Construction of a look

I spotted these two books, The Fashion Designer's Directory of Shape and Form by Simon Travers-Spencer and Zarida Zamanand Basics Fashion Design: Construction by Annette Fischer, in a bookshop in Stoke where I went to buy fabric at Abakhan (which is a fantastic shop by the way, I've been to the Manchester one too). But being a look at things in store and buy them online for £15 less kind of girl I went to good old Amazon, the one online shop to have gained my parents trust so far. I've been really looking forward to them arriving but the silly person who delivered them left them out in the melted slush so they the package was all wet and my books damp.
They're both really useful though; the first is more of a reference for of all different kinds of necklines and fastenings etc and the latter is more about actual construction and is wonderfully informative. :)
Now I've nearly finished my dress pattern I'm feeling quite pleased that I may actually be able to make all the clothes I want in the summer, but we'll see how this goes in practice! It could be a disaster when I'm left to my own devices with one garment under my belt.
I am incredibly tired this evening, it's been a busy week, so I do hope all I wrote makes sense. I need to catch up on my blog reading too.. Night all.

When reading is in fashion

These are just a few fabulous books on fashion which I think are rather lovely.

The Little Dictionary of Fashion: A Guide to Dress Sense for Every Woman by Christian Dior
This book has a darling retro feel to it, well it's no modern book. It's for people who want to dress in a ladylike manner and is from a time when one would make more clothes for oneself or atleast go to a tailor, as a fashion student its riveting stuff and is highly useful with its information on cut and fabrics. But don't worry, it covers not only techincal terms but is inspiring as a way of dressing if you like vintage inspired clothes.

Sex and the City: The Movie by Amy Sohn
Whatever you thought of the movie, if you loved the outfits this book is for you. The styling is just so inspiring. There is some interesting stuff to read like intros my Michael Patrick King and SJP, as well as recaps of the series for those (like me) who watched the film without seeing the television show. (Don't worry this ignorance has been corrected) But the book is just a delight to look at, with lots of images from the film so we can look at all the clothes again! At the back of the book each of the four girls has a section entirely on their wardrobes. Ahh just what we wanted. Also some interesting pages on things like locations and how they choose that wedding dress.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, Oriole Cullen, and John Galliano Last year (oh it feels odd referring to 2009 as that already) I went to see the exhibition that Mr Stephen Jones currated at the V&A in London, Hats: An Anthology. The exhibition was so fascinating, there were some very famous hats, and I happened to go on the day of one of the fashion shows! I feel so fortunate to have been there at that time, I happened to be given the best seat in the front row which was great for seeing the hats and got to see the man himself. He really seems a lovely fellow and his book is too. Anyone interested in millinery or who simply fancies wearing a fabulous piece of headwear should get it- lots of beautiful pictures to flick through and a wonderful history of hats too.

Inspired by Chanel

Chanel was one of my very first fashion loves- those quilted bags! And I soon discovered some other very lovely things about the brand.

The pearls. Oh so ladylike with many modern interpretations.
The camellia signature. So lovely and coming in many different forms.
The fabulous range of lipsticks.
Perfect accessories from two tone shoes to scarves.
The tweeds! Very elegant, and I seem to have developed a severe weakness for pink tweed now. This fabulous book, 'Chanel: Collections and Creations by Daniele Bott, is a wonderful volume of all the things I love about Chanel. It makes for very informative reading and the photos are really beautiful. I bought my copy on holiday last year and still love pouring over the pages, I'd deffinitely recommend it to any Chanel fan.

When I grow up I'm most deffinitely going to be a Chanel girl. =]

Fabulous Fashion book.

These volumes on fashion are divine. 'Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century' features the collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute.
It is quite hefty in size, but it's so wonderful I ignored this fact when considering that I would have to collect it off a stage in front of lots of people and somehow carry it down the horrid metal stairs, but that's just me.
If the size scares you there is a much smaller (handbag size even), though less detailed book featuring the collection too, which is also fabulous.

I love this magazine:

Elle Collections.
These are the only magazines I will never rip a page out of or cut up, but keep them as one fabulous reference point to the season.

Bath Fashion Museum

For me the highlight of the to Bath was visiting the Fashion Museum at the Assembly Rooms. http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/ I'd been wanting to visit for quite some time.
Resisting the wonderful array of fashion books in the shop, I came out with this guide and a mighty stack of postcards. The cover image is just gorgeous.