From vintage styles to trendy beaded bags, this handbook shows readers how they can create affordable, designer-quality handbags right in their homes, even if they've never sewn a stitch.

Favorite haunts of celebs and stylists, specific stores in the U.S. and Canada, and information on Internet thrift shopping are explored in this guide to fabulous vintage and designer retail shopping.

Capture the spirit of the sixties and seventies with these 35 patterns for scarves, skirts, tank tops, turbans, and more. Do you have a passion for vintage fashion? If so, you're guaranteed to love the 35 patterns in Geek Chic Crochet . With a combination of cute, quirky and cosy items, you will find clothes suitable for any occasion, all inspired by retro designs. If you're meeting for coffee with friends, the tank top in orange and black is perfect teamed with jeans and flats. Heading out to see a band? Opt for the crocheted skirt and brogues. And for a winter walk, wrap up in the granny-squares scarf. For the summer months there's a cute crop top to wear to the beach and cool cover-ups to put on when the sun goes down. You'll also find accessories to complete an ensemble - the collar is perfect for giving a new lease of life to last year's favourite dress or adding detail to a coat. Finally, there are brightly coloured pillows for your bedroom and an oversized hoodie that's perfect to relax in the day after the night before. Making your own clothes is also fun and rewarding. Even if you have never crocheted before, you'll find easy patterns to stitch, plus an extensive techniques section explaining everything you need to know.Nicki Trench is one of the leading figures in the revival and promotion of home crafts. She is the founder of Laughing Hens , the UK's leading online yarn store, and Rooster Yarns . Some of her books include Cute & Easy Crocheted Baby Clothes , A Passion for Quilting and Super Scary Crochet . Visit her website at www.nickitrench.com and blog at nickitrench.blogspot.com.

Bell-bottoms are in. Bell-bottoms are out. Bell-bottoms are back in again. Fads constantly cycle and recycle through popular culture, each time in a slightly new incarnation. The term “retro” has become the buzzword for describing such trends, but what does it mean? Elizabeth Guffey explores here the ambiguous cultural meanings of the term and reveals why some trends just never seem to stay dead. Drawing upon a wealth of original research and entertaining anecdotal material, Guffey unearths the roots of the term “retro” and chronicles its evolving manifestations in culture and art throughout the last century. Whether in art, design, fashion, or music, the idea of retro has often meant a reemergence of styles and sensibilities that evoke touchstones of memory from the not-so-distant past, ranging from the drug-induced surrealism of psychedelic art to the political expression of 1970s afros. Guffey examines how and why the past keeps coming back to haunt us in a variety of forms, from the campy comeback of art nouveau nearly fifty years after its original decline, to the infusion of art deco into the kitschy glamor of pop art, to the recent popularity of 1980s vogue. She also considers how advertisers and the media have employed the power of such cultural nostalgia, using recycled television jingles, familiar old advertising slogans, and famous art to sell a surprising range of products. An engrossing, unprecedented study, Retro reveals the surprising extent to which the past is embedded in the future.

Fun, funky, and fabulous, this book offers a personal buying guide for anyone who wants to look like a million for a fraction of the cost.

Chic on a Shoestring is your entrée into the world of high fashion that will inspire you to create your own covetable clothes and accessories. Learn to transform ornate trims and vintage buttons into spectacular brooches, craft a favorite silk scarf into a chic top, or rework flea market shoes into fashionable showstoppers. With more than 40 unique and stylish ideas—including quick and easy no-sew projects—Chic on a Shoestring will inspire first-time and experienced crafters alike.

Catch the wave of the popular Steampunk Style in crafting as well-known authors and designers, Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil present their own version of this fun and funky look in crafts and home decor with 15 new fanciful projects. They'll show how to create delightful vintage flare from recycled finds of all kinds.

This unique four-volume encyclopedia examines the historical significance of fashion trends, revealing the social and cultural connections of clothing from the precolonial times to the present day. This sweeping overview of fashion and apparel covers several centuries of American history as seen through the lens of the clothes we wear—from the Native American moccasin to Manolo Blahnik's contribution to stiletto heels. Through four detailed volumes, this work delves into what people wore in various periods in our country's past and why—from hand-crafted family garments in the 1600s, to the rough clothing of slaves, to the sophisticated textile designs of the 21st century. More than 100 fashion experts and clothing historians pay tribute to the most notable garments, accessories, and people comprising design and fashion. The four volumes contain more than 800 alphabetical entries, with each volume representing a different era. Content includes fascinating information such as that beginning in 1619 through 1654, every man in Virginia was required to plant a number of mulberry trees to support the silk industry in England; what is known about the clothing of enslaved African Americans; and that there were regulations placed on clothing design during World War II. The set also includes color inserts that better communicate the visual impact of clothing and fashion across eras.

This groundbreaking book brings the study of whiteness and postcolonial perspectives to bear on debates about urban change. A thought-provoking contribution to debates about urban change, race and cosmopolitan urbanism Brings the study of whiteness to the discipline of geography, questioning the notion of white ethnicity Engages with Indigenous peoples' experiences of whiteness – past and present, and with theoretical postcolonial perspectives Uses Sydney as an example of a 'city of whiteness', considering trends such as Sydney's 'SoHo Syndrome' and the 'Harlemisation' of the Aboriginal community

This work offers an overview of how the past has been manipulated in art, politicized and sold to the consumer, yet takes issue with those who claim this interest in heritage is merely obsessive nostalgia. The author covers a multitude of topics, such as the Festival of Britain and conservation.