50 Fashion Designers You Should Know is just what the title tells you: this is not a collection of obscure or niche designers, but rather a book profiling the biggest movers and shakers in the fashion industry. More specifically, it is a guide to those who have had the biggest influences, primarily on contemporary western women’s fashion. Spanning from Jeanne Lanvin opening her first hat shop in 1899 to Stella McCartney’s most recent collection, the book features short profiles of the biggest designers who show at the four main fashion weeks (London, Paris, Milan and New York City). While it’s far from being a comprehensive encyclopedia of names, 50 Fashion Designers is excellent as an unintimidating crash course for fashion newbies.

The names included are the more obvious ones: Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Marc Jacobs are all present. While the focus is on the famous, there is some variety. Both the more commercial designers (Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein) as well as the avant garde (Yohji Yamamoto, Hussein Chalayan) are included. There are also a few designers who had an impact in their time but have since gone a bit under the radar, like Madeleine Vionnet and Main Boucher.

The profiles themselves are well researched, and though quite brief they hold a fair bit of information. Author Simone Werle includes only the most essential of biographical facts (date of birth, country of origin, etc.), focusing instead on the designers’ technical and professional accomplishments. There are several instances where Werle editorializes, highlighting each designer’s strength in order to emphasize where he or she made an impact, although all the profiles remain heavily steeped in fact. Most of the personal sentiments in this book come from quotes pulled from the designers themselves, stating their own fashion philosophies. It’s intriguing to see the way so many designers differ in their ideals, even those who at first appear to be of similar calibers. Several designers, including Miuccia Prada and Franco Moschino, explicitly state that they hate fashion. Hearing these declarations from people who have devoted their entire professional lives to the creation of clothes made me wonder about the various ways fashion is considered by different people, and how commercialism can affect one’s creative output. Naturally, these were contrasted with profiles of designers who focus more on the business aspects of building a brand, with quotes about how buying one of their designs is akin to buying into a lifestyle.

My first thought upon finishing the book was, “where does one go from here?” The brevity of the profiles prevents any real analyses of the designers’ careers. While the book still works as a useful introduction to runway designers, it would have been helpful had the edition included sources, notes for further reading, or even an introduction or conclusion for those looking to dig deeper. Instead, 50 Fashion Designers dives right into its subject matter with little additional content explaining the processes behind its selections. However, even without this, I would definitely recommend the book to anybody looking for a place to start in understanding today’s fashion. Aspiring Wornettes take note.

50 Fashion Designers You Should Know by Simone Werle, Prestel, 2010
reviewed by Anna Fitzpatrick
photography by Deua Medeiros

…isms: Understanding Fashion is a guide to Western fashion practices over the past several centuries by Mairi Mackenzie, a specialist in Cultural and Historical Studies at The London College of Fashion. The book envisions fashion through the iconic figures and sociopolitical circumstances that influenced the trends and anti-trends in costume over the years.

Organizationally, it is structured like a travel guide or a text-book. A “How to use this book” section introduces the hokey, yet useful icons in each section to delineate material such as “Introduction,” “Key Words”, “See Also” (related practices), and “Don’t see” (contrary practices). A preference for flowing text led me to regularly skip to the “Main Definition” of every ism. Despite its engagement with the format of a User’s Manual, the main content flows with an engaging readability that is impressive for a reference book.

Mackenzie skillfully distills the several hundred years of fashion into concise descriptions of specific aesthetics and influences. The book is arranged by century starting with the 17th and 18th Centuries. The evolution and decline of Baroque and Rococo fashions are examined as the direct result of a changing socioeconomic climate in 17th Century France. While clothing was once a statement of privilege, the egalitarianism of the French Revolution led to the decline of fanciful fashion by the end of the 18th Century.

In the 19th Century, the technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution enabled a burgeoning middle class that imposed stricter social etiquettes. Mackenzie explores the ways in which codes of class and gender were presented in fashion, focusing in particular upon how women’s clothing became more physically restrictive as a direct reflection of women’s constricted place in society.

