Costumes Books

I held a Fancy Nancy party for my granddaughter for her 6th birthday. We made a Fancy Nancy cake and the ultimate was when she opened all her Fancy Nancy books that she received as gifts. Just adorable writing and illustrations. Thanks.

I loved this book...it is so sweet and my own grandbaby "Fancy Nancy" will love it!!

I have been reading the Fancy Nancy books to my daughter since she was a year old. She loves them. She asks for Nancy every night and at nap time too! She now is the proud owner of a Fancy Nancy doll.

This book is a feast for the eyes. Beautifully illustrated and with a very nice lesson about love and family, this book is a favorite of mine(and my three year old loves it as well). Nancy lives in her own little fancy world, but she is loved for who she is. This book is a great read. Adults and children will be happy to sit down and read this one

I have a four-year-old daughter, and this is the perfect book (and series) for her and her age set. The girls can all relate to how fancy Nancy appears all the time, and I love all the great new vocabulary words my daughter has picked up from Nancy's "fancy" words. Great (and clever) illustrations, too. I now buy this book as a birthday gift for any of my daughter's friends who don't yet have it, and it's an instant hit. This is a can't miss book! I only wish I had it when I was their age!

I decided I was going to make aprons for my female family and friends for Christmas and ordered this book hoping it would give me lots of different ideas. It is actually more of a history lesson on aprons but did have lots of pictures and patterns and instructions. There does not seem to be a glut of books on Aprons so this was a good choice. If you are the least bit creative you can go with some of their general ideas and expand on them. Makes a nice coffee table book too.

Love this book!
I am always recommending it to others who love Aprons and apron stories.
It even has a user friendly pattern in the back of the book.
A must have as well as a great gift to send to friends who are apronistas!

I love this book - it brings back great memories. Very interesting information, photos, patterns, a great book to add to one's library.

I had to make an apron in Home Ec class many (many) years ago. I didn't enjoy it at all. I didn't care for the fabric, didn't really get the hang of using a sewing machine, just felt it was a waste of time. Nobody in my family wore an apron, anyway, somehow they miraclously stayed clean during food prep.
Flash forward a few decades. I like to cook and bake and I did not inherit the miracle of not getting messy while I cooked. Most aprons you can buy in a store are servicable - but not exactly flashy or pretty. One of my supervisors whipped up aprons as Christmas presents one year. I was amazed because I knew she was a very busy woman. Slowly, I began to gather fabric to make aprons. And when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. That's how I feel about this book. I recommend it highly.

Saw this in my book club at twice the money. I really identify with these, the good old days. Days when aprons were a part of getting dressed each day. I still am an apron person. Love those pockets.

Everyone else who has reviewed this book say is great. Maybe it is, but because I haven't received anything I guess the only thing that I could say is "don't buy anything here, you'll get nothing".

For anyone in art quilting or wanting to be, this book gives an in depth look into the thoughts and creations of Nancy Crow. The color in the book is excellent and there is an abundance of pictures. This is a "Must have" for anyone who loves color and fabric and original art.

Nancy Crow is the ultimate quilter's quilter. Her advice, thoughts and pictures of her work and projects are more than any quilter could hope for. This book will enhance any quilter's library.
It was one of the best b-day presents I've ever received.
Diane

Since the 1970s, Crow has been an unquestioned "catalyst and prime mover of the art quilt movement" for her belief that the medium of quilts contained "the potential for intense experimentation and a place in the centers of art exhibition and discussion." Anyone who sees quilts Crow has done will not deny this. By 1990 Crow's art quilts displaying "technical innovations [and] complex compositions [involving] inventive deconstructions and reconfigurations of historic quilt patterns melded with pattern and color relationships of Crow's own inventions" were attracting wider notice among quilters and in art circles for convincingly demonstrating the artist's belief about the potential of the medium. In recognition of this, this high-quality art book follows Crow's work from about 1990 to the present in bountifully-illustrated chapters covering a few years at a time. This format allows for the laying out of numerous of the art quilts while focusing on specific innovations and her creativity and growth in these most productive and creative years. This also gives space for Crow to regularly make comments on sources, techniques, and aims of particular quilts and ideas surrounding her art. A good, published poet--as an introductory poem by her evidences--Crow has much to say about self-knowledge and creativity. Crow's quilts with their dramatically-arranged, vivid geometric shapes have the presence of a work of art. Practically single-handed with the interest and encouragement of quilting enthusiasts, she has modernized quilt-making by changing it from a tradition-bound craft with limited artistic aspects to an art with reminiscences of its origins in American crafts.

