Sunday Night Reads - Grace

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHELIA METZNER 2011
LOOKING INCREDIBLE AT 70

The book : Grace - A Memoir by Grace Coddington 

Published by: Chatto and Windus 2012

Buy Here : from Mr B's Emporium of Reading, Bath on +44 (0)1225 331155 and they will post it to you from their wonderful book store. 

Or Amazon Here 

I bought this book to read over Christmas and wasn't really sure what to expect. I've watched The September Issue many times and Grace Coddington was certainly the creative star of the film so I was curious to find out more. 

On first impressions the book is a great weighty slab of paper bound in a bright, crayola orange with the most delightful front row illustration on the inside cover. 

Another reason I picked this up immediately with extra eagerness was the size of the text. I find reading a real struggle, especially late at night after I've been sewing or staring at the screen. The text is nice and big and properly spaced so you can whizz through pages without having to go back and re-read over and over. 

The illustrations are really entertaining and having lots of photography to reference is great, it sets the tone to be far more friendly than the usual spiky looking fashion memoirs. 

So, to the actual content. Lovely, fascinating, real and normal. However over the top the stories are, from carrying John Galliano's crinolines through bushes to a deserted beach in Jamaica, to casually rounding up he biggest names in fashion to dress up for an Alice in Wonderland shoot, there's a wonderful down to earth, anything is possible if you just get on with it attitude. 

This book gives a detailed insight into how the iconic fashion photography happens, the creativity that is needed and that there isn't this fantasy bitchiness or flamboyance always in fashion. It's quite a practical approach to creating dream images. Imagine a story and get on with making the idea a reality. Nothing is impossible. 

I love that Grace Coddington the creative director of US Vogue, who works with all of the hero's of fashion and photography, is shy and honest and as far from a celebrity fashionista as possible. A real person that happens to be a icon through her creative vision and adoration of fashion. 

'people should concentrate on their jobs and not all this fashionable 'I want to be a celebrity' shit' 

Grace Coddington on initially not wanting to be in The September Issue. 

It's this really hard work and daring to create an impossible sounding world through fashion that I really hope isn't lost with the declining budgets and struggles that the magazine world is going through at the moment. 

A Final  Wonderful Word From Grace ....

'one of the most important aspects of my work is to give people something to dream about, just as I used to dream all those years ago as a child looking at beautiful photographs. I still weave dreams, finding inspiration wherever I can and looking for romance in the real, not the digital, world. 

All I know is that if I continue in fashion, no matter what, my head will always stay firmly attached to my body.' 

Grace Coddington, A Memoir 2012

Sunday Night Reads - Louis Vuitton / Marc Jacobs Book

Details: foreword by Yves Carcelle, President of Louis Vuitton and Helene David-Weill, President of Les Arts Decoratifs

Pages: 308 glorious pages of this Hardcover book

Published: 2012

Publisher: Rizzoli 

ISBN: 978-0-8478-3757-1

Buy on Amazon HERE (and if you're avoiding Amazon for avoiding taxes Buy HERE at Net-a-porter)

I had been waiting for this book to come out for years, at last a book about Marc Jacobs that is substantial! 

This gorgeous hard cover coffee table book documents the history of Louis Vuitton as garment packers together with the transformation of the Louis Vuitton brand by designer Marc Jacobs. 

The first section is a great history lesson, it's incredible to think of all these Parisian companies just packing things and Louis Vuitton, the finest of them designing and patenting the most incredible trunks to hold all manor item. One trunk even has a fold out bed and the craftsmanship is mind blowing from specialist coatings to the leather and canvas, to the engineering that was involved to house and transport a dress without it being crumpled.  

The second section of the book introduces Marc Jacobs and his daunting task of designing the first ever garments under the heritage heavyweight that is the Louis Vuitton name. The brilliant decisions of the designer/creative director to not bombard the catwalk with the Louis Vuitton label in his first collection, to the decade of exquisite, unfailing and exciting design. He has not only managed to maintain the historical luxury production of the brand but at the same time push it to become the most desired and fashion forward name in the world. 

The book itself is divided into text sections and beautiful full page images of each seasons campaign and collaboration. I love the original Louis Vuitton catalogue hidden in the pages and sheer amount of detail that I craved, but best of all it displays the genius that is Marc Jacobs. 150 years of incredible design all in one book. 

