Fashion a la Mode: The Pop-Up History of Costumes and Dresses

Rating:
Summary: Paper dresses to make us dream
Review: Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave has made an amazing lifesize collection of period paper dresses which have been exhibited all over the world. Silks, brocades, taffetas and lace are recreated by painting on various types of paper. In this wonderfull popp-up book, some of the costumes come alive. Wonderful little details will enchant young girls, such as beautiful lace collars which unfold, a fan you can actually use, bags which open to reveal charming secrets and a model which steps out of the book onto the catwalk. A wonderful gift, full of inspiration and creativity.

Rating:
Summary: A(Fun!) Pop-Up Book For Grownups
Review: I have always loved pop-up books and this one is no exception. Each page has an interesting new surprize. The illustrations are bright and well-rendered. The only quibble I have is that the ladies are a bit tricky to set up. In other words,be gentle or you might rip them a tiny bit(yes,it happened to me.) This book would make a lovely gift for anyone who enjoys fashion and or novelty books..

Rating:
Summary: Nice, but with problems.
Review: This book contains seven spreads:
-Egypt
-The Court of Elizabeth I
-The Court of Marie Antoinette
-At the Opera
-The Art of the Kimono
-Coco Chanel: Liberating the Ladies
-Fashion as Art

My favorites are the kimono and art(Mariano Fortuny and Issey Miyake) spreads. I really love the Fotuny paper doll in her Delphos gown and loose fitting cloak, despite their being less than well rendered.

As a pop-up collector and hobbyist, I'm disappointed with this book. Though a great subject, the form and function of the pop-ups don't mesh well for me. There's an assortment of pull tabs, lift the the flaps, accordion fold outs and free standing pop ups that can be totally detached from the book. The many movable items are well organized by theme, but the parts are always catching on each other. I also had some trouble securing the freestanding stuff back into the book because it's not immediately obvious how the tabs and slots work with each other. For the price, I think the illustrations could have been better looking. In the end, the mish mash of the contents and sometimes ugly illustrations killed this book for me. I didn't hate it enough to go through the trouble of returning it, but it sits in its plastic wrapper collecting dust.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Education!
Review: What a delightful book! The design engineers, who created this masterpiece, must be incredibly clever! This book is not only historically educational, it is fun. (Remember to be gentle--this is not for small children)

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Education!
Review: What a delightful book! The design engineers, who created this masterpiece, must be incredibly clever! This book is not only historically educational, it is fun. (Remember to be gentle--this is not for small children)