Category: fashion

fashion, teen

Chloe by Design: Making the Cut

Bergers Book Reviews

Making the Cut
Author: Margaret Gurevich
Illustrator: Brooke Hagel
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-1-62370-112-3
Pages: 384
Price: $14.95

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Chloe Montgomery is addicted to the fashion reality show Design Diva. So when the producers announce a new contest – Teen Design Diva – Chloe knows she has to enter. But before she can make it to the TV show, she first has to pass auditions. Only 15 designers will make the cut, and she’ll have to work hard and smart.

Navigating the challenges the judges give them is difficult enough, but she also has to worry about her rival, Nina, trying to sabotage her efforts. Doubts in her own abilities surface, and she faces the very real fact that others in the contest might be better than she is. But she keeps on pushing herself, ever hopeful that she’ll be awarded the championship.

Beautiful watercolor drawings of Chloe’s and other contestants’ designs fill the pages, giving color to the descriptions of these interesting fashion pieces as they’re created. Teen girls who love fashion and reality shows will find themselves absorbed in the whirlwind of activity Chloe suddenly finds herself in. Making the Cut is a great read, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Chloe by Design series.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

art, fashion

Fashion Rebel Outfit Maker

Bergers Book Reviews

Fashion Rebel Outfit Maker
Created by: Louise Scott-Smith and Georgia Vaux
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Genre: Art / Fashion
ISBN: 978-0-500-65045-5
Pages: 100
Price: $17.95

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Fashion design begins with the sketch. Putting blouses, skirts, leggings and shoes together in various combinations is the art of creation. And for the serious fashion designer, Fashion Rebel Outfit Maker provides the necessary tools.

This unique kit contains a tracing paper sketchpad with the outline of a model on each page, along with glossy cardboard cards covered in drawings of outfit pieces. The young designer only needs to select the clothing item desired and place it under a sheet of sketch paper. Then it can be traced onto the model.

These template cards contain over 200 items to be sketched. Even shoes and hairstyles, as well as fabric patterns are included. Once the design is in place, it can be colored and given a name in the space at the bottom of the pages.

This kit is simply too cool for words. I would have had a blast with it when I was a teenager, and any young fashion designer will enjoy creating new and exciting outfits on paper. And if they’re handy with a sewing machine, they might even get the chance to turn them into outfits they can wear. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

GIVEAWAY:  Let me know why you want this kit and I’ll send it to you.  Email Alice at the email address shown on the right.

art, fashion

Growing More Beautiful

Bergers Book Reviews


Author: Jennifer Robin
Publisher: Arteful Press
Genre: Fashion / Art
ISBN: 978-0-9817322-0-6
Pages: 224
Price: $29.95

Author’s website
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What makes a woman’s outfit look stylish? Is it the way the fabric flows or hugs her figure? Do the colors match her complexion and hair? Or maybe it’s the way her makeup and accessories complement her outfit? Jennifer Robin suggests all of these and more add up to the perfect look.

Using an artful approach to building a wardrobe, Robin gives us her own perspective as a fashion consultant. She encourages us to analyze our lifestyle and make sure we always have the right clothes for the situations we find ourselves in. There’s nothing more frustrating than staring at a full closet and feeling like we have nothing to wear. Robin explains why we feel that way, and what we can do to fit the problem.

My first thought on reading a book written by a fashion consultant is that she must think we have unlimited budgets for clothes. But this assumption proved false when she brought up the subject herself, suggesting that we need to carefully choose where we plan to shop so we can maximize our clothing dollars.

Art and fashion blend so nicely together in Growing More Beautiful, as photos of beautifully decorated store windows, mannequins, and the author’s own paintings grace the pages. After reading this unique book, I’m sure you’ll be inspired to pick up your own arts and crafts project and go out and buy something new. It’s no fun to go through life drab and dowdy when all it takes is a little artful play to jazz up your own wardrobe.

Reviewer: Alice Berger