Review by msb:

Extremely disappointed with this book. Rather than focusing on the struggles, adversities, drawbacks, and the unhappiness of being a designer, I’d rather invest my time in a text which offers concrete instruction on how to overcome the obstacles. This book is premised upon the “facts” that you: a) require hundreds of thousands of dollars in reserve to even consider launching your own line, b) MUST work for several years under another designer prior to designing for yourself, and c) you most likely won’t make it, even on a small scale. Every artist is aware of monetary limitations and minuscule success rates, so I believe most of us would benefit more from tangible advice, and an author who can offer various routes to achieve discernible goals (rather than abstract ideas and incessant “words of warning”). A few good points throughout the book, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Review by Jane Tompkins:

I will admit– I chose this “how to start a fashion business” guide book over the other ones because it’s more famous. And because of the Diane Von Furstenberg foreword, Tim Gunn review, and many little interviews with actual designers. Lets not forget the great price (w/ free shipping if is spent).

This book is definitely a good read– its full of practical information and great advice and real-world examples of situations designers go through (designers going bankrupt, exclusivity of certain production factories, problems with selling to certain stores, etc). Its a very “real” look at fashion from a well thought out point of view.

All that said, when I began to create my business plan this book was little help. I mean it certainly gave me a great summarized outline, but it lacks numbers. I just wish it had more number examples, you know more “averages”. Like the average or sample amounts of material cost, production, and overhead cost for an emerging designers. How many pieces are recommended for a new designer and if they choose to sell to a store– whats the average amount of pieces they sell the store and how many of each sizes (ie: 20 dresses? size 2(2) size 4(2) size 6(4) size 8(4) size 10(4) size 12(4))

I know averages can greatly differ, but I wish they would have made-up or created a fake fashion line, and created a very modified business plan with numbers, just as a sample. (That alone would have made this book perfect.)

It also needed more equations. The only equation was COGS. The book was great, but it seriously lacked numbers and tangibility. As in I was thinking this book would be a onestop shop, but it wasn’t. This book gives you direction and an idea of how your mindset should be when creating a line and it gives you alot of pointers and warnings. Making this the perfect book for someone who isn’t in the fashion industry. But as a person who’s been to business school and studied at a fashion school I just expected a little more, I’m probably asking for too much, but what the hey- why not? lol.

I look at this book as a great complementary to a more detailed book. I haven’t read these, but from what I can see in Amazon’s “look inside” and from some of the reviews: “Fashion Unraveled”, “Fashion for Profit”, and “How to Setup and Run a Fashion Label” may be great compliments to this book. For my fashion marketing class I had to read “The Business of Fashion, Designing, Manufacturing and Marketing”. That’s a textbook and does offer great detail as well, but it comes at a much bigger pricetag. I just wish I kept it instead of giving it back after my class was over.

As a person in the industry I’ll say that this book definitely solidified alot of my own thoughts and gave me many great tidbits that will be helpful and will come to mind as I’m creating my line. Just don’t expect “numbers” and financial examples from this book. Just view it as a insiders guide to the business of fashion with accompanying examples and summaries of the experiences of other designers. Because of the low pricetag and solid examples I would definitely recommend purchasing it, but keep in mind that you will still need to find books and search the internet for number and business plan examples. (And, lets just say with all the junk out there its hard to find everything on the internet it takes soooooo much time digging through sites and sites and fake sites that lead you to sites that want you to pay hundreds just for a numerical overview of the women’s retail market… oops sorry, I think I’m venting now, lol).

This book is great, I recommend buying it. But I suggest Mary Gehlhar make a revised version in a year or two that has numbers because if she did it would be like the Bible for starting a fashion line.

PS- This book really is like a wake-up call for people who just say to themselves “I want to start a clothing line”, you know, people who aren’t in the industry and just think it’ll be this fun easy thing to do. It gives those type people ALOT of perspective. For someone who already has an idea for a line, is well-versed in fashion, and aware of the climate of the retail industry and fashion market this book has its shortcomings. But it is still helpful though, so thats why it’s a useful book to have around.

Review by Gail Weinstein:

This book has given me a new perspective and puts a rich history into the things I wear everyday. A detailed clothing bible if you will, this book covers every type of fashion trend, including hot pants, all the way to every accesory or shoe one could want to know about. It gives hot new trends and old classic styles their names, talking about where things really originiated, making me feel more informed about fashion and even sound smarter! All in all this is a great book and a MUST have if you spend as much time as me choosing my outfit everyday!

Review by Patrick L. Schmitz:

This book is a great blend of history, factoids and advice, covering a wide spectrum of fashion from the go-go boot to the corset.

