Fashion, Textiles and Clothing

You look good in those jeans. But are those jeans themselves good? Have you ever looked into where they came from and who made them? Andrew Brooks has, and with Clothing Poverty he takes readers on a global journey, from fabric to fashion show, to reveal the worldwide commodity chains and hidden trade networks that transect the globe and perpetuate poverty. Stitching together rich narratives from markets in Mozambique, Nigerian smugglers, Bolivian traders, London vintage shops, and growing ethical fashion lines like Vivienne Westwood's, Brooks draws connections and shines light in the world's dark corners--and forces us to think anew about fashion, ethics, and our role in global production and exploitation.

"A perfect time to look at the ethos of black hair in America -- and the perfect person to do it is Tanisha Ford" --Changing America "Everyone from the shopaholic to the clearance rack queen will see themselves in [Ford's] pages." --Essence "Takes you not only into the closet, but the inner sanctum of an ordinary extraordinary Black girl who discovered herself through clothes." --Michaela Angela Davis, Image Activist and Writer "[A] delightful style story." --The Philadelphia Inquirer From sneakers to leather jackets, a bold, witty, and deeply personal dive into Black America's closet In this highly engaging book, fashionista and pop culture expert Tanisha C. Ford investigates Afros and dashikis, go-go boots and hotpants of the sixties, hip hop's baggy jeans and bamboo earrings, and the #BlackLivesMatter-inspired hoodies of today. The history of these garments is deeply intertwined with Ford's story as a black girl coming of age in a Midwestern rust belt city. She experimented with the Jheri curl; discovered how wearing the wrong color tennis shoes at the roller rink during the drug and gang wars of the 1980s could get you beaten; and rocked oversized, brightly colored jeans and Timberlands at an elite boarding school where the white upper crust wore conservative wool shift dresses. Dressed in Dreams is a story of desire, access, conformity, and black innovation that explains things like the importance of knockoff culture; the role of "ghetto fabulous" full-length furs and colorful leather in the 1990s; how black girls make magic out of a dollar store t-shirt, rhinestones, and airbrushed paint; and black parents' emphasis on dressing nice. Ford talks about the pain of seeing black style appropriated by the mainstream fashion industry and fashion's power, especially in middle America. In this richly evocative narrative, she shares her lifelong fashion revolution--from figuring out her own personal style to discovering what makes Midwestern fashion a real thing too.

A beautifully illustrated overview of women's undergarments from the 18th century to the present, with a focus on history, fashion, and craftsmanship Lingerie is a subject of enduring fascination. As the final barrier to the fully nude body, it is simultaneously modest and erotic. This compelling and eye-catching publication surveys lingerie from the mid-18th century to the present, covering a broad range of foundation garments, intimate apparel, and lounging clothes--from bras and corsets to slips, peignoirs, and tea gowns. All pieces are gorgeously illustrated in color.   Stunning historical garments from well-known fashion houses such as Christian Dior are included, as is risqué contemporary lingerie by labels such as Agent Provocateur. When viewed as a whole, these pieces illustrate important developments in fashion over time, such as changes in silhouette, shifting ideals of propriety, and advancements in technology.   While a number of the pieces featured in the book were worn hundreds of years ago, the majority date from the 20th century. It was at that time that lingerie started to become as beautiful and alluring as it was functional. Authors Colleen Hill and Valerie Steele show that the decorative, highly feminine styles from the early 1900s set a new precedent for the importance of lingerie in women's private lives--a concept that remains important to many women today. 

Just as people change, so too does fashion. That's why it's so important to recognize newer teaching methods that will help you keep up with fashion trends and the ever-changing world of style. This latest edition of Fashion Design Course helps aspiring fashion designers learn about: How the digital age impacts education and the design process from research right through to the finished product Customer Profiles: demographics, psychographics, the role of advertising, and more Creating a unique vision with help from ethnographic research, design considerations, iconic films and their impact on fashion design, and developing a fabric story Cultivating your design collection through process and investigation while using Mood Boards, Garment Construction, and more Producing your own collections with individual exercises based on frequently used concepts for building collections including Shipping Reports, Ethnic Backgrounds, 3D/2D, Concept to Runway, Shifts in Fashion, Accessories, and more Strategies and tips that will help you transition from coursework to a career in fashion including tips on resumes, interviewing, portfolio presentation, and more This updated book reflects the latest information in fashion design and development and is an ideal introduction for students, dressmakers, and anyone interested in the creative side of the fashion industry. Discover the new talent, new avenues of inspiration, and new outcomes that are now possible with a degree in fashion design.

Best Fifteen Books of March 2019, Refinery29 Best Nonfiction Books of 2019, Paste Magazine Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Fetishized, demonized, celebrated, and outlawed, the high heel is central to the iconography of modern womanhood. But are high heels good? Are they feminist? What does it mean for a woman (or, for that matter, a man) to choose to wear them? Meditating on the labyrinthine nature of sexual identity and the performance of gender, High Heel moves from film to fairytale, from foot binding to feminism, and from the golden ratio to glam rock. Summer Brennan considers this most provocative of fashion accessories as a nexus of desire and struggle, sex and society, violence and self expression, setting out to understand what it means to be a woman by walking a few hundred years in her shoes. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Isaac Mizrahi is sui generis: designer, cabaret performer, talk-show host, a TV celebrity. Yet ever since he shot to fame in the late 1980s, the private Isaac Mizrahi has remained under wraps. Until now. InI.M., Isaac Mizrahi offers a poignant, candid, and touching look back on his life so far. Growing up gay in a sheltered Syrian Jewish Orthodox family, Isaac had unique talents that ultimately drew him into fashion and later into celebrity circles that read like a who's who of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: Richard Avedon, Audrey Hepburn, Anna Wintour, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Meryl Streep, and Oprah Winfrey, to name only a few. In his elegant memoir, Isaac delves into his lifelong battles with weight, insomnia, and depression. He tells what it was like to be an out gay man in a homophobic age and to witness the ravaging effects of the AIDS epidemic. Brimming with intimate details and inimitable wit, Isaac's narrative reveals not just the glamour of his years, but the grit beneath the glitz. Rich with memorable stories from in and out of the spotlight,I.M. illuminates deep emotional truths.