Here are my top 9 recommended books for fashion design!(video)
Here are my top 9 recommended books for fashion design!(video)Hello Fashion Creatives!!
I’m so happy you’re here.
Finally, answering “that” question: 9 Awesome Books for those who are learning Fashion and Design and Illustration!!
Except- I’m revisiting this page about ten years later and adding my favorite updates below the video. I STILL LOVE AND RECOMMEND the same books, but I’m going to add a few goodies at the bottom of the page to “round out” the offerings”. Please drop a comment if you have any questions about books!
Check out the video on youtube,(below) then look under the video for the amazon links to each book if you want to buy any one now.
From Patternmaking essentials with great drawings and diagrams to inform your illustrations and knowledge of how garments work,
to fashion draping techniques, sewing and construction,
to books about design research, sketching, designers, and color theory, this half-hour talk is well worth your time to learn more about how these books can enhance your experience, and your knowledge of fashion design.
Also, rather than falling down a rabbit-hole on the internet, these books are FANTASTIC REFERENCES for your home library to inspire you at any moment.
Above all, I’m here to inspire you and guide you to great resources!
Here’s the video: 9 Top Recommended Books for Fashion Design from a 30 year VETERAN FASHION DESIGN PROFESSOR!
I’ve been teaching for 25 years at Parsons: from Patternmaking, Draping and Sewing/Construction studios, Portfolio Development and Presentation, Model Drawing Beginner – Advanced, Fashion Illustration, and Fashion Concept Development.
An illustrator, sketch artist, technical designer, and coach (who is also a performing artist/musician -jazz and Brazilian) and have been a passionate single homeschooling mom to 3 since 2000.
CREATIVITY and LOVE are the foundations of everything I do. I want my students to feel motivated deeply from within and be the primary guiding force in their own journey to self-expression, creative, and professional fulfillment and satisfaction.
and hey-
I also POST FASHION ON INSTAGRAM almost EVERY DAY.
Do you love it too?
Follow along here:
https://instagram.com/lauravolpintesta
MY BOOK first of course, :
the Language of Fashion Design: 26 Principles Every Fashion Designer Should Know:
http://www.amazon.com/Language-Fashio…
This is an excellent fashion design book full of visual examples bringing FASHION DESIGN visual and verbal language together. Excellent for bringing you on board into deeper conversations about fashion design.
It also includes 26 designer highlights/ biographies.
THIS ONE IS NEWLY ADDED:
There is nothing more disheartening than watching sketching being removed from fashion curriculae and being completely replaced with digital fashion desighn.
Fine- learn the digital tools if you want or need, but the work you do on paper (or ipad) FREEHAND SKETCHING is SACRED!!!
…. don’t be fooled (for those who know and understand and WANT it, fashion sketching is PROFOUND).
Creative, endless, open ended, sensual, tactile, curious and natural, it brings out an entirely different aspect of the fashion designing experience, as well as the experience of living a creative, satisfying life in contact with nature and physical forms in an intimate way.
The Art of Zandra Rhodes:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos…
Trained as a textile designer, Zandra Rhodes’ book shows her extensive archive of fashion designs based on ethnic costume constructions and original authorial printed fabrics, a truly iconic and unique designer of her time! And I love to see her themes from season to season and how they roll out. (You can learn more about her and her ethnic clothing approach inside my masterclass series Fashion Design Infusion.
Color: How to Use It
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_…
Color (and design) theory was one of the most mind-blowing courses I ever took as an undergrad. This book is incredibly thorough and extensive in discussing and clarifyiong all manner of dynamics of design theory and color interaction. Written and thoroughly researched by one of my colleagues at Parsons. Awareness of these principles gives you so many tools to consciously wield in visual expression and design!
****NOTE: this book has become more difficult to find in recent years.
And so, my next go-to is Yale University’s digital OR paperback edition of Josef Albers’ iconic classic the Interaction of Color. (the Digital version has some interesting interactive experiences built into it!)
Draping: the Complete Course
http://www.amazon.com/Draping-Complet…
GET THIS BOOK!!!!!!
I only WISH we had a book like this when I was a fashion design undergrad student.
Gorgeous, clear and lush photographs take you step-by-step through draping and patternmaking techniques for a well-rounded range of beautiful fashion garment designs. Pants, skirts, collars, jackets, sleeves, blouses, corsets… all draped, pinned and marked on the dress form.
I’m also going to link right here the 2nd book in the series, Advanced Creative Draping, because it’s just as fabulous as the first one.