I have never discovered anything like this before and would deffinately recommend it to anyone interested in fashion, whether it is a fashion student or someone trying to improve the contents of their own closet.

Review by Professor Donald Mitchell:

What attracts you to Vogue? Chances are that element is represented someplace within the pages of In Vogue.

To me, the photographs are the main appeal of Vogue. Since its founding on December 17, 1892, Vogue has attempted to capture current and future fashion through its images. The magazine has been blessed by talented work done by most of the world’s best fashion photographers since then who brought us the most interesting society women, celebrities, cultural icons, and, of course, fashion models. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book contained at least a few works by each of the greatest photographers to appear in Vogue. Most of the images were known to me, but a number were new. My main disappointment was that the photographers I like the most didn’t have more photographs in the book. But the book is very bulky and heavy as it is.

To my interest in the photographs came many essays about why the photographers were selected and what the editors asked them to accomplish. The interaction of the art directors and the photographers was particularly noteworthy in regard to covers.

I have also spent many years as a management consultant in the magazine industry. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there’s a pretty complete overview of the management thinking and decisions that led to Vogue becoming so successful.

But the most interesting surprise came in the extended views into the editorial philosophies and working styles of the magazine’s editors. Creating a fashion magazine is very demanding, and Vogue has been fortunate in its editors both for their energy and their vision for the reader.

If neither business nor editing interest you, you’ll still find lots of marvelous images to help you trace the development of fashion and style in the United States over the last 100 plus years.

Here are a few of my favorite photographs in the book:

Helen Lee Worthing by Baron Adolphe de Meyer, September 1, 1920 (p. 61)

White by Edward Steichen, January 1, 1936 (p. 67)

Mademoiselle Koopman by George Hoyningen-Huene, September 15, 1933 (p. 69)

Mary Taylor by Cecil Beaton, May 15, 1935 (p. 73)

Lisa Fonssagrives by Horst P. Horst, August 1, 1938 (p. 76)

Decor by Horst P. Horst, March 15, 1938 (p. 77)

Corset by Horst P. Horst, September 15, 1939 (p. 78)

Coco Chanel by Horst P. Horst, February 15, 1954 (p. 79)

Cover by Horst P. Horst, September 15, 1940 (p. 89)

Loretta Young by John Rawlings (p. 111)

Twelve Beauties by Irving Penn, 1947 (pp. 116-117)

Cover by Horst P. Horst, May 15, 1941 (p. 131)

Cafe Society by Cecil Beaton, 1948 (pp. 136-137)

Concentration Camp by Lee Miller, June 1945 (p. 143)

Jean Pachett by Irving Penn, February 15, 1949 (p. 144)

Atelier of Pablo Picasso, November 1, 1956 (pp. 156-157)

Twiggy by Richard Avedon, July 1967 cover (p. 172)

Marisa Berenson by Berry Berenson, 1969 (p. 179)

Marisa Berenson by Irving Penn, April 1970 (pp. 186-187)

Lauren Hutton by Richard Avedon, January 1, 1969 (pp. 198-199)

Celebrity covers, 1965-1971 (p. 202)

Cheryl Tiegs and Rene Russo by Helmut Newton, 1974 (p. 215)

Cybill Shepherd by Helmut Newton, 1973 cover, (p. 216)

Kim Basinger by Irving Penn, September 1978 (p. 217)

Beverly Johnson by Albert Watson, October 1977 (pp. 218-219)

Charlotte Rampling by Helmut Newton, 1974 (p. 221)

Eveningwear by Arthur Elgort, 1978 (p. 222-223)

Lisa Taylor by Arthur Elgort, October 1976 (pp. 228-229)

The Right Moment by Arthur Elgort (p. 230)

Lisa Taylor by Helmut Newton, May 1975 (p. 233)

Winnie by Helmut Newton, 1976 (p. 234)

Daryl Hannah by Helmut Newton, 1984 (p. 235)

Bathhouse by Deborah Turbeville, May 1975 (pp. 236-237)

Satin and Leather by Peter Lindbergh, September 1991 (pp. 252-253)

Color and Opulence by Peter Lindbergh, October 1997 (pp. 254-255)

Tribute by Annie Leibovitz, November 1999 Cover (pp. 272-273)

Linda Evangelista by Steven Meisel, September 2001 (p. 274)

Shape by Annie Leibovitz and Patrick Demarchelier, April 2002 (p. 278)

Lisa Cant by Irving Penn, September 2005 (p. 283)

Cindy Crawford by Helmut Newton, December 1991 (p. 287)

Haute Couture by Irving Penn, December 1995 (p. 292-293)

