More Fashion... More Alice...

G'day, Izzy here! I honestly did not mean to go this long without book blogging. Honest! I just let time slip away a little, combine that with the fact that I can barely keep up my own blog and I have been reading pure rubbish lately and you have a very lazy book blogger. Sorry!

Okay, I may be a little obsessed with fashion. I know what you're thinking, (Doesn't every little fourteen-year-old want to be a fashion designer?) but I like to think of myself as a little, well, deeper than that. And I am going to be a writer, thank you very much. Or a marine biologist. Or a magazine editor. Or a stylist. But I'm deep, obviously.

Back to the point: I had to blog about this book. 

The Atlas of Fashion Designers is like that magical man-book in Ella Enchanted (excuse the PG children's movie reference). You just think of what you want, look it up and it's there!

It contains what seems to be every fashion designer you ever wanted to know about. And then some. Plus, interesting interviews with the designers, an overview of their work and glossy, full-page pictures.

Who doesn't love glossy full page pictures?

Sketches, close-up shots of their handiwork and exclusive photos are also included. Believe it or not, it's not just full of high-priced couture like Chanel. It also has ethnic designers and accessory masterminds. I don't understand why you wouldn't be interested by now. Unless of course you're not deep enough.

Aside from reading about fashion, I have also been working very hard on a little English project of mine. You should know by now that I am obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. Obsessed to the point that I am convinced it is a true story and someday a rabbit in a waistcoat is going to run by my window and I will have a fabulous adventure.

We were asked in the project to prove the existence of a mythological creature, myth or legend. So I just had to prove Alice in Wonderland was a true story. For those who are interested, tell me and I will do a blog post containing my revealing speech to the monument of truth that is Alice in Wonderland. If you aren't. I'll get the memo. 

X.

My blog: http://www.viewsofnow.blogspot.com/

What to read when you are sick...

I have a cold. It's not a flu, as Aussies are apt to label anything that involves sniffing or sneezing. But I am resting in bed with a calendar mostly cleared for the next two days. And what does a book worm do when she has a cold? She puts chicken soup in the crock pot (check) and she reads and she blogs about books.



What do you read when you are sick? When I am sick I want to read easy, short-story type texts. Nothing too challenging or taxing. I found a wonderful book that's just right for girly reading whether you are sick or well.

I've just finished Dreaming of Dior by Charlotte Smith. She is a shameless name dropper who lunches with princes and sultans, a clothes horse who 'would rather dazzle than underwhelm'. Despite the vast chasm that separates our lives (what with me currently in bed wearing a daggy t-shirt and clutching tissues) I did warm to her.



Charlotte Smith currently lives in Sydney, so we can call her an Australian author, but she was born in Hong Kong, raised in the US and lived in Europe. This is a globe-trotting author and a globe-trotting, time traveling book.


Smith inherits from her godmother a priceless collection of vintage clothing from many different eras. And she decided to turn her gift into a book. Each outfit gets two pages, one for a fabulous illustration by Grant Cowan, and one for its story. Through the garments, the reader gets glimpses into the lives of women. We meet not just Charlotte, her godmother and family, but also American pioneer women, flappers, Edwardian adventuresses, brides and socialites.



This book would make a great gift for a clothes horse friend. You really can't go wrong here.



I loved the stories and vibrant images, and the book made me want to dress better. Right after I get over this cold...

The Devil Wears Prada

I was really quite surprised at myself when I worked out that I hadn't read this yet. A fashion classic! I have seen the movie a countless amount of times, and I love it. The book has to be fantastic, right?

The first thing I noticed was the size. It was pretty thick, considering the size of the brain-dead books I've been reading lately. The plot is roughly the same as the movie. Slight changes- Emily is nice, Miranda is more evil, and there is a large focus on Andrea's best friend, Lilly, who isn't even mentioned on screen.


As I plowed through the book, devouring every couture brand name mentioned, I began to get well... annoyed. Just quit already! She has terrible working conditions, she complains about it on every page, she loses her boyfriend and her best friend, and she stays. By the end of the book, it seems pretty repetitive.

