5 Responses for "My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book for Drawing, Creating and Dreaming"

1. Jana Taylor June 10th, 2010 at 2:11 pm 1

   Review by Jana Taylor for My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book for Drawing, Creating and Dreaming
   Rating:
   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?

2. Judy Smith June 10th, 2010 at 2:27 pm 2

   Review by Judy Smith for My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book for Drawing, Creating and Dreaming
   Rating:
   It says here this book is for ages 8 and up but I feel like it should be for older children myself. It has black and white pictures of clothes, shoes, accessories, etc that your child can color in and fashion their own designs. There’s even a page of different button shapes…although I thought that page didn’t include a good representation of buttons in general. The page with bows was much better.

   It even encourages your child to seek out old patterns for ideas, which I thought was neat. The page with the different stitches was also rather generic and you will have to illustrate this to your child yourself.

   Overall, I think the book is really neat and any girl interested in fashion will enjoy putting her ideas into play using this book. I also think mom will enjoy helping her along with her project!

3. Amy E. Santos June 10th, 2010 at 2:46 pm 3

   Review by Amy E. Santos for My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book for Drawing, Creating and Dreaming
   Rating:
   When I got this book in, I could hardly wait to open it and experience what “My Wonderful World of Fashion” is all about! It’s marketed as ‘A Book for Drawing, Creating and Dreaming’ and I couldn’t agree more!

   My Wonderful World of Fashion is geared mainly towards tween girls with a fascination for fashion and all things that are ‘in’. If you know a certain special someone with an over-active imagination, loves to draw, is into fashion or just likes to put her thoughts on paper, this is your answer!

   I couldn’t believe how quickly the time went by just as I flipped through it. If I actually did all of the activities, I would’ve been busy for hours! I certainly wouldn’t call it a coloring book, but you CAN color in it. It also asks for you to write down thoughts, gives fun fashion facts and keeps tweens up-to-date with what’s going on in the fashion world. There are countless creative ideas in this book!

   The cover itself is stunning and I’d also like to note that it’s NOT just B&W there is a section in the middle full of color pages that can be used as patterns for stockings, gloves, etc. As an avid reader, I love books in general, but add shoes, fashion, and a way to make it ‘my own’ and there’s nothing better! This would make the PERFECT Holiday Gift! If you’re on the fence about this purchase, I hope my review has given you that extra little push you needed to make the purchase! You won’t regret it and (if you’re not buying it for you) neither will the person receiving it!

4. E. M. Van Court June 10th, 2010 at 3:32 pm 4

   Review by E. M. Van Court for My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book for Drawing, Creating and Dreaming
   Rating:
   This book is a better approach to fashion for girls in a lot of ways. The book itself is heavy on what appear to be recycled materials, and the text and graphics are in black and magenta, but the austerity is offset by a down to earth artistic style of illustration and engaging, conversation prose.

   Normally, I’m pretty skeptical about fashion books for girls. This one, I would consider giving to a girl.

   It encourages readers to actually make things rather than look at glossy picture. There are a wide range of ideas for drawing, some things to cut out, and ideas for projects for the readers.

   It’s not tied to a marketing campaign. Many fashion books are tied to a specific brand of clothes or toys. This one is not.

   It enourages readers to come up with their own ideas, rather than accept the interpretations of the authors and their product placement.

   It surveys a broad range of cultural influences and eras. Ancient, modern, Asian, American, African, and other influences and the connections are discussed. Nothing smug, pretentious, or overbearing, just cited as influences on modern fashion and as sources of inspiration.

   The book is meant to be drawn, glued, and cut, so it might not be suitable to be shared (depends on the kids in question).

   This would be an excellent gift for the fashion minded girl who is ready to have her horizons expanded.

   E. M. Van Court

5. S. Fishburn June 10th, 2010 at 4:02 pm 5

   Review by S. Fishburn for My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book for Drawing, Creating and Dreaming
   Rating:
   My wonderful World of Fashion is just what I would have had at the very top of my wish list when I was 8 or 9 years old, but I think even young teens will get a kick out of it. Filled to bursting with pages on which to “draw”, “color”, “create”, and “design”, its pages are also replete with fun (and funny) fashion facts, notes, and observations. Not just clothing, but hair, eyes, hands, jewelry, etc. are also given plenty of attention. In addition to pages on which to draw and color, there are super quick projects, like creating a face mask from a piece of lace; very clever and trés Mardi Gras! Future Project Runway designers will have a ton of fum with this book. If I were giving it as a gift, I would include a gluestick, fabric scraps, buttons, etc. so the recipient could really make the book interactive. Its pages are black ink on a sturdy cream stock, with the exception of a batch of hot pink patterned pages in the center, so if 3-d items were stitched or glued on, this book wouldn’t be in danger of falling apart. Consider Nina Chakrabarti’s Wonderful World of Fashion as you create your gift giving idea lists this year; it’s a low-impact, relatively inexpensive, truly creative, and fun-filled alternative for the young fashionistas in your life.