Seam assembly and finishing are two of the most important aspects of garment construction and both require specific techniques to achieve perfect patterns and designs. Pattern-drafting for Fashion: Seam Assembly and Finishing is a comprehensive guide to these techniques covering all styles, fabrics and garments. Seams can be decorative, functional, or specific to a type of fabric or method of construction. This comprehensive book, aimed at serious dressmakers, explains different types of seams, when to use them, and how to achieve the most professional finish. All the essential methods for achieving a flawless finish are covered here including different techniques of pressing and steaming a garment, hems, zips and buttonholes, and different types of hem and cuff finishes for all styles and fabrics.

The Ambassador has been described as 'probably the most daring and enterprising trade magazine ever conceived'. With the motto 'Export or Die!', the magazine was renowned for its innovative design and adventurous editorial approach in promoting British manufacturing in the post-war period. This book takes a detailed look at the background and impact of The Ambassador. The magazine was driven by the vision of its founder Hans Juda and his wife, Elsbeth, who was responsible for much of the magazine's striking photography. Focusing on the perceived strengths of British industry, they set up ambitious photo shoots to showcase the latest couture fashions by the likes of Charles Creed and Victor Stiebel. The magazine promoted fine art as an inspiration for design, and commissioned artists such as John Piper and Henry Moore for their covers.

This beautiful series reveals the V&A's spectacular and extensive pattern collection. Modern British Designers traces the past 50 years of creative genius and innovation in British design, highlighting such designers as Terence Conran, Zandra Rhodes and Shirley Craven. Includes a free CD-Rom.

One of Britain's most enigmatic and celebrated politicians, Winston Churchill was far more than a just successful wartime leader. International war correspondent, WWI soldier and Nobel Prize winning writer, Churchill always had an unshakable faith in his own abilities, despite his disastrous efforts at school. His faith was rewarded when he became Prime Minister of Britain at the height of WWII. Working tirelessly, his tremendous ability to inspire the nation during such times of horror has become legendary. Above all, he will always be remembered as the man who led the allied forces to victory, freeing Europe from the tyranny of Nazism. Lives in Action is a series of narrative biographies that recount the lives of some of the key figures in history. Page-turning, thrilling plots that read like fiction will keep the most reluctant reader hooked.

A humorous take on British kings and queens through the ages. Packed with facts and information — focusing on all the funny bits.

«Following the success of Don'ts for Husbands and Don'ts for Wives a brand new old collection of advice for couples from courtship to the honeymoon. On looking for a partner in life: «Don't single out a girl if you do not intend to propose to her, for the way in which your conduct is regarded will be greatly influenced by your banking account». On The Question: «Don't rush but chose an auspicious moment, A man who tries to propose when a servant is expected to arrive with a scuttle of coals is not likely to meet with much favour». On the Engagement: «Don't allow awkward pauses to break the conversation because your thoughts and eyes are hungrily trying to follow your lover, who is manfully assisting the hostess». On Planning The Event: «Don't forget that elderly bridesmaids in youthful frocks and girlish hats are ridiculous to the unthinking, and pathetic to those who look below the surface». On Gifts: «Don't be thoughtless — Good silver is always a joy, but remember the young wife with only one servant will have to rub up her own silver backed brushes and sweetmeat dishes if she wants them to look nice». The Honeymoon: «Don't indulge in a long honeymoon. Undisturbed possession soon palls, and man was made for something more virile than perpetual billing and cooing».»

This is a pcoket-sized history of photography from its beginnings up to the present, covering important technical developments, styles and famous photographers.

It's now harder than ever to break into the exclusive fashion industry but this is the guide to tell you how to do it. Discover how to develop a first-rate portfolio, and learn everything you need to know to become a professional designer and entrepreneur. Learn how to showcase your talent and make your portfolio stand out in the crowd. Master the art of selling yourself and your work at job interviews, while pitching for freelance work, and promoting your own business. Design Your Fashion Portfolio provides clear advice and instruction on how to present your work based around key fashion genres including lingerie, athletic wear, designer and evening wear and discover how layouts, art direction, and merchandising for each can vary. From developing your graduate thesis, to building your first collection, perfecting your portfolio to interview techniques and career options to establish yourself as a professional, this book is the key to launching your career in fashion.

Edinburgh Weavers was one of the most important textile companies of the twentieth century. Alastair Morton, visionary art director of the company, commissioned a remarkable series of textiles from leading British artists, including Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Elisabeth Frink, as well artist-designers, such as Marion Dorn, Ashley Havinden and Lucienne Day. Morton was also a gifted artist, textile designer and weaver in his own right. This long overdue study traces his wide-ranging career and records the history of Edinburgh Weavers and the glorious textiles it produced. Drawing on the V&A's extensive archive this impressive book features over 300 images of artists' textiles unparalleled in quality and scope and is an invaluable resource.

The Museum of Childhood traces the history of childhood through some of the museum's most cherished objects. The book reveals how children have played, dressed, learned and grown through the ages, by turns intriguing, poignant and nostalgic. Sarah Wood also tells the story of how one of the world's best collections related to childhood came to reside in Bethnal Green, London. From the oldest surviving English rocking horse, to costume fit for royalty, to toys children of today love, and their parents remember, this book will delight the child in us all.