Overall, the book is better than the movie, but so frustrating. I haven't read the end yet, but I'm guessing she finally quits, and all those frustrated readers become relived. And we all go back to eating cereal out of the box and not worrying about Andrea's future.

X.
http://viewsofnow.blogspot.com/

What Shall I Wear Today?- Style secrets of a furry fashionista

Fifi Lapin, (or Fifi Lapip, if you're me because well, erm .... it just sounds cute, okay?!) is a very stylish bunny with a very fashionable book, and also surprisingly helpful. I know. Weird, right?

So the flowerpot-on-the-head thing may be a little out there, but a couple of the outfits are-gasp-wearable! Besides, most people need a little bit of fun in their wardrobe. I mean, suits are nice and all but what you really need is a patchwork v-neck jumpsuit. Fifi will take care of all your style related problems with the flip of a page, show you your essential makeup tools, and some cheap DIY tricks. Don't you wish you were as fabulous as Fifi?

X.
www.viewsofnow.blogspot.com

Package Deal

Well, hello blogging world. I'm Izzy Rose, nice to see you again! Yes, I have been very busy doing large amounts of nothing, and feeling guilty about it. Finally, I have a book worth reading about! (Please excuse my punniness)

Fashion Illustration Step by Step by Loreto Binvingnat Streeter and Chindy Wayne not only shows simple-to-follow instructions for a very basic outfit, but includes many different ways you could draw it, including realistic, digital and watercolour. This gives those who read it the opportunity to distinguish themselves as an illustrator, and to experiment with texture and colour. Plus, for those who aren't exactly artists, the illustration methods are set out from easiest to hardest. Early Christmas present, I think yes.

My drawing skills will be incredibly superior in fashion class next year, and I have another fashion book for my increasing collection. The package deal, you may ask?

That's me. Reader, blogger (sometimes!), student, photographer, budding fashion illustrator and designer.

X.
http://viewsofnow.blogspot.com/

Fruits- by photographer Shoichi Aoki

My sister and I used to fight constantly over who would get to keep this book, week after week. Another art gallery buy, the glossy pictures, short, sharp sentences and vibrant colour, it was the kind of book you were drawn to from about the ages of about 2-13. But this book is not aimed at any age in particular.

Fruits is a collection of photographs of Japanese street style, complete with small descriptions of every look at the bottom. According to the unique individuals photographed, their ensembles are representing a personal point of fashion, from "fluffy alien" to "harmony and unity". The western clothing that you see everyone except these people wearing has only been mainstream in Japan for about fifty years and considered very conservative. The strange outfits of these people are mostly handmade and most link back to their traditional culture- kimonos in bright colours. 

This book makes you laugh occasionally, think often and smile at every page. Definitely worth reading, even if you just want to see the boys with  funny hairstyles.

X.

http://viewsofnow.blogspot.com/

Hats- an anthology by Stephen Jones.

"Wash and go" hat, 1999.

Stephen Jones, the master himself.

Art galleries always have the best books. Those glossy, expensive books with mesmerizing illustrations on every page. I have two art gallery books. One, a Gothic addition of Alice, the other a book I picked up on hats. The kind of hats that you see couture models wearing. The kind of hats you look at and think, 'Who would ever wear that?'

Stephen Jones, I have found to discover, is the only person who can place a shoe atop someones' head, call it fashion and not be questioned.

Hats have always been a love of mine, though admired from afar, as I have never been brave enough to try anything that Stephen Jones would dream up. This book looks over his very interesting life as a milliner, complete with pictures and quotes for the various stages of his life.

The section about the types of people who actually buy these hats, (The Client- pg 94) was what I found the most interesting, The work that goes into making the right hat, for the right client, for the right occasion is exhausting. Yet the reward is sweet, according to the book, when the hat the client wears becomes his or her 'signature look'.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones is an insightful edition to my duo of art gallery books.
Do you wear hats?

X.

 http://viewsofnow.blogspot.com/