For centuries women have been marginalized and overlooked in American literary history. That injustice is corrected in this entertaining and provocative collection of 350 years of poetry and fiction by American women. From Puritan poet Anne Bradstreet to Margaret Fuller to Harriet Beecher Stowe, readers will encounter scores of lesser-known and forgotten writers who fully deserve to be rediscovered and enjoyed by new generations. Our famous women writers, including contemporary stars like Annie Proux and Jhumpa Lahiri, are showcased in their full literary context, offering an epic overview of the canon in one monumental, dazzling volume. This landmark anthology features the best work of our best American women, and was inspired and informed by the author's groundbreaking history celebrating women writers, A Jury of Her Peers.

"The sustainable fashion revolution has begun, and we must all be part of it." - Aloïs Guinut Stylish women everywhere are realizing the environmental damage of fast fashion and looking for new ways to dress that don't involve cramming their wardrobe with clothes that may never get worn. As Paris-based style-coach Aloïs Guinut explores in this invaluable book, French women have a lot to teach us about how to cherish the planet without sacrificing your style: - Know what works for you. - Buy less and buy better. - Mix vintage items with a few wisely chosen modern pieces. - Optimize your closet. - Look after what you have and make it last. - Seek out quality fabrics that don't poison the environment.

The 'roaring twenties' were exciting years for women's fashion. The iconic image is of the young 'flapper' dancing the night away in a sparkling dress with fringes and tassels moving to the beat of the Jazz age. But, for all women in the post-war years of the 1920s, there was a new freedom in fashion as hemlines lifted and waistlines dropped. The simplified silhouette caused a boom in home dressmaking as women with basic sewing skills used tissue paper patterns to run up a new frock in the latest style. This practical book explains the background to these years and the trends in women's fashion, before introducing a range of garments that women would typically have worn. Suzanne Rowland gives a unique and detailed account of how to make vintage 1920s clothes for women based on the dress collections at the Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove, and Worthing Museum and Art Gallery. Fifteen detailed projects for garments and accessories include a pair of fashionably daring beach pyjamas, the wedding dress of a bride from East Sussex, and a simple striped frock suitable for wearing at a British seaside resort. Each project includes a detailed description of the original garment with an accompanying illustration alongside photographs of the original pieces. Scaled patterns are included with a list of materials and equipment required. Step-by-step instructions and close-up photographs are given for each stage of the making process with information about the original techniques used. Superbly illustrated with 314 close-up colour photographs.

Perhaps more so than any other decade, the sixties had the broadest impact on the twentieth-century Western world. Across society, culture and the arts, youth voices rose to prominence and had a significant influence on new trends. Mature polished elegance was replaced by young liveliness as the fashionable ideal. Although only the most daring young followers of fashion wore the tiny miniskirts and borderline-unwearable plastic and metal outfits publicised in the press, stylish and smart fashion was increasingly available to all, with an emphasis on self-expression. New style icons such as Twiggy combined girl-next-door looks with trendy, aspirational and accessible outfits, and popular culture heavily influenced mainstream fashion. This beautifully illustrated book offers a concise guide to changing styles across the decade.

The 1940s were an iconic period of women's dress history, with the familiar square shoulders, crepe tea dresses and seamed stockings paired with red lips, victory curls and head scarves. This book explains the period's sewing techniques and makes a range of 1940s outfits to recreate the look of those vintage years. With detailed step-by-step instruction and over 300 photographs, it captures the style of the time and explains the impact of wartime austerity on the cut and construction of women's dress. Contents include: historical context and details of government regulations of the time; instructions and patterns for recreating a range of women's clothes, including blouses, skirts, slacks, shirt frocks, evening dress and tea dresses; key techniques such as transfering pattern markings, making darts, fastenings and finishing touches; examples of how to complete the look with hairstyles, make-up, shoes and accessories. This new book will help you recreate the clothes and the vintage style of the 1940s 'make do' years, and will be of particular interest to costume designers, fashion designers and students, dress historians, historic revival and reenactment participants and home dressmakers with a general interest in vintage dress. Superbly illustrated with 331 photographs and patterns.

From the elegant bias-cut gown to the light and liberating day dress, this book looks at and celebrates the historic silhouettes, fabric cuts and contextual history of 1930s clothing. Equipped with instructions, patterns and enchanting photos, it explores the history of 1930s fashion, and explains how to make a range of versatile thirties inspired garments. It takes ten examples of 1930s garments, ranging from a lingerie set to a heavy coat, to create a capsule collection. The patterns are taken from original 1930s garments, with each piece being carefully measured and the patterns scaled down accordingly. Step-by-step instructions for making each garment are complemented by close up photographs of historic details and decoration. A beautiful and practical book, it will inspire designers, dressmakers and lovers of vintage fashion who want to express themselves through timeless and elegant style. Explores the history and context of 1930s clothing styles, cuts and designers, to give a full understanding of how fabric was manipulated to create figure-hugging silhouettes. Superbly illustrated with 443 colour images and 29 patterns taken from original 1930s garments.

Nothing epitomizes the look of the 1950s more for women than the hour-glass silhouette of the tightly fitted bodice and full skirt. This ubiquitous style - first introduced in 1947 with Dior's New Look - was so widely adopted by the mid-50s that it came to define the decade. This practical book introduces and explores the styles and construction techniques used in the 1950s. Step-by-step instructions and photographs demonstrate how to achieve a well-finished and authentic look using equipment easily obtainable at home. Chapters explain the processes from fabric selection, cutting out and preparation through to garment assembly using traditional techniques for creating the silhouette of the day. There are photographs and analysis of original pieces from private collections and museum archives and scaled patterns that have been standardized to a modern size 12 and can be graded up and down in size. With patterns and instructions for making your own bullet bra and girdle, each project includes a materials and equipment list and a section on specialist stockists and suppliers. Additional chapters include practical advice on measuring and fitting, and how to create the 1950s look. Aimed at students, teachers of costume, re-enactment societies and costume designers for TV, theatre and film and superbly illustrated with 300 colour photographs and 14 patterns.