth subculture, which Hodkinson, proud to count himself a part of it, analyses stylishly in this 'ethnographic study'.'The Guardian'Engaging.'The Daily Telegraph'A scholarly yet accessible text [that] successfully conveys what it means to be a Goth.'Sonic Seducer'The first major anthropological study of UK Goths is a priceless work. [It is a] fascinating read that I found very difficult to put down.'KaleidoscopeTable of Contents1From Participant to Researcher 2 Reworking Subculture 3Goth as a Subcultural Style 4Insiders and Outsiders 5Events, Friendships and Commitment 6Selling Goth? The Producers of Subcultures 7Buying Goth: Subcultural Shopping 8Communicating Goth: 'Traditional' Media 9Communicating Goth: On-line Media 10Concluding Thoughts Appendix: Quantitative Questionnaire Results Bibliography Index
£28.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Fashion Classics from Carlyle to Barthes
Book SynopsisWith so much focus on contemporary theory, it is easy to forget that the serious analysis of clothing and fashion has a long history. In fact, they have been the subject of intense cultural debate since the nineteenth century. Fashion Classics provides an interpretative overview of the groundbreaking and often idiosyncratic writings of eight theorists whose work has profoundly influenced the conceptual and theoretical basis of our contemporary understanding of clothes and the fashion system. Carter fully revives early fashion theorists -- some canonical and others less well known -- and examines them in light of more recent work. From Carlyles fantastical character Professor Teufelsdrockh, through the first Freudian analysis of clothes by J.C. Flugel, the pioneering work of Spencer, Veblen, Simmel, Kroeber, Laver and finally Barthes monumental work on the modern fashion system, this book explores and explains the foundations of fashion theory. Not only does it provide an historical outline of Western conceptions of clothes and fashion, but it also highlights how ideas intermix and build on one another. Carters lively narrative clearly shows that views on fashion have always been impassioned perhaps most notably Carlyles notorious attack on Dandyism and Veblens suggestion that clothes should be made out of old newspaper. This book also makes sense of complex theory and is essential reading for anyone seeking an overview of the history of fashion theory.Trade Review'Michael Carter has fashioned, with clarity and wit, not only an important historical account of fashion classics, but an entertaining narrative that illuminates the cultural currents of two centuries. It should make us think more than twice about what we wear and how we describe it. For myself, this is a book that I will constantly refer to - for pleasure as well as enlightenment.'Studies in English LiteratureTable of Contents1. Thomas Carlyle and Sartor Resartus 2. Herbert Spencer's Sartorial Protestantism 3. Thorstein Veblen's Leisure Class 4. Georg Simmel: Clothes and Fashion 5. Alfred Kroeber and the Great Secular Wave 6. J. C. Flgel and the Nude Future 7. James Laver, the Reluctant Expert 8. Roland Barthes and the End of the Nineteenth Century Appendix: Questionnaire Issued by J.C. Flgel in 1929 Bibliography Index
£33.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Dress and Morality
Book SynopsisMoralists have raged throughout history against various fashions for being too short, too long, too tight, too loose or too costly. Highlighting the times when choice of dress was a moral minefield, this enlightening and entertaining book looks at fashion extremes over the centuries, from the sexual display of the codpiece through to corsets, crinolines and decolletage. Providing a sharp and humorous look at the outright risque as well as the grotesquely exaggerated and even the repulsive, Ribeiro shows how dress has functioned variously as a vehicle of righteousness or turpitude and as an expression of sexuality, class or social status. In 747 St Boniface deemed wide stripes and scarlet borders to incite lust and ruination of the soul. Well over a millennium later immodest dress ranked high in Jesuit Father Bernard Vaughan's book on the sins of society. Medical practitioners once labelled the v-necked top, now a standard style, 'the pneumonia neckline'. Was it the force of society or sheer vanity of fashion that drove women to wear sleeves the size of balloons? Are sexual boundaries between dress worn by men and women diminishing? What morals still bind us to our Judeo-Christian heritage and lead us to express ourselves through appearances?Lavishly illustrated and packed with countless thought-provoking quotes, Dress and Morality is an in-depth exploration of the comical vanities and social etiquettes associated with dress in the past. At last here is the much-anticipated updated edition of this classic book.Trade Review'Sexual morality is the story of Dr Ribeiro's meticulously researched and racy book.'The Times'Aileen Ribeiro has painstakingly charted the history of dress - from the earliest times to the present day - as seen from the point of view of its moralist critics.'The Guardian'Superb.'The New York Times
£31.99
