Extraordinary style for less.

Chic on a Shoestring is your entrée into the world of high fashion that will inspire you to create your own covetable clothes and accessories. Learn to transform ornate trims and vintage buttons into spectacular brooches, craft a favorite silk scarf into a chic top, or rework flea market shoes into fashionable showstoppers. With more than 40 unique and stylish ideas—including quick and easy no-sew projects—Chic on a Shoestring will inspire first-time and experienced crafters alike.

In Handmade Chic: Fashionable Projects That Look High-End, Not Homespun, Laura Bennett shares simple strategies for creating 40 small luxuries and high-fashion accessories, from a smart leather iPad portfolio to a feather-embellished evening bag. With sections organized in skill-building order and based on type of accessory—small leather goods, agendas and notepads, electronics, bags and wallets, and evening items—Laura offers patterns, easy-to-follow diagrams, and detailed instructions for fabricating each glamorous project, whether it involves sewing from scratch or embellishing a prepurchased garment. While showcasing her own creative designs, she provides readers with the basic techniques and encouragement they need to come up with variations and create their own signature pieces. Packed with Laura's signature flair and finesse, vibrant four-color photos, step-by-step drawings, and a complete list of suggestions on where to purchase materials, Handmade Chic is an accessible guide to at-home crafting that is elegant enough for the most modern, fashion-savvy of women.

Dressing rich is dressing with elegance, class, and taste. It is the understated, sophisticated, classic look that has been the signature of stylish women from Garbo to Jackie O. Fashion trends may change from season to season, but the concepts of elegance and classic chic defy time and will always be a winning constant. In Dressing Rich, style guru Leah Feldon gives you all the strategies you need to put together a look that is polished, prosperous, elegant and chic—even on a shoestring. With the wit and insight that has propelled her to the top of her field, Feldon details the earmarks of a status look, as she offers practical advice on how to achieve them. She offers the bottom line on wardrobe basics, fabrics, color, design, handbags, and hairdos, and shows you that what you lack in capital you can make up for with savvy, imagination, resourcefulness, and a winning spirit.

In 2016, Mary Jane Baxter did what many people dream of: she quit her job at the BBC, rented out her flat and headed for the hills. Her home for the next few months was an upcycled 1986 Bedford Bambi campervan with a top speed of 60mph. She raided skips for vintage wallpaper and scoured second-hand emporiums to source stylish vintage accessories, creating her own travelling craft studio, packed with everything necessary for crafting on the road. She then set off around Europe searching for inspiration, travelling from Belgium right down to the Cinque Terre in Italy then around France and up to Scotland. Armed with her trusty hand-cranked Singer, she spent a summer sewing on the go, foraging in flea markets, meeting artists and hosting pop-up events to help fund her trip. Like creatives the world over she decided to see where her travels would lead her and returned with a head full of new projects. Fortunately, there’s no need for you to give up your job, wave goodbye to your family and rent out your house in order to re-ignite your own creativity; Mary Jane has done all the hard work for you. Sew on the Go is her guide to carving out more creative space in your life. From decorating your own budget-conscious bolthole to achievable projects including clothes and fashion accessories, beautiful gift ideas and child-friendly makes, this book is the ideal companion for those who dream of devoting more time to their craft.

..".Elliott uses her own home as an example of what can be done with cheap finds, and the transformation is quite remarkable and innovative....well-written directions...Recommended for public libraries..."--"Library Journal." "Elliott uses her Oregonian home as a showcase of basic principles of making something from nothing--or at least from something ordinarily thought unsalvageable...save-the-stuff stories abound, and instructions are easy...to follow...Her creations are wondrously whimsical and imaginative."--"Booklist."

Fashion designer Wilding Cardon shares her secrets for finding creative possibilities in cast-offs. Includes 20 beginner-friendly projects that guides readers to turning thrift-store finds into fabulous designs.