Amazing book. great information, stories. Lots of pictures of striking quilts show-casing the progress of this wonderful artist. Also shows pictures of Nancy Crow's studio and timber frame barn - must be an amazing place to create. This book is a wonderful value and very inspiring to any artist regardless of preferred media.

Es lo mejor que he tenido , el libro de un diseñador donde estan patrones, diseños y fotos...que mas se puede pedir!
Ojala se hicieran mas libros como este .
España,profesion: patronista

This is an outstanding book on a revolutionary designer. Wonderful photos, and "patterns" from the clothing. the only problem is Kirke never bothers to tell you what the scale is, so making these patterns is almost impossible. Her directions for making the patterns are laughable. The patterns are white lines on black. Why include patterns if you aren't going to put them in a usable form? There are people out there who can and have made clothing from this book. You will have to be very smart and well trained to do so. that said it is still one of the best books on a fashion designer I have seen.

Maybe Kirke will redesign the book with the pattern section properly done. Then the book would be worth more then $100.

This book is even better than I hoped. The photographs are stellar and for some designs - a bird's eye view of the pattern peices are included. Try to wrap your head around those non-conventional cutting techniques! I bought this for myself but this would be an excellent gift for someone interested in Fashion History, Fashion Design, Fine / Decorative Arts, etc. Super-Gorgeous book!

A great book on Vionnet's work and life. It has a lot of sewing patterns with instuctions from the WWI era to late 1930's; the patterns include day and evening dresses and frocks, capes and coats, slips and pajamas. Plus there a lot more pictures of Vionnet's clothing. The perfect gift for a fashion student. It is a pity that you do not hear so much about her.

This book is an absolute dream right through from the beautiful hard cover to the wonderful photographs, history and patterns. I am a Designer/Patternmaker and is the most beautiful book I have ever bought on fashion. Betty Kirke has put a lot of love and care into this treasure and any student of fashion, especially patternmaking and draping has to purchase this and learn a whole lot about bias cutting.

I must admit, I'm not as crazy about this book like everyone else seems to be. I gave it four stars for the beautiful photos, and descriptions.
But I think some things could be improved. The index lists everything by page number, which is fine if you're just leisurely looking through the book. But if you're looking for one particular outfit, it would be much more convenient to have an alphebetical listing. I wouldn't mind seeing the price guide broken down to include each individual accessory, since many people put together a complete set, piece by piece. But the thing that REALLY bugs me is that she almost always adds the word 'doll' after their names. For example, 'On weekends, Ken doll liked to take Barbie doll for a drive...', or 'Francie doll was excited about...'. Very annoying, to me, anyway. But, overall, it's a very good book to have.

To say something about this book is so so easy - this is THE Barbie collection book. Great photos, great describtions of all the outfits year by year.
You don't need any other book besides this

Great book - a must for any Barbie collector-great pictures with accessories that originally went with each outfit- easy to look up values-great fun to wander through!!

A great reference book with great photos and descriptions to keep track of your dolls clothes and your investment.

For any serious collector of vintage Barbie doll, this book is the best resource available. I have many other books on early Barbie and her fashions, but this volume is the one that I consistently use. It is an accurate, comprehensive chronology of Barbie doll, her family and friends from 1959 through 1967. The photographs alone are worth purchasing the book. The colors are vibrant and crisp. Each fashion is pictured with all of its original components. This is of great value to the collector in putting together an outfit. I keep this book by my computer for reference when making vintage Barbie doll purchases or bidding on online auctions. I cannot imagine collecting Barbie doll items without it!

This book is a must-have. It shows how to make the patterns fit and work, and explains the garments well. I used this book to help me figure out the pattern for fitted hose, and Tudor Tailor to help fit the hose... and together I managed to get some nice hose! The braies pattern, like the rest of the explanations is easy to understand on first-read. I recommend it!

