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TIM GUNN'S FASHION BIBLE

Name: TIM GUNN'S FASHION BIBLE
Author: Tim Gunn
ISBN: 978-1-4516-4385-5

THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF EVERYTHING IN YOUR CLOSET

by Tim Gunn with Ada Calhoun ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 2012

Zingy and opinionated, this romp through the development of American fashion gives readers a historical perspective with...

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.