Fashion Books

A completely captivating and charming book! Ms. Houtte's writing style is as refined as her vintage style!

As a dabbler in the fabric arts, a student of clothing construction, and someone born with the "thrifting gene," I found her story so engaging I devoured the book in a weekend. Her total lack of snobbery and self-importance was appealing. Here's someone who made their avocation their vocation and still gets excited about working every day. I absolutely loved the stories about her modeling life, how she got into the vintage clothing and accessories business, and most of all her accounts of the people she's met and experiences she's had.

It's not a how-to book (thank goodness!), but the reader can see Ms. Houtte's confidence grow in proportion to her success as a model and later as a business owner. She relates stories of her failures - both personal and professional - with as much élan as she does the stories of her successes. An interesting and refreshing book about things that in and of themselves aren't of any importance, but taken together really add up to a life well-lived.

There are few books on men's fashion that compare to this extraordinary survey by François Baudot. It is at once informative, scholarly, hilarious, and visually satisfying as Baudot plucks images from history and the present in his approach to defining male Style!

From paintings of the romantic period when color and excess created the Peacock Male to the down dressing style of elimination of all filigree to the bare essentials, this beautifully illustrated book uses images of famous men in paintings then photography, after the camera stepped to the forefront, in documenting fashion. The book is full of men in dark suits - from movie stars to royalty to students to common man. Images include two fine photos of the young Marlon Brando as he defined a style all his own, countless images of 'dressed to the nines' businessmen, politicians, and other dignitaries. The final image is of Prince William at Eton, looking as royal as they come!

But the true joy of this photography portfolio is the witty yet erudite writing of Baudot. This is a dissertation on male vanity that serves equally well as a history book. Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

A beautiful Book full of beautiful photos of Real, alluring Women, before the age of silicone and cookie cutter appearances.

It's about time that someone finally did real research into Hawaiian clothing, including the aloha shirt. This book is historically accurate. Much of what has previously been published is erroneous. What most of the world knows about Hawaiian clothing comes from the use of aloha shirts after WW2. While our beautiful environment stimulated the production of bold and beautiful textiles, these were used in more than just shirts. Arthur covers womens' wear as well, and presents hundreds of beautiful pictures along with an interesting to read description of the history and culture of Hawaii. Aloha attire is more complicated than many would understand. This book covers the clothing that has been produced in, and worn by people in Hawaii in the 19th and 20th century. Truly a wonderful book!

Altman's catered to a more upscale clientele than Sears or Gimbel's, so this volume makes an important contribution to Dover's wonderful series of fashion catalogs and illustration. The prices of the clothes are relatively high (32.00 for a dress must have been a fortune in 1915!), and the illustrations definitely a cut above many other catalogs. On a few pages, photographed models are used, with some detail drawn in by hand to better show the garment's features. Dover, as usual, reproduces the catalog in black-and-white, but the art quality is still great. The catalog is heavy on women's and children's fashion. "Men's furnishings" (as they are referred to) get only 3 pages. Some other goods, such as household linens, nursery furniture, silverware, 1 page of "bric-a-brac" (lamps, candlesticks, picture frames, a smoking stand), and one of sporting goods (golf, tennis, polo), also appear. For greater variety of goods, you'd also enjoy the "Gimbel's Illustrated 1915 Fashion Catalog" also by Dover.

I bought all 3 Amanda Series Paper Dolls & they are wonderful. I felt like I was with Amanda on her journey to the west and through time. She describes the clothes they wore, the foods they ate, the hardships they faced. I was at her wedding to Matthew & when the children were born. I felt what life was like on the Texas frontier & her pain when Matthew had to serve in Civil War. I hope that Betty Mills does a series on Amanda's granddaughter, Mary Megan.

Wonderful illustrations! This is an excellent way for girls to learn Texas History.

What a fantastic idea. We bought ours for Father's day, but the
kids could not wait til then. So their Dad already wears his rather bright - hand- printed tie with pride to work. The instructions were clear and the mess was manageable. We think the
kit offers great value, especially compared to the price of
ties today. We really had some good old fashion fun making it. Sure hope this publisher comes up with some
more great ideas soon.

Now in a newly revised and expanded second edition, Anatomy And Physiology For Holistic Therapists by Francesca Gould enables the non-specialist general reader to acquire an accurate understanding of what to expect from holistic therapy, and aspiring or practicing holistic therapists on how to enhance the clarity of complex concepts, contra-indications specifically relevant for their practice, and a wealth of useful, applicable information on the skeletal, muscular, and digestive systems of the human body. The "user friendly" text is enhanced with the inclusion of specific tasks, quizzes, and even crossword puzzles. Anatomy And Physiology For Holistic Therapists is a welcome and highly recommended addition to the growing library of personal and professional New Age medicine reference collections.

My sister owned this book years ago and as a child I used to love flipping through the pages. Now I am homeschooling my children and I plan to add this book to some of our history courses. Maybe we can play a little dress up using this book as a guide.