I bought this book after reading the description. The photos and information on how to recreate medieval clothing are very useful for seamstresses and beginner alike. Full-color photos of people in clothing made helps with the 3-D aspect of what it looks like. Use this book in conjunction with other references and you will not be disappointed.

A great place to start if you're looking for the medieval common clothes patterns and sewing techniques.
It's not riddled with complicated notions and covers a lot of items, from underwear's to capes and hair net's creation guidelines.
A lot of useful sketches and drawings come to add value to the... unisex patterns (I mean there's always only one pattern from which both men's and women's clothes can be created).
I'd recommend it to all interested in making their own medieval garments.

If you are wondering how to make a medieval costume and you want it to be as authentic as possible and to look good, then this is the book for you.
This book does not do a lot of research into what clothing was available in the Middle Ages, but it DOES show you how to properly put it together.
For the first-timer or for the expert, this book will aid you enormously.
For any medieval re-enactors out there - GET THIS BOOK!!!
You will not be able to lend it out; it may never come back!

I love this book, and not just because it's a great primer on medieval clothing. It's also the best book on basic pattern-drafting I've found yet. You'll need a friend for pinning the block (a patient, non-grouchy friend, preferably), but the instructions are incredibly clear and simple. With almost no drafting experience, I was able to draft a very closely-fitting kirtle and cotehardie. The sleeves still need tweaking to fit perfectly, but sleeves are difficult and mine are totally wearable. For a first attempt at sleeve drafting, I'm quite happy (and the fit problems are all in the arm and wrist, not the armscye).

While this book is not comprehensive and I'd recommend supplementing it with other sources (no mention of fur tippets, only tippet style included is a straight band, doesn't include bliauts or much instruction on headwear, no eight-panel cotehardie, no two-piece sleeves, etc.), it's an indispensable primer for patterning and sewing medieval clothing that is suitable for the advanced beginner to intermediate sewer. The book does an admirable job providing an introduction to the clothing of a very broad time period.

To supplement "The Medieval Tailor's Assistant," I'd recommend the Excavations in London series, particularly "Textiles and Clothing" and "Dress Accessories," "Medieval Military Costume," by Gerry Embleton (does include some women's clothing; no patterns), and the annual journal "Medieval Clothing and Textiles," ed. Robin Netherton (volume 1 has an excellent article on fur tippets). A book or two on tablet-weaving might also be of interest for making your own belts and girdles.

Wow- that's entertainment. Who knew blankets could be so fun and interesting? Now I do! A unique era in American history is crystalized in this book. If Barry writes it- I'll read it. Laughed out loud- often.

Superb- buy it and will it to your favorite child.

"Chasing Rainbows" is beautiful, profoundly informative and more fun to read than any collecting book you've ever owned...period!

I received this book as an early Christmas gift and now I'm buying a dozen copies to give to friends and family. This is the most beautiful and interesting collecting book I've ever read. The author is remarkably funny while delivering all the information on the subject anyone could possibly absorb. Just a fantastic effort.

Most books about collecting have lovely photos and dull text. This is an exception! Friedman's text is fun and helpful, with photos used as examples.

I own a massive library of books on every imaginable collecting subject and none has given me more joy than "Chasing Rainbows". Barry Friedman has intertwined his vast knowledge of Indian blankets, American history, the antiques business and garnished the result with a unique sense of humor and breathtaking photos to create a book that is an absolute gem. This is a great book from a very gifted man.

It was a book I have always needed but never had.
It's really worth reading not only for those who are really in love with lingerie, but even for more practical readers who want to make their life more comfortable. I've read the book in a couple of days and really enjoyed and wanted to have more. Very concise and to the point. A good investment to return to when it was already once read.

This is a great overview on how to select lingerie best suited for your body. The author, Rebecca Aspan, is wonderfully compassionate towards her readers and understands women from AA to EE... The book celebrates the female form with practical applications, such as helpful ways to measure yourself. She even has a chapter for men!

Something great about the book is Aspan includes an array of body types for her lingerie models from full to thin, from busty to compact. She understands women are created uniquely and really has a firm understanding of female bodies and what fits, flatters, and supports. She offers useful tips on how to properly wear a bra, how underwear should comfortably fit, etc. This is less of an overtly sexual book, if anyone might have misconceptions of the title. Yes, it is a sexy little book, but sexuality simply comes with the territory. It's more of a book for a woman to take better care of her body, personal dress, feel comfortable and confident because she's not pestered by a pinching bra or a horrendous wedgie, and feel great whether someone will enjoy her underwear with her or not.

