Zingy and opinionated, this romp through the development of American fashion gives readers a historical perspective with...
Fashion history meets style guide in the latest from the Project Runway mentor.
Gunn (Gunn’s Golden Rules: Life’s Little Lessons for Making It Work, 2010, etc.) combines his signature style advice with a history of common items of clothing. Garment by garment, the author explains the development and significance of each, showing readers how what was once essential is now unnecessary (gloves as daily wear) and what was now unthinkable is now commonplace (denim as a back-to-school staple). Gunn is deeply knowledgeable about American sportswear and introduces readers to designers, such as Claire McCardell (1905–1958), who deserve more recognition for their contributions to fashion. The scope is intentionally narrow; the author limits his analysis to Western fashion, and though he supplies unobtrusive footnotes, he does not provide an exhaustively scholarly perspective. Instead, he admonishes both women (“[leggings] are not an alternative to actual pants”) and men (“let’s talk about pleats. I maintain: never”) in his signature voice; helpful diagrams and illustrations are included, as is an appendix designed to help readers evaluate their own wardrobes. The chapter on dresses, in which Gunn distinguishes between draped “Helen” dresses and tailored “Cleopatra” dresses, is outstanding. The author manages to seamlessly integrate his style advice and the historical material, an accomplishment not always duplicated throughout the book. Nevertheless, the book charms even when disorganized, and it’s the closest most readers will get to a lunch date with the dishy author.
Zingy and opinionated, this romp through the development of American fashion gives readers a historical perspective with which to view their closets.Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4516-4385-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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