Printed Matter: The Art of Sewing

One of my best eBay purchases over the years was a complete set of The Art of Sewing books published by Time Life in the 70's. Like many cool things I know about, they were brought to my attention by my long time creative collaborator and art director of this blog, Chelsea Fairless (she has her own blog too). Anyway, I wasn't sure what the fuss was about but Chelsea made me buy them. I was so happy when I received them. At first glance I just loved the way the rainbow array of colored spines looked on my bookshelves. I also loved that each book had a theme - Exotic Styling, The Sporting Scene, Novel Materials, Separates that Travel, Traditional Favorites, etc - and that each book was covered in a print or material that matched the theme. Yet again, just looking at them was worth the purchase price. But then I started to flip through them - simple sewing and clothes - and found that techniques like how to dip dye, batik, monogram, embroider, knit, cut a pattern, etc. were interspersed with REALLY inspirational photos according to the theme of the book. The knitting chapter has a photo spread of the Missoni's at work in their factory, the needlepoint chapter provides 60's Frank Stella paintings and so on. If you have a remotely crafty bone in your body or if you just like to have a pretty bookshelf, run and buy these. I saw a full set on Etsy today for $56. Hurry!

Printed Matter: Diane von Furstenberg's Book of Beauty

If you're a fan of DVF and you don't have this book, I suggest you go to Amazon right now and buy it. You can get a good copy for under $5. It was published in 1977, and it's filled with practical beauty tips (like what color makeup works best with your hair/skin color), great vintage photos of DVF at home, and Diane's signature charm and wit. Case in point: There is a chapter called "Brazil? With My Hair? Never!" And if nothing else it's a cheap and chic addition to your coffee table.

Printed Matter: The Fashion Makers

I so loved reading about the most iconic American designers in The Fashion Makers but what really floored me was the portraits of the designers. I'm going to have to look up photographer Barbra Walz and see where she is today.

 Buy it here

Printed Matter: Cheap Chic

Vintage books are probably the greatest source of inspiration in my creative life. I look for them wherever I go. The best vintage bookstore is Glenn Horowitz Booksellers in East Hampton. I could go broke there. In fact Glenn Horowitz is where I found my all time favorite fashion how-to guide, Cheap Chic. It heavily inspired my own book, I Love Your Style. In fact, the greatest compliment I got on my book was from Carol Troy, the Cheap Chic author herself, who posted on my Facebook page that my book was "a terrific cheap chic update, high low and everything in between." Anyway, the good news is that many highly collective old books are easy to find and less expensive online (you can even find them on Amazon). I am so excited to share my favorite books with you. And there's no better way to start than with Cheap Chic itself.

Buy it here

I love how Carol calls this woman a "ragpicker deluxe."  Not to mention the pictures - I love how unpretentiously stylish she is.

 An athletic-chic Antonio Lopez illustration.

 I also love how Carol incorporates all cultures and ethnicities in her appreciation of style.

 Not only do I love these clothes, but also the style of the illustrations. I wish I could draw like this.

This is a page from a chapter called "Wrappings" which shows you dozens of ways to wrap fabric around your body. Love it!

Doesn't this girl look like a young Sonia Rykiel?  Shows you how much impact hair and make up can have on your overall look. Perfect for creating a big impact on a little budget.