This is the book to gift to the woman who feels that sexy underwear is for special occassions (weddings), someone else (wear for husbands), or not something that *fill in the blank with moms, older women, etc* do. Buy the book and prepare to change your view and buy some new sexy undies!

I saw a review of the book on the Internet and added it onto my wish list on Amazon.com. I put it there kind as a joke. Leave it to my mother in law to purchase the book that was added on to my wish list as a joke.

I didn't really mind because I was interested in the book so I read it. The author of the book is the owner of the store La Petite Croquette a lingerie store in New York City.

Although the book is really meant for women it was interesting for me as a guy to read. Most of the book is put together in a no nonsense "This is what you need to know when it comes to lingerie"

The first two chapters of the book talk about why owning high quality lingerie is important. It focuses on how lingerie makes a woman feel sexy and attractive.

The nitty gritty portion of the book really starts out with chapter 3 when it starts talking about bras. This is easily the largest single chapter in the book and it simply states what most women should really know. There is a lot of information about finding the right cup size and band size. It also has a short section on important dates in bra history. It includes a little bit about different styles of bras and what different bra types are good for.

The next section is on panties. It talks about VPL visible panty lines. Different styles of panties are listed and once again a list of what type of outfits each is good for.

The next few sections talk about sleep ware, shape ware, stockings and pantyhose and tights. Each section is organized like the section on bras.

The next section is one of the best section its called tips for women. It basically covers the same topics as the first two chapters but organized in a different way. It even talks about the very racy Perl Thong which sounds like a very interesting outfit to me.

There is also a nicely written section just for men. I think the major two point listed for men was be prepared for sticker shock. (lingerie is expensive) The other hint know the size of the woman that you are trying to buy for.

There are two other section one on caring for lingerie. The author advises washing all lingerie by hand. If you don't have time to wash by had use the gentle cycle. However she advises never drying you lingerie in the dryer always air dry. The heat of the dryer will destroy the elasticity of any lingerie.

The last section talks about the different types of fabric and how a person can build up there own lingerie collection.

This is a really good no nonsense book about what a woman should know about lingerie. I wish that my wife would sit down and read it. I think that women often forget how much simple lingerie can do to flame up passion in a man.

I would advise this book to any woman. I think this book has something most women have not thought of. The section on bras would make this book good for almost any woman. I think the simple fact that 9 out of 10 women are using a bra that does not fit proper is shocking.

This book has lots an lots of pictures. Pictures of yesterday and today's underwear and how thongs and g-strings can be worn comfortable. It also tells how underwire bras are not soppose to poke or hurt. The text is very informational and very undersanding.

I'm a male; I wanted to know more about womens undes. I learned alot from this book. I did not know that most visable panty lines came from wearing the wrong size panties, also how you should not wear white panties with white sheer pants (like a nurse uniform)

I told my wife that she was wearing the wrong size bra and she told me she was not. I measured her and told her she needed to be fitted. I convinced her to be fitted by a pro. She did and she was wearing the wrong size. She bought a couple of underwire bras that day. That same night she throwed away every bra she had (yes every bra she had). The next day we went out bra shopping. I never seen her so happy about bra shopping. She never liked underwire and I told her how your not suppose to feel the underwire. Now that she has the right size bra, underwire is all she looks for and she says underwire helps with lift.

As a man I found out why there's so much womens underwear and how to buy it. I buy her underwear that I like (sexy lingerie, thongs, g-strings and sexy bras;) I'll tell her; I bought me someting knowing how she only wears it for me and for a sort time. Now she wears what I buy as underwear even down to the thongs and g-strings as everyday undes. She feels very sexy now. I think that now I'm married to a diffent women. Her personality has changed for the better. I'm very thinkful for this book.

We want our outterwear to fit right. Why not our underwear. Yes only we know whats under our clothes but whats under our clothes can also effect the way we feel.

I highly recommend this book to any male or female. We all buy or will buy womens underwear. Guy are clueless about this (well maybe I can't say that for all guys) but I was lost, I had no clue???