Epic Proportions by Irving Penn, April 2004 (p. 297)

Swimsuits by Mario Testino, May 2000 (pp. 298-299)

Portrait of a Lady by Steven Meisel, March 1995 (p. 307)

Mad About You by Steven Meisel, October 2003 (p. 313)

Naomi Campbell by Herb Ritts, May 1996 (pp. 314-315)

Barbarian Chic by Arthur Elgort (p. 325)

Near Bora Bora by Patrick Demarchelier, December 2004 (p. 330)

Golden Girl by Annie Leibovitz, April 2006 (pp. 345-346)

Condoleeza Rice by Annie Leibovitz, December 2001 (pp. 358-359)

Kate Moss by Irving Penn, September 1996 (pp. 368-369)

Hillary Clinton by Annie Leibovitz, December 1998 (p. 372)

Nicole Kidman by various photographers, September 2003 (pp. 378-379)

Models and Supermodels by Steven Meisel, September 2004 (pp. 380-381)

Ben Stiller and Stella Tennant by Annie Leibovitz, October 2001 (pp. 388-389)

Mario Testino, April 2006 (pp. 392-393)

Take a close look!

Review by Vojtech Licko:

This wonderful history of pages of the fashion magazine provides a document of the tastes, styles and socio-political conditions of over a century. The first class photographs from the lenses of prime photographers, palettes and studios of some of the most famous artists of the period, supplemented with informative text, reflect times of elegance and decadence.

Review by Jana Taylor:

This book was very cool, although I think it is primarily aimed at someone closer to the teenage years than I am. I liked the “handwritten” look to the book, which gave it a more artsy feel.

This book contains everything fashion. It has some pages to color, some pages to draw on and gives open ended ideas to start you off. It also has a few “how to make your own” craft ideas. These would be good for a beginning crafter/fashionista, but I felt like there weren’t enough projects in the book, and the projects that were there were way too simplified for me(someone who sews and crafts regularly)or even for a teenager to handle, so I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I would love to see an “adult” version of this book though, THAT would be right up my alley.

I also liked the fact that the fashion pictured in the book covered lots of different eras and cultures. It wasn’t all modern stuff… which is bound to inspire someone to come up with a modern spin off.

This book will be good for a teenage girl who is either into fashion, or is really good at art/crafting and is looking for some new ideas to inspire her. I think this would have been my favorite book as a teenager, had it existed then. Who knows, it might have inspired me to become a fashion designer?

Review by CJ – MO:

From the title of this book, I thought it was going to be more of a true fashion design book for tweens and young teens, but that was not the case. I think that older tweens/young teens would quickly become bored by the activities in the book, such as drawing buttons on a shoe.

I would not classify the book as a fashion design creation book, but more a nice, creative coloring book for girls ages 8 to 10. For that age group, I think it would be fun and girls would be introduced to many different styles of fashions and also clothing from other cultures. The book would be good as a unique gift for the right age group.

Review by Lou A. Peirce:

I love to sew and create clothing for my family that fit our busy outdoor lifestyle. This book is a great guide for mixing and matching patterns to come up with the design you want.

Review by D. Jean How:

If you want to be a designer, work in the field of retail, understand your consumer’s wide range style views. This is a great book to have for research and resources at your finger tips.

Review by Kimberley Wilson:

Okay, so a lot of people dislike Rachel Zoe intensely. That has nothing to do with the merits of the book. I can’t say that I’d want be pals with Rachel and since I think the 70s were a hideous era I would never be comfortable in her clothes but I have to give credit where it is due. This is an enjoyable book. Rachel Zoe lives a madcap life and she’s not apologizing for it and her ideas on how to prepare for your big night out are excellent. I plan to take up her suggestion of buying an instant camera to check out how a potential outfit really looks.

Her section on packing was very good and I even liked the section on entertaining. If you can only afford to get one book on style get Tim Gunn’s but if you can splurge and you just want to be amused try Style from A to Zoe.

Review by J. Bostwick:

I was hoping for a great book on fashion and style. This is not that book. It’s much more of a “me, my glamorous life and friends” with a dash of usuable information. Not worth the time unless you like that sort of thing.

Review by Dena R. Strong:

I was looking for a book that had fashion croquis and poses. I like most of the poses in this book, but it’s not on a “high fashion” level. It’s great for a entry level illustrations.

Review by K. Huff:

This book is ok. I agree with the other reviewer that it is best for entry level drawing. The croquis are decent minus the stringy hair, broad shoulders, and large, manly necks, but those are things you can fix. The color is horrible and many of the drawings just look downright strange and very much like strippers. I highly suggest to use this book as a starting point, no more.