Revealing the elaborate embroidery, intricate pleats and daring cuts that make up some of the 20th century's most beautiful garments, this book explores the specific techniques used by couturiers as tastes and textile technologies evolved. Work by designers such as Mariano Fortuny, Madeleine Vionnet, Paul Poiret, Hubert de Givenchy, Mary Quant, Yves Saint Laurent and Vivienne Westwood is rediscovered, and exquisite haute-couture pieces, from sequinned Chanel trouser suits and richly embroidered Schiaparelli jackets to striking Balenciaga creations and Dior evening gowns, are examined. Part of the 'Fashion in Detail' series, this updated edition features a revised introduction and list of designers followed by chapters dedicated to a particular technique. Each garment is illustrated through detailed photography and line drawings and is accompanied by a commentary by leading experts in textiles and fashion. An extraordinary exploration of the techniques used by couturiers in the construction of these exceptional garments, 20th-Century Fashion in Detail will delight all followers of fashion.

The history of textiles, more than that of any other artefact, is the history of human ingenuity. From the very earliest needles of 25,000 years ago, to the "techno textiles" used in Space Shuttle parachutes, they have been fundamental to human existence and achievement, and - as this book demonstrates - have informed developments in many other areas from agriculture to metallurgy. Textiles are truly global commodities, common to every culture and for a long time the motivation for trade, the exchange of ideas and sometimes even conflict, between these cultures. Silks from China, carpets from Persia, ikats from Indonesia, cottons from India, fine linens from Flanders - each one of these transactions has helped to shape the modern world. Written as a chronological survey spanning prehistory to the early 21st century, this book is organized around five themes - materials, methods, trade, technology and social structures - which allow textiles from all ages to be investigated from many angles: how they are made, what they are made from, how they function in society, the ways in which they are valued and given meaning, and the messages they contain. This approach shows the intricate re

The first book to exclusively present Cleto Munari's latest creations in the field of the applied arts: a unique collection of art carpets. Cleto Munari was born in Gorizia and he lives and works in Vicenza. After meeting Carlo Scarpa in 1973, who encouraged him in his work, he decided to focus his attention on the area of industrial design, and began to work for some of the most important companies in the world. Constantly in search of original ideas, over the years he has tirelessly been engaged in analyzing and experimenting with both forms and material. In 1985 he opened a laboratory-studio-jeweler's, where, together with a group of worldclass architects, he designs and produces silver jewelry and other objects for avant-garde collections that truly represent historical revolutions in jewelry both in Italy and abroad, and have also led to the production of watches, pens and furniture. Cleto Munari's objects have entered the permanent collections of some of the world's top museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This book is the first to exclusively present Cleto Munari's latest creations in the field of the applied arts. After his jewelery, silverware, watches and furnishings, the great designer has involved ten other designers and artists in the creation of a unique collection of art carpets. Signed by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Dario Fo, Mario Botta, Alessandro Mendini, Javier Mariscal, Ettore Mochetti, Deisa Centazzo, Sandro Chia, Mimmo Paladino and by Cleto Munari himself, these creations are full-fledged works of art and represent the high point of the skills and expertise of one of the greatest creative designers in the world, who has been designing and producing for over forty years.

The international literary icon opens his eclectic closet and shares photos of his extensive unique personal T-shirt collection, accompanied by essays that reveal a side of the writer rarely seen by the public. Haruki Murakami's books have galvanized millions around the world. Many of his fans know about his 10,000-vinyl-record collection, and his obsession with running, but few have heard about a more intimate, and perhaps more unique, passion: his T-shirt-collecting habit. In Murakami T, the famously reclusive novelist shows us his T-shirts - including gems found in bookshops, charity shops and record stores - from those featuring whisky, animals, cars and superheroes, to souvenirs of marathons and a Beach Boys concert in Honolulu, to the shirt that inspired the beloved short story 'Tony Takitani'. Accompanied by short, frank essays that have been translated into English for the first time, these photographs reveal much about Murakami's multifaceted and wonderfully eccentric persona. 'The world's most popular cult novelist' Guardian

Arkansas Made is the culmination of the Historic Arkansas Museum's exhaustive investigations into the history of the state's material culture past. Decades of meticulous research have resulted in this exciting two-volume set portraying the work of a multitude of artisan cabinetmakers, silversmiths, potters, fine artists, quilters, and more working in communities all over the sate. The work of these artisan groups documented and collected here has been the driving force of the Historic Arkansas Museum's mission to collect and preserve Arkansas's creative legacy and rich artistic traditions.Arkansas Made demonstrates that Arkansas artists, artisans, and their works not only existed, but are worthy of study, admiration, and reflection.

Rich selection of scaled dressmaker's patterns from the popular late-19th century magazine The Voice of Fashion details 50 garments for women, from handsome daytime and evening dresses to casual tennis outfits, a riding habit, and undergarments This volume will not only find practical use among costume designers and students of fashion history but will also delight browsers and anyone intrigued by the evolution of clothing styles. 498 illus.

The most colorful and complete book published on the most enduring souvenir ever invented: the Hawaiian shirt. Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of images, this book recounts the colorful stories behind these marvelous shirts: as cultural icons, evocative of the mystery and the allure of the islands, capturing the vibe of the watermen culture and lifestyle -- casual, relaxed, and fun. Valued by professional collectors and by millions of vacationers and fashionistos, these shirts are enjoying a fashion revival. Drawing from hundreds of interviews, newspaper and magazine archives, and personal memorabilia, the author evokes the world of the designers, seamstresses, manufacturers, and retailers who created the industry and nurtured it from its single-sewing-machine-shop beginnings to an enterprise of international scope and importance and its revival today. The Aloha Shirt is both a dazzling, fun-to-browse art book, and a fascinating chronicle of the world's love affair with Hawaii.

Indigo has a powerful hold on the imagination but, until now, the actual application of the dye and possible explanations underlying the practice have rarely been considered. The dyestuff is equally fascinating to the scientist, to Adolf von Baeyer in the 19th century, or to the modern chemist using modern instrumental methods for its characterisation. Indigoid dyes, lichen dyes, even mud and other naturally occurring organic colouring matters were among the subjects for discussion at the 18th Meeting of Dyes in History and Archaeology, held in Brussels in 1999. The textiles and other artefacts coloured with the dyes are no less interesting and varied. Romanian and Polish textiles and, as the cover illustrates, Japanese ukiyo-e prints are only examples of the possible uses discussed in this book.