This book is a little gem. It is one of a kind. There is no other book like this on the market, not that I know of, anyway. Although the author is a bit older than I am and some of the clothes are outdated, I could still relate to her. She related her life experiences by detailing what she wore during those experiences. We all can recall at least one event by remembering what we were wearing!! At times, she appears kind of catty, which just gives quite a human element to the book. I myself have so many clothes I cannot get rid of due to sentimental reasons. However, after reading this book, I may do the same thing she did and draw them or take a picture of them and then give them away. This is a GREAT book!!

Delightfully wacky little book deliciously decorated. Even though I'm a male I loved the book and its many drawing/paintings of clothing and other things. It is interesting to know how the book came about and how its author was writing about her life for her children and using her creative ability to show them how her life was growing up.

I learned of the book when reading Jane Smiley's book: "13 Ways of Looking at the Novel" and thought her comments interesting enough to buy the book and read it. And I enjoyed it very much. I recommend "Love, Loss and what I Wore" to everyone regardless of gender.

If I could, I would give this book more than 5 stars. What a clever idea to recall onel's life by remembering the outfits worn. Loved the delightful illustrations. Beckerman is a unqiue and talented writer/illustrator. Thanks for the memories!

I had picked this book up and put it back down several times when I saw it at the book store. I am glad I finally bought it! It is an interesting idea, and one that I am sure many of us can identify with: a memoir built on memories of certain beloved items of clothing. Ilene Beckerman had an interesting childhood and has had a varied life as an adult. Obviously, her talents lie more in writing than in drawing--the sketches of the clothing are rather simple,but she does manage to convey what she felt like wearing each outfit. It doesn't take very long to read, and if read in one sitting you get quite a sense of her life. Sometimes funny, sometimes quite bittersweet, but always entertaining.

I, like most of my women friends I've talked to, including my mother and my sisters, shape memories and moments based on the clothes we were wearing at the time.

I bought this book in 1995 when it was first published and have referred to it several times over the years for inspiration and support. I found it in the "Self-Help" section of the bookstore.

This little book does as good a job as anything I've read, at getting in a woman's head. Clothes are how we remember. Wearing our favorite clothes or shoes or carrying our favorite handbag gives us confidence and helps us cope.

For a while, I kept a diary of drawings of outfits whenever I'd want to remember an important event. Ask me what I was wearing when I held my niece for the first time (navy blue A-line Liz Claiborne dress) or when I went to my first job interview out of college (a polka-dot suit I called The Stewardess) or the night I was first kissed by the love of my life (a shirt that said "Keep On Truckin" in glitter... heh).

A good friend's mother passed away a few months ago, and I bought a copy for her, since Ms. Beckerman mentions the death of her own mother. She also mentions marriages, divorces, babies, and career successes, and most importantly, what she wore.

It makes a great gift for any woman. Or for yourself.

Purusing these two books is a delightful experience. Anyone with an appreciation for fashion and clothing created in the 17th - 20th centuries will be amazed at the care and keeping the pieces in the Kyoto Museum's collection have received. The close-up photography reveals the marvel of the handwork and creation of each design, and each piece is a wonderful representation of its era. And the price of the set was unbelievable!! All around, a wonderful find and a keeper.

I own the one volume book in paperback.
In comparing the two books side by side they are nearly identical!
But the two volume set is missing 14 pages that appear in the copy that I own! Most of the images are just close-ups of the garments, one set is a period illustration from Diderot, but some are garments completely omitted. The 20th century fashion is all complete though.
So you have a toss up choice, larger photos or more photos. otherwise they are identical!

4 out of 5 stars because of those missing pictures.

This set of books is absolutely stunning. I paid NZ$150 (around US$90)at a bookstore here in New Zealand and volume 1 alone is worth every penny of the sale price.
If you're interested in historical costume, you won't regret this purchase.

Due to the publisher not anticipating the demand for this set of books it took me just over a year to acquire my copy. It was more than worth the wait. The photography is stunning. If you have an interest in costuming
add this book to your collection without delay.

Your mailman will probably hate you for buying this but this is really one of the best resources to have and it's very inspirational! You get 2 hardcover volumes with great large photos for a really bargain price, I love it!