The Couture Accessory

Looks at the accessories leading designers created to compliment their clothing, focusing on hats, pocketbooks, jewelry, shoes, scarves, belts, and gloves.

Felting is an ancient craft that enjoys an endless variety of forms and uses. Felt Fashion captures the art and sophistication that is possible with handmade felt, while keeping it simple and attainable for anyone to master. Whether it’s a collar or an entire dress, each project is irresistible and brings felting to an entirely new level. The author demonstrates several basic felting techniques including: basic wet felting, needle felting, nuno, and punch needle felting. For the more advanced fiber artist and sewer, she provides patterns and instructions for original clothing designs including vests, jackets, and skirts.Felt Fashion is a standout from other felting books for its scope, originality, and its distinct ties to couture.

A sentimental journey through 100 years of fashion accessories. Hundreds of hats, shoes, gloves, scarves, jewelry, handbags, and more are presented in a decade-by-decade progression of fashion styles. 478 color photos, original drawings, and an extensive text bring the twentieth century to life. Collectors of vintage clothing will covet the information and illustrations in this gorgeous work.

An exclusive homage to – and retrospective of – the iconic fashion designer's couture accessories. 'One can never overstate the importance of accessories. They are what turns a dress into something else. I like dresses to be sober and accessories to be wild', Yves Saint Laurent, 1977. Yves Saint Laurent Accessories is the first book to date to shed light on the breathtaking accessories created by one of the most influential fashion designers of all time. From his first collection in 1962 to his acclaimed final presentation in 2002, Yves Saint Laurent created exquisite jewellery, hats, shoes, and handbags to complement and enhance each of his couture creations. Beautifully designed, in a small format evocative of a jewellery box, the book offers an unprecedented glimpse into the highly confidential archives of The Yves Saint Laurent Foundation in Paris, which is home to over 20,000 remarkable accessories. The book features specially commissioned photography of the accessories alongside a treasure trove of rare materials including preparatory sketches, intimate portraits of Saint Laurent at work, behind-the-scenes snapshots of models, catwalk photographs, and advertising campaigns. Yves Saint Laurent Accessories introduces readers to a prominent yet rarely seen side of Saint Laurent's art, leading them backstage and through the history of a house that helped to shape the course of fashion.

Inhaltsangabe:Introduction: The luxury goods industry is a fascinating field. As Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermès, chairman and CEO of Hermès, explains: Le luxe, c est créer un rêve qui perdure. In addition to the dream dimension that defies scientific analysis, the luxury goods companies have kept highly secretive. Alain D. Perrin, President and CEO at Cartier International, elucidates: One of our strengths is our ability to maintain a certain mystery about the economic entity which is the company. We bring magic and dreams to consumers who don t want to see their favourite brands discussed in the media, and lacking any sense of the romantic. Systematic research confines itself mainly to specialised marketing literature, especially that of French scholars. But recent developments have raised various questions and call for more systematic research in diverse fields. Over the past two decades, luxury companies in particular in the clothing sector have had to face an increasingly turbulent environment. On the supply side, French dominance especially in the haute couture sector has been challenged as competition has increased mainly from Italian and American fashion houses. Furthermore, the traditionally fragmented luxury industry has become more concentrated, a visible sign for the consolidation was the merger of Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy in 1987. Finally, as a result of diversification strategies, most fashion houses have extended to more accessible luxury products and as a result, realize now a substantial part of sales in both, clothing and accessories. But also the demand side has been substantially changing. In 1899, the American economist Thorstein Veblen published the first proper study of consumerism, in which he identified and analysed the traditional luxury customer group which he called leisure class. It was not until the 1980s that the leisure class was joined by newly rich and occasional customers from the middle class. On the one hand, the luxury industry has expanded to more accessible products and to new geographical markets, and on the other hand, a growth in wealth of the Western industrialized nations has increased purchase of luxury goods. These mostly fundamental changes have challenged and will furthermore challenge the fashion houses and the ability to establish a competitive advantage. The objective of this thesis is gaining a thorough understanding of the luxury clothing and accessories sector, by elaborating on [...]

In this comprehensive study, fashion historian Daniel Delis Hill chronicles women’s and men’s fashion accessories from 1800 to the new millennium. Each chapter includes a historical overview of the era and an introduction to the principal fashions worn by women and men. Accessories are arranged by category and include hats, shoes, handbags, jewelry, gloves, parasols and umbrellas, fans, neckwear, belts and suspenders, handkerchiefs, hosiery, walking sticks, and eyewear. With more than 800 illustrations—many never before seen in book form—this well researched study is a valuable resource for the fields of fashion history, fashion design and merchandising, theatre costuming, and American popular culture.

Long since regarded as an inessential object that simply adds to the beauty, convenience or effectiveness of an outfit, accessories are now considered key items in a fashion collection and as stand-alone pieces worthy of our undivided attention. Basics Fashion Design 09: Designing Accessories is filled with important information that any designer will need to know, examining four key items from concept to production: the bag, footwear, jewellery and millinery. The key accessories are dissected to clearly display the core components, giving a clear view of how each connects. The design process is explored by looking at creative product development, from gathering research to generating ideas into key products, construction techniques and the essential tools of the trade used in modern accessories design. 2D pattern and 3D modelling techniques are described in detail with explanations of traditional and rapid prototyping tools in use today. Bespoke and commercial production is examined and creative solutions to technical challenges are presented. Designing Accessories also explores specialist finishing techniques, such as hand-finishing and machine embellishment and contains descriptions of contemporary techniques that break new boundaries in accessories design. A detailed explanation of small accessories, essential to the accessories designer, will broaden the reader's knowledge and provide them with the dexterity of skills to enter the fashion industry. This title is filled with images of beautiful accessories to inspire young designers. It is essential reading for fashion students and all those interested in accessories design. The book also includes a whole chapter on small accessories (eyewear, scarves, ties, wristwatches, belts and gloves).

In Pursuit of Fashion presents outstanding works from the greatest private collection of twentieth-century fashion and explores the modern discipline of fashion collecting. This unique group of ensembles and accessories, assembled over several decades by Sandy Schreier, includes many rare and historically significant pieces that define key moments in fashion and features not only iconic works by established designers but also looks by pioneering couturiers rarely represented in museum collections. These remarkable objects, by designers including Gilbert Adrian, Cristobal Balenciaga, Boué Soeurs, Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, Maria Gallenga, Karl Lagerfeld, Paul Poiret, and Madeleine Vionnet, are illustrated with stunning new photography by fashion photographer Nicholas Alan Cope. Schreier is a pioneer in the field of collecting fashion. Her interest began at a time when collecting and treating these creations as an art form was rare. She amassed a staggering breadth of work that reflects her wide-ranging taste and connoisseurship. An informative introduction discusses the unique evolution of Schreier’s collecting in parallel with a developing field. The book also includes descriptions of more than eighty works, including rare works on paper, as well as a lively interview with Schreier that traces the progress of her collecting from its roots in Detroit to the present day.