Why Do Models Look So Bored?
Last week I spent a delightful morning watching videos from this spring’s fashion shows, picking out the styles I would be happy to wear if I were young, rich, and attending a gala… Continue reading
Category Archive: Book Reviews
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Locked Down in History — Beauty from Harsh Surroundings
A man is sentenced to prison for an indeterminate time, condemned to stay there until he can produce what he has promised, gold from lead. Even after four years in prison, with absolutely… Continue reading
Locked Down in History — Unraveling “The Queen’s Embroiderer”
I came across a book excerpt that described a French embroiderer in the court of Louis XIV – his techniques, materials, and customers¹. I quickly bought the book, The Queen’s Embroiderer by Joan… Continue reading
Locked Down in History — Venetian Convents
We’re all tired of the new restrictions on our lives, but of course, it could be worse! Lately I have read three books about people experiencing lock-ups they were powerless to escape, and… Continue reading
Basting, Bingeing, and Books
A while ago Kerry at Love Those Hands At Home mentioned in a post that she had tried this quilt-basting method from Sharon Schamber. The main idea is that you roll the quilt… Continue reading
The Milliner’s Secret
Having just read about the couturiers and milliners of WWII Paris, I was excited to find a novel set in that era. I was hoping that maybe more information about Théâtre de la… Continue reading
Creativity Triumphs – Theatre de la Mode
In the closing days of WWII in France, couturiers in Paris created an exhibit which would both “show the continuing vitality of the fashion industries” and raise money for war relief. After the… Continue reading
Six Books on Sustainability and Some Things I Learned
Summaries and snippets of six books on fashion and textile sustainability.
What Clothes Reveal
You know the image of our industrious forebears — After studying textile history for the last 20 years, I had a hazy idea that that image casts our ancestors in a glorified light,… Continue reading
Hollywood Sketchbook
Wouldn’t you love to be rummaging around at an auction or thrift store, and discover a box crammed full of costume swatches and sketches? Hollywood Sketchbook: A Century of Costume Illustration is the… Continue reading