The world of fashion diversified in the 20th century as media and industry proliferated. Between looser social codes and the emergence of textile mass production came a fashion that was aesthetically more practical than elegant. With fashion’s greater accessibility, clothing came to function more as statement rather than mere garments. A visual commentary on the social, political, and economic was developing, and this discourse was being worn.

Mackenzie leaves us with a brief examination of the 21st Century, when fashion is powerfully affected by that great empire of information exchange, the Internet, and the increasing global accessibility and interchange of goods. With fewer and fewer borders to cultural knowledge and material goods themselves, it seems that modern fashion is the result of converging social, political, ecological, and aesthetic influences from all over the world.

…isms: Understanding Fashion is an excellent point of reference for many of fashion’s separate yet entwined, and convoluted yet accessible histories. It does precisely what it intends to do; Mairi Mackenzie achieves a tangible overview to the history of fashion, and delivers it with a generally unbiased take on the historical, social, and political influences in fashion.

You won’t be debating fashion concepts and influences amongst aficionados out of the breadth of this book. However, you will discover the basis of certain practices that will plant the right amount of intrigue to take you to the library, bookstore, or World Wide Web where you can explore these “isms” further. And then you can debate.

…Isms: Understanding Fashion, by Mairi Mackenzie, Iqon Editions Limited, 2009
Reviewed by Jennifer Carroll

Thanks to globalization and India’s emergence as an economic powerhouse in the last decade, the latest bout of Western infatuation with all things Indian is arguably the most intense it has been since the heady days of British colonialism. There has been a a recent artistic renaissance, coupled with a steady increase in both interest and export. First it was a small curiosity about Bollywood films, solidified by Slumdog Millionaire, followed by the wild success of Indian contemporary art in the last five years. It is no wonder that the next area of focus would be fashion. Contemporary Indian Fashion, edited by Federico Rocca, is a visually stunning and well-curated coffee-table book featuring 24 leading young designers working out of India. They not only represent the here-and-now of Indian fashion, but its future as well.

This is, essentially, a picture book. Made up of 6 to 12 page spreads, the work of each designer is showcased along with a very short rundown of their background and an interview. All of the clothes are wonderful to look at, and I found myself flipping through it again and again, as I would a really great magazine. Each spread nicely balances editorial flourishes, pages featuring multiple looks from a collection, and several detail shots. In the case of Indian fashion, the prominence of the detail shot is absolutely essential due to the meticulous details of the clothes themselves.

One of the things that sets Indian designers apart from their international counterparts is their use of traditional hand-craft techniques. Everything from embroidery to beading, cut-work to weaving, is used to maximum effect. As Rocca points out in his introduction, for Indian designers, “God is in the details.”

There is text in this book, too. The short introduction manages to give the reader a primer on Indian-ness and the current influence of ’80s-style consumerism that has swept the sub-continent. However, while mostly concise, the writing style has a few problems. At times it can be convoluted and confusing. Rocca doesn’t seem to know whether he wants the writing to be analytical and academic or simply a casual blogger-style presentation of the now. Also, it (especially in the intro) conveys an affected pretentiousness. He states that the book’s aim is to answer the question: “Will an Indian designer ever dress Western women?” He then makes repeated references to German film director Wim Wenders, Mies van der Rohe, and Latin and French phrases. It seems that Mr. Rocca, an Italian fashion journalist, wants to distance himself from his non-Western subject. This is sad, since the designs featured here are more than enough to quell any prejudiced notions of third world inferiority.

The fact that the content of this book has been defined in the terms of the West is annoying, an exercise in Eurocentric validation. These are designers that could potentially, or have already, broken into Western markets. The uniqueness of contemporary Indian design is the melding of both eastern and western aesthetics, all the while staying true to traditional Indian textile and adornment processes and techniques. The combination is elegant, lush, modern and beautiful; India does not need to be patted on the head by foreign fashion editors.

