Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search

“My whole life is other people deciding what’s acceptable. When I put on a dress, I get to decide what’s silly.”

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

by 1 Comment

4.5 stars Official book description: Paris, at the dawn of the modern age:   Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!   Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the […]

I read an entire book about Irish tweed and I think I liked it

Irish Tweed: History, Tradition, Fashion by Vawn Corrigan

by 3 Comments

As a kid I despised history. To me, it was just which war happened what year, and which person invaded that country another year. Honestly the western focus on war and conquering is deeply problematic and ruins so many people’s interest in the past. But the past is so important – it shapes who we are today.  The best way to learn about history, I find, is through culture. Go to any exhibition on fashion through time and most of it deals with fashion as […]

Clothing Westeros

Game of Thrones: Costumes - The Official Book Seasons 1 - 8 by Michele Clapton

by 2 Comments

Because Faintingviolet loves me and totally feeds my addictions, I was gifted this amazing costume reference guide from the Game of Thrones series for Christmas. Written by costumer, Michele Clapton herself, the book is almost as long and comprehensive as GRRM’s series. Complete with full color professional photographs, closeups of the costumes, and some of Clapton’s original drawings, this book was an excellent study in both costuming and the intense process that goes into bringing the written word to screen. Clapton goes through each of […]

Gives ‘fashion conscious’ a new meaning

The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth L. Cline

by 2 Comments

Having an eco-conscience (did I just make up a word?) can be hard, but it doesn’t mean you have to wear bad clothes.  Following on from her previous book, Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, which gave us the ‘why’ behind re-thinking our fashion purchases, The Conscious Closet steps out the ‘how’. From cleaning out your closet responsibly (hint: this does NOT mean doing the after-hours ‘dirty drop off’ of your worn out and likely unwearable clothes at your