Enjoy your Sunday night reading, this one's not for bath xxx

 

Sunday Night Reads - The Pattern Making Primer

The Pattern Making Primer - All you need to know about designing, adapting and customizing sewing patterns.
By Jo Barnfield and Andrew Richards
Published by Rotovision and Barrons
ISBN: 978-1-4380-0083-1
Available from Amazon Here: 

This book landed on my desk this week, a long awaited pattern cutting book by Jo Barnfield and Andrew Richards and what a lovely looking pattern cutting book it is.

I had a very minor role offering a few words of wisdom on running your own label and the brilliant Jo and Andrew are based at Bath Spa University and City of Bath College. I'd recommend both for studying fashion.

Pattern cutting books in general an be a little heavy going, it's the technical side of design that took me a long time to get my head round.
The basics of pattern cutting is simply like a big jigsaw with only a few pieces. All the pieces fit together to make a garment. As long as one piece fits to the next you on the right tracks.
It took me three years to understand this until someone uttered the words above and it clicked.

The Pattern Making Primer is beautifully clear and easy to follow with great illustrations, covering every garment detail from cowls to collars and capes. It includes the basics of block building, darts and adapting patterns and gradually works you up to the more complicated details of patterns and cut throughout the projects. I'm going to learn a thing or two also.

What I really love is the look of the book, it's amazing how this makes it far easier to follow and with current designs that you can relate too in your own wardrobe I think this book will be an essential on the bookcase for beginners and professionals.
If you are thinking of studying fashion or just really want to learn pattern cutting get this book.

You read more from Jo Barnfield and her extensive knowledge on all things fashion design here on her blog.

Sunday Night Reads - On Writing by Stephen King

On Writing, a memoir of a craft by Stephen King. Published 2001

Ok, I know it's Monday morning now. I finished reading this book late last night and needed to sleep on what I was going to say.

The book is not about fashion, sewing or how to be a designer but this book has been inspiring. You can easily change the title to 'On Designing' or 'On Craftsmanship'.

We all know Stephen King is a super successful writer, this is the first book I have read of his but I have watched enough films adapted from his books to know he's an amazing story teller.

This book goes through a mini autobiography, relevant to starting out in your particular craft and then covers working practices that help you along the way. I was handed this book by Wing to improve my writing the blog (I really struggle with writing and am the slowest reader I know) and On Writing has helped.

My favourite parts of the book are lessons on ......

• Rejection, Stephen King had a huge pile of rejection letters that he kept above his desk to spur him on.
  
• Closing the studio door and keeping yourself in a bubble until the first draft is complete.
  
• Taking criticism, taking walks (being careful to avoid swerving blue trucks) watching movies and just loving the type of creative work you do to death.
  
• Setting goals to achieve each day. And then stepping away to gain a little perspective.
  

It's incredibly reassuring to know that someone this successful really struggled, worked his arse off, nearly died a few times, but kept at it. And all that motivates him is wanting to write.

I have a long way to go with my writing, I still use unecessary words. But it is another softly worn paperback that I will keep returning too. I have promised myself to read more and wear more and more dresses.

You can buy the book here

Readers, do you have any books on one subject that have helped you in another? Or any books to share that have really motivated you?

 

Sunday night reads - from A to Biba

 

From A to Biba - the autobiography of Barbara Hulanicki. Published by V&A and available to buy here

Barbara Hulanicki founded Biba, the most exciting shopping experience of the late 1960s through to the 70s and probably of all time. This book is a rollercoaster tale of the rise and sad fall of Biba that will have you inspired to imagine endless possibilities.

Anna first introduced me to Biba whilst we were at Uni, I never liked Sixties design (something I still class as evil most of the time) and wasn't immediately drawn to this subject. She then showed me an illustrated Biba book that had just been published. Seeing the parchment pages and scribbled drawings of 'In Biba' I eventually got it. Biba is exciting and so is the whole story.

Branding, business and fearless creativity are what it's all about. Fashion was the starting point that led onto a whole department store of the Biba brand, Biba baked beans, Biba make up, Biba rock star gigs, Biba flamingos!

I'm amazed that there is so little of Biba left now, I have found the odd dress but they aren't really the exciting part. My most treasured item is an original mail order catalogue. I will share this at another date, Biba can fill pages and pages of blog posts!

Just read the book. Xxx