And it may be due to the distance between the author and his subject, but I get the sense that not much on-the-ground research was done – indicated in part by extremely short designer interviews (so short, in fact, they might easily have been conducted via text message). Beside thorough and sumptuous fashion spreads, these tiny interviews feel either superfluous or totally insufficient. When put together, these gaffs and gaps suggest Rocca is an unreliable narrator, calling into question the thoroughness of the book as a whole.

In addition to these issues, Mr. Rocca and the good folks at Damiani should remember that readers appreciate the little things – like a table of contents, an index, and PAGE NUMBERS! Information regarding the number of designers featured in this book and the number of pages dedicated to each was brought to you by this reviewer’s ability to flip pages and count. Although initially distracted by the gorgeous pictures, when I wanted to go back and find a particular designer or look, I had to search page by page. Completely unacceptable.

However, although problematic in its motivations (and a tad in its execution), this book is really the only one of its kind out there, and it’s been a long time coming. There has been a definite dearth of comprehensive looks at the major changes the Indian fashion industry has undergone in the past few years. In that sense, Contemporary Indian Fashion is a great starting point from which to dive into the beautiful, colourful, and detailed designs being produced in the sub-continent. At the very least, it will make any lover of fashion absolutely happy.

Well, until they try to find something twice.

Contemporary Indian Fashion, by Federico Rocca, Damiani, 2009
Reviewed by Anisha Seth

“Jewellery is such a wonderful way to celebrate being human – this strangeness of mind and body, imagination and matter.” – Florian Ladstätter

Before I began reading Maia Adams’ Fashion Jewelry: Catwalk and Couture, I spent a good couple of hours flipping through its pages, drooling over photograph after photograph of crazy-beautiful jewelry pieces. After musing on the no doubt amazing collection of DIY jewelry I was inspired to create (someday… sigh), I finally began to read the book.

Fashion Jewelry showcases 33 catwalk and couture jewelry designers, each illustrated with sketches and photographs of their work. Many of these jewelers have collaborated with fashion moguls and a variety of clothing, footwear and sportswear brands, from the late Alexander McQueen to Dr. Martens. The book delves into the inspirations behind their craft, focusing on the eclectic mix of contemporary and classic methods of jewelry-making.

The couture pieces featured are not your traditional gold and silver, diamond and ruby-coated jewelry; their designers experiment and work with an array of unusual materials. The jewelers of Annabcn often pair pearls with fabrics like suede, silk, tulle and felt alongside PVC and enamel, and they also use natural materials such as coral, snail shells, seeds and branches to create their line of accessories. Canadian designer Arielle De Pinto does the intricate work of hand-crocheting metal chains to create her exquisite pieces. Materials aside, the jewelers featured in this book find inspiration in everything from the mundane to the eccentric. A particular favorite, Swiss jewelers David & Martin, craft designs influenced by “art house film, contemporary art and chickens.” Their 2005 Chicken Feet collection was inspired “after spotting a very pretty girl on a Shanghai subway munching deep-fried chicken and simultaneously flicking through French Vogue.”


I was pleased to see that the adornments featured were not restricted to feminine aesthetics. Although I personally thought that many items would appeal to both sexes, many jewelers did in fact target their work toward men. London-born Daisuke Sakaguchi’s line of pendants, necklaces, knuckledusters and bracelets is inspired by a mixture of his Japanese heritage and hip-hop and street culture. From Comme des Garçons to Nike and Adidas, Sakaguchi has earned a fine reputation for blending the worlds of sports and fashion.

At first glance, certain items seem better suited for the runway than a gala: earrings made of bones encrusted with crystals and chains? Think Wilma Flintstone in the Gilded Age. Yet I was amazed at how these bits and pieces added pizzazz to an outfit. Adams notes convincingly that in financially-straightened times like ours, investing in a bit of bling goes a long way in transforming a look.

Fashion Jewelry pays homage to many jewelry designers, both popular and relatively obscure. If not merely for its lush photographs (jewelry porn at its best), I recommend this book for those interested in getting a glimpse into the renaissance of jewelry culture and the artistry behind these ornamental pieces of work.

Fashion Jewelry: Catwalk and Couture by Maia Adams, Laurence-King, 2010
Reviewed by Aseema Kabir