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Tag Archives: book review
Book Review–The 1950s in Vogue: The Jessica Daves Years by Rebecca C. Tuite
This is what the cover of my copy of The 1950s in Vogue looks like—no book title, no author, and no indication of the fact that the book is actually about Vogue editor, Jessica Daves. Perhaps this is a new … Continue reading
The Olive Cycle
Although I have vowed to stop buying books, I couldn’t pass up Elizabeth Strout’s the new novel about Olive Kitteridge. I read it in a flash and then decided to read the two books–Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again–one after another. … Continue reading
Book Review—Fear and Clothing: Unbuckling American Style by Cintra Wilson
What happens when a punk-inspired, all-black-wearing Brooklynite undertakes a wide ranging study of American dress? You end up with a humorous, and often snarky, assessment of Americans’ love of pastels, polyester, and malls. The book’s big message: break loose from … Continue reading
Book Review–The Devil’s Cloth: A History of Stripes by Michel Pastoureau
For those of us who love stripes, it is fascinating to learn something of their controversial history. In this short gem of a book, French historian Michel Pastoureau traces the meaning of stripes from the Middle Ages in Europe to … Continue reading
Making Clothes for the Older Woman
Imagine how excited I was when I discovered this British title on World Cat—Making Clothes for the Older Woman. As an older woman who sews, it seemed custom designed for me. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t … Continue reading
Book Review—Dress Like a Woman: Working Women and What They Wore
I was attracted to this book by the two big names on the cover, feminist scholar Roxane Gay and the New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman. Gay wrote the foreword, a brief examination of the many laws and customs … Continue reading
Book Review: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
What would you do if you discovered a large stash of material about a once-famous, now-forgotten woman? Kathleen Rooney wrote a novel. A librarian friend was one of the first to process a donated archive about the life of poet … Continue reading
Book Review: American Style and Spirit
How do we know what people wore in the past? There are many places to look—family photographs, letters, receipts, and of course the clothes themselves. Now imagine if you had all of these things and more, including pattern books, tear … Continue reading
Book Review: The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane von Furstenberg
Back in the days when I wore dresses, I didn’t find the wrap dress very practical. When I wore it, the style was given to constant wardrobe malfunctions both on the top and the bottom. Since Diane von Furstenberg’s career … Continue reading
Posted in 1970s, 1980s, 1990, 2000s, 2010s
Tagged book review, designers, textile patterns
4 Comments
Book Review—Fashion: A Timeline in Photographs, 1850 to Now by Caroline Rennolds Milbank
Ever since I received noted fashion historian Caroline Rennolds Milbanks’ new book from my university library, I have been reveling in its wonderful pictures. This richly illustrated volume published by Rizzoli was obviously a labor of love. Beginning almost with … Continue reading