For more in depth, check out my Patternmaking and Draping course as a foundation for tackling the projects in the book, as it teaches you the whole language of Patternmaking, marking, draping, pinning, cutting, creating, draping- you don’t want to miss out on experiencing that.
I’m also available to coach a few mentors each season through the projects within the book.
Don’t have a dress form? Check here, for a standard, basic form and others. You can also get scissors, muslin and other patternmaking tools on this site.
Fashion Design Course:
http://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Design-…
This is a great book to jump-start your fashion design book/ croquis book for researching, compiling and developing your fashion design concepts in depth! A personal, loaded, creative space inside a sketchbook is the best portfolio for showing how you “think and feel fashion design. “
it’s one of the most pleasurable and rich ways to express and grow your ideas and visions, for sure!
Patternmaking for Fashion Design:
http://www.amazon.com/Patternmaking-F…
I know i am so enthusiastic about all of these Fashion Design Books, but it’s true! This book is amazing. I have the Second Edition, and it’s my favorite, but there are many great editions, all good.
I assign it in every single class I teach!– from fashion illustration and flats, portfolio and model drawing classes to draping, sewing and patternmaking classes.
Why? it teaches the visual and VERBAL vocabulary giving a wide and rich foundation, as well as having specific instructions, clear diagrams, and EXCELLENT fashion sketches that are stylish, shaded, AND technically clear.
Have you ever fallen down a rabbit hole in the middle of the night scanning youtube videos for sewing tips??
I have two favorite reference books for fashion design sewing that i recommend for very good reason.
it’s not just helpful to have a GORGEOUS book about sewing and garment construction.
When it’s 2a.m. and i’m building a garment in the heat of creative flow, i want NOTHING LESS than super clear, step-by-step instructions and nothing else. That’s why I recommend these two books:
A Guide to Fashion Sewing by Connie Amaden-Crawford has crystal clear, instructions for every element of garment construction so you can build your clothes with confidence!
The “Advanced Edition” just has more fabulous sewing techniques since they don’t all fit into one .
oh how i WISH all of my students had these books at home. I require them, but still so many try to figure things out other ways.
I’m forever grateful to the master hands who were my instructors at Parsons School of Design in the 90s, such as Maria Laveris, who gave me such incredible skills that I feel I can make anything I want, any time I want.
THIS IS WHAT I WANT FOR MY STUDENTS!!
Fashion Design Research:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_…
Fashion design is born from where? I never actually used a book to guide this journey, but if you want one, here it is. To me, research is (and should be ) natural and pleasurable. There are no limits on the resources and references that come together for you in the creation of fashion garments or collections.
YOU can research within the world of fashion and design history and current trends, or work entirely outside of that realm and bring that which is NOT “FASHION” into fashion. Art, locations, technologies, music, movements, muses… the list is ENDLESS, like your creativity.
Fashion Designer’s Textile Directory:
http://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Designe…
As my students know, I am obsessed with the fact that we should always sketch with fabric IN OUR HANDS. And in that respect, this book falls short because it only shows pictures of fabric swatches for fashion designers. BUT it is rich in VOCABULARY and fashion language, as well as shows most of the fabrics both flat as well as in USE which can tell you a lot about how they can drape and feel.
So it’s a great book to own and refer to again and again. It will definitely build your vocabulary and confidence in talking about fashion fabrics and the quality of the book printing is gorgeous. BUT YOU NEED TO BACK THIS UP WITH FABRICS IN HAND: swatches, etc.
More on that in my courses, programs, and blog posts for you!
A Field Guide to Fabric Design:
http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Fab…
Some people couldn’t care less about prints, but for others of us, there is no fashion without prints and patterns! This book helps you focus and get clear on the foundation of different kinds of print repeats for fashion and interior design and how you can create your own digitally and by hand….. as well as learn the vocabulary to talk about prints and the techniques that help you be creative with them.
I hope you truly enjoy and get something from this video!
I keep an archive of design details and model poses for sketching, as well as inspiration, on Pinterest. If you enjoy pinterest too, join me over there!
PINTEREST:
https://www.pinterest.com/fashntribal…
I’ve lovingly created the Fashion Masterclass Series and Soulful Fashion Foundation Coaching Program to bring professional and creative skills to women in their homes, all over the world, over wi-fi, to learn on THEIR SCHEDULES at their own pace in their own strength and not be intimidated by a university structure …. non-competitive, encouraging, and focused on finding your own voice and strengths to do work that you LOVE to do.
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