This landmark book celebrates the best of British design, documenting the transformation and impact of designers' work over the years between the post-war 'Austerity Games' of 1948 and the 2012 Olympics. As well as essays by leading curators and commentators, British Design incorporates pieces by key practitioners (including Peter Saville, Barbara Hulanicki, Paul Smith and Tom Dixon) to build a comprehensive survey of over 350 of the finest examples of fashion and textiles, furniture, ceramics and glass, theatre design, graphics, photography, architecture, fine art and sculpture from this period. In addition to discussing works commissioned for official purposes, including the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the Festival of Britain, the book highlights the globally influential, and very British, counter-culture, from the sixties boutiques of Mary Quant and Ossie Clark through to the club cultures of Punk, the New Romantics and Rave.

This innovative book presents dynamic and interpretive photographs of British ballgowns spanning 60 years and includes designs by Alexander McQueen, Bellville Sassoon, Bill Gibb, Erdem, Gareth Pugh, Stella McCartney and Zandra Rhodes. The specially commissioned photographs, by fashion photographer David Hughes, are supplemented by essays exploring the ballgown as a particularly British garment, with designers, clients and occasions unique to Britain. The social season of debutante parties and private balls, weddings and charity events have long provided Britain's fashion designers with opportunities to design elaborate, tour de force eveningwear. In more recent years the ballroom has been replaced by the red carpet. Though the context has changed, the ballgown remains a staple in many designers' collections and continues to serve as an expression of status, protocol and taste, while simultaneously embodying elements of drama and fantasy.

Hats: An Anthology, now available in paperback, offers an unprecedented view of the world of millinery, drawing on the V&A's extensive collection of hats, Stephen Jones's own archive and iconic headgear from around the globe. Beautifully illustrated chapters examine the inspiration behind the creation of hats, the history of their construction, the lure of the hat shop and finally the etiquette and occasion of hat wearing for the client.

This landmark book celebrates, for the very first time, the costume designer's contribution to the telling of the cinematic story in 100 years of Hollywood. Rocking the conventions of what is considered 'costume', Hollywood Costume reveals what is hidden in plain sight: that films are about people and it is the art of the costume designer who helps create those characters. This book looks at this process of transformation by analyzing some of the finest and most eclectic costumes from the most beloved films of the last 100 years. As well as essays by a wide variety of leading scholars, archivists and private collectors, the book incorporates contributions by key costume designers, actors and directors working in Hollywood today. Fabulous golden age of Hollywood costumes are juxtaposed beside all the contemporary classics including The Tramp, Ben Hur, Cleopatra, The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ocean's Eleven, Sherlock Holmes and Avatar.

Book Two in the V&A's groundbreaking new series presents 17 patterns for garments and accessories from a seventeenth-century woman's wardrobe. It includes patterns for a loose gown, a jacket, a pair of stays and a boned bodice, ivory and wooden busks, shoes, a hat, a stomacher, linen bands and supporters, a bag and a knife case. It also features a description of the stay-making process. Full step-by-step drawings of the construction sequence are given for each garment to enable the reader to accurately reconstruct them. There are scale patterns and diagrams for making linen and metal thread laces and embroidery designs. Multiple photographs of the objects, close-up construction details and X-ray photography reveal the hidden elements of the clothes, the precise number of layers and the stitches used inside.

The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is a multiple choice English language proficiency test which measures comprehension, speaking, writing and reading skills in an international environment. Scores indicate how well people can communicate in business, commerce and industry. Check Your English Vocabulary for TOEIC is a must-have workbook for all non-native English speakers wishing to expand their language skills in preparation for the Test of English for International Communication. This workbook provides exercises to help teach and build vocabulary related to the TOEIC examination and also covers grammar, use of English, comprehension and spelling.

This groundbreaking book documents the fascinating history of quilt and patchwork production. The hidden histories and personal narratives of some of the most evocative objects in the V&A's collection are revealed, from the origins of the 'love poem' on the Chapman marriage coverlet to the sources of inspiration for the intricately pieced pictorial 'George III coverlet'. Now available in paperback, this lavishly illustrated book challenges the assumption that stitching is simply 'women's work'.

The V&A has the greatest collection of maiolica in the world. This long awaited study explores the significance of these fascinating objects in the art and social history of the Italian Renaissance. This book traces the use of Maiolica objects in the Renaissance, from birth through courtship and marriage rituals to death, and gives an engaging insight into the life of noble families in this period. New photography shows the dazzling palette of colours which has not faded over time, that was used to decorate these objects, and emphasizes why these objects were prized in the Renaissance and remain so popular with today's collectors. Italian Renaissance Maiolica also includes illustrations from Piccolpasso's sixteenth-century manuscript Three books of the Potter's Art, an incomparable source on maiolica, to illustrate how these highly valued objects were made.

The true story of the Staplehurst railway disaster, one of Victorian Britain's worst rail accidents. A crowded train ran at full speed into a section of track that had been taken up for repair. Charles Dickens, who was on board the train, fought heroically to save lives, and found time to save the handwritten manuscript of Our Mutual Friend.

Henri Giffard has devoted all his free time and money to making a balloon with a steam engine so it can be flown anywhere, not just drift on the wind. In 1852 he sets off for Paris with just an urchin girl to help him. Tens of thousands gather to see if his marvellous machine will work. The amazing story of the first man to achieve powered flight.