Sew Iconic by Liz Gregory

Sew Iconic is a step by step book to sewing ten dresses that have been featured in movies.  More than that, it’s an amazing reference for those who are learning to sew or wish to learn more.  The first section of the book breaks down sewing techniques such as resizing patterns, creating darts and attaching fasteners.  From there the book breaks down the techniques for sewing the ten selected dresses.

The book comes with the patterns on two sheets that the reader will have to transfer to cut out the pattern desired.  The dresses are in order of easiest to most difficult, starting with the brown and white polka dot dress from Pretty Woman.  Each dress section is broken down into information about the actress, the movie and the designing of the dress before going into recreating the dress at home.  The instruction finishes with how to achieve the same look as the actress with accessories and makeup.

There are two videos available online at the books Tumblr site to further assist with understanding how to make these dresses. 

All in all I think this is a great book.  I’m not sure I see myself in these dresses but I like the instruction given and would definitely add this to my craft shelf as a reference guide.  At this point in time, I feel it’s better to start making your own clothes again.  Not only can this guarantee that you love the piece but, with the cost of buying clothes that don’t seem to hold up to every day wear, it’s practical. 

1000 Steampunk Creations by Dr. Grymm

A neat collection of steampunk art in book form. I picked up this book from the local library and it was a perfect way to experience this book. I’m not sure it’s really a keeper but the work included is quite interesting. The art ranges from drawings to sculptures to costumes to jewelry. I did find by the end of the book, I was getting a little bored. 1000 images is a lot of images especially when you are not looking at work from all that many artists. There were several pictures that were just different angles of the same piece of work. If you like interesting art or steampunk, this is a great book to pick up. I found myself wanting to try some steampunk art myself. Who knows, there might be some great inspiration in this book for you.

Little Black Dress by Alison Marie Behnke

To look at me, one would believe I have no interest in fashion. I would normally agree but there is something about clothing from another time that just captivates me. I drooled and dreamed my way through the 60 some pages of Little Black Dress.
If I had to guess, I would say this is juvenile non-fiction based on the length of this book but Alison Marie Behnke does not dumb down this information. I was a little disappointed to find there was no pronunciation guide at the end. So many designers and people of influence had really hard names.
The book is an easy to read book but there is a ton of information about fashion, politics and history. It’s a great introduction into fashion of the 1930s through 1950s. I’m still reeling. Right after I finished the book, I started checking out the recommended websites. I love looking at Elsa Shiaparelli’s designs at the Philadelphia Museum. I have to say it makes me want to design clothing and, to me, that’s the mark of a great piece of non-fiction – the desire to learn more or to experiment on your own.
This book inspired me but it also taught me. There were so many influences in fashion during those eras that I had never thought about. There was The Great Depression, World War II and television. For the first time, television was a major influence on how people dressed. Movies had often inspired high fashion but television shows offered a more every day fashion with shows like I Love Lucy and The Donna Reed Show.
With World War II, America was able to step up in fashion design. New York was able to compete with Europe which was still recovering from the war. World War II influenced a lot of fashion. Americans were introduced to Hawaiian shirts and capris. Because of the fabric shortage of that time, clothing got shorter and opened the door to smaller bathing suits and eventually the Bikini.
Fashion may not be your thing but this book is so much more than clothing. It’s history and how fashion played a part. Every culture is identified by its clothing. History is no exception. Take the time to pick up this book and you’ll be amazed.

50 Underwear Questions by Tanya Llyod Ki

Picking up a book about underwear may not sound interesting but I couldn't help but wonder what it was about. This galley was amazing. I never really thought about underwear prior to this book but I realize it has more significance than I ever gave it.
50 Underwear Questions follows the history of underwear through 50 questions. I didn't notice the questions much but I appreciated the information. The book was colorfully illustrated with fun pictures. The subject matter might get a little uncomfortable but Tanya Llyod Ki had an easy way of making it delightful.
I can't say much about this because it is non-fiction and the format is choppy (in a good way) but I do feel differently about the subject. Who knew that underwear had such an influence on fashion, history, politics.
Pick up this book for a good time. Easy for most ages with lots of explanations.