A lavishly illustrated book dedicated to Central Saint Martins, one of the best and most famous fashion schools in the world. Celebrating the most famous and influential fashion school in the world, Fashion Central Saint Martins is filled with never-before-seen student work and exclusive interviews with talented graduates who have gone on to become the biggest names in fashion. A treasure trove of early sketches, first collections and fashion shoots by designers such as Hussein Chalayan, John Galliano, Stephen Jones, Dior’s Kim Jones, Christopher Kane, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Phoebe Philo, Gareth Pugh, and Burberry’s Riccardo Tisci, as well as journalists like Vogue’s Hamish Bowles and stylists such as LOVE magazine’s Katie Grand. The book reveals words of wisdom on everything a budding fashion designer, or aspiring fashion student, needs to know to forge their own path. Edited by the school’s program director of fashion, Hywel Davies, and Cally Blackman, lecturer in fashion history and theory, Fashion Central Saint Martins follows the school’s history from 1931 to today. An initial chapter examines the early history (1930s to 1960s), followed by chapters dedicated to each subsequent decade. Packed with profiles of key alumni alongside photography of their student work, and peppered with essays, this book will delight all fans and students of fashion.

An essential fashion reference for students and professionals alike, organized in a series of detailed case studies Fashion design is a process of investigating, understanding context, and constantly questioning what you are doing and why. This comprehensive survey presents the work of a wide range of modern and contemporary designers and reveals the innumerable areas of inspiration and research on which they’ve drawn, from historical examples such as Christian Dior’s “New Look” to traditional textiles from around the world, as seen in John Galliano’s Peruvian-inspired collection of 2005. The first part of the book investigates the research process in the work of designers such as Paul Smith, Comme des Garçons, and Anna Sui. The second section covers subjects like vintage and retro, the use of archives, and the influence of art movements such as op art and surrealism. The third part presents case studies of world-famous designers: Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, and Coco Chanel, to name but a few.

This comprehensive guide explores the fundamental sewing methods fashion designers need and teaches professional garment construction. Chapter One introduces sewing tools and machinery (including industrial machines). It discusses how to work with patterns and explains cutting-out methods. Chapter Two is devoted to different fabrics and how they work, focusing on the construction of a garment, including fastenings and trimmings, and the use of materials to support structured pieces, such as corsets. Hand-sewing techniques and basic seams are explored in Chapter Three. Techniques are demonstrated with step-by-step photographic guides combined with technical drawings. A guide to making garment details and decorations, such as pockets, waistlines, and necklines, is found in Chapter Four. Chapter Five addresses fabric-specific techniques, for everything from lace to neoprene. The best technical approaches to use for patternmaking and construction are discussed for each fabric. Catwalk images demonstrate how these kinds of techniques are employed by designers.

From Charles Frederick Worth to Nicolas Ghesquière, designers have propelled fashion from an elite craft into a cornerstone of contemporary popular culture. This brilliantly written analysis of the achievements of the 50 greatest names in international fashion explores their lives, both personal and professional, drawing on the latest academic research and on the best of fashion journalism, including the authors' own interviews with designers spanning a 30-year period.The designers' working methods and career highlights are outlined in detailed and wittily written entries that capture the spirit of their times. From Poiret and Patou to Gernreich and Galliano, the sometimes provocative selection of 50 names poses stimulating questions about the definition of a fashion designer in the modern era. A ground-breaking book, this is a definitive introduction to fashion designers that is essential reading for both students and general readers alike.

Shortlisted for the Millia Davenport Publication Award Experimental Fashion traces the proliferation of the grotesque and carnivalesque within contemporary fashion and the close relation between fashion and performance art, from Lady Gaga's raw meat dress to Leigh Bowery's performance style. The book examines the designers and performance artists at the turn of the twenty-first century whose work challenges established codes of what represents the fashionable body. These innovative people, the book argues, make their challenges through dynamic strategies of parody, humour and inversion. It explores the experimental work of modern designers such as Georgina Godley, Bernhard Willhelm, Rei Kawakubo and fashion designer, performance artist, and club figure Leigh Bowery. It also discusses the increased centrality of experimental fashion through the pop phenomenon, Lady Gaga.

Tiré du site Internet Cornerhouse Publications: "Birds of Paradise: Costume as Cinematic Spectacle explores cinema's poetic fascination with animated dress, jewellery and adornment and carefully considers the relationship between screen expressions and those of related time-based forms, especially dance and theatre."

An intimate and revealing look at the personal and professional life of the fashion world's most visionary designer. This incredible volume strips away the layers of legend surrounding Alexander McQueen, revealing the sartorial genius and the true history of the man who reinvented modern fashion. Uncovering new details about Lee Alexander McQueen's humble childhood in East London, author Judith Watt traces the young designer's ascent—from his graduate collection at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design to his over-the-top runway shows to the designs he created just days before his death at age forty. Providing new insights into the dark passion and inspiration that guided each fever-pitched runway show, this fully illustrated portrait delivers a truly comprehensive, in-depth look at the most provocative designer of a generation. Illustrated throughout with McQueen's personal drawings and ephemera as well as a mixture of exquisite catwalk and editorial fashion images, Alexander McQueen: The Life and the Legacy is every bit as stunning as the designer himself. With more than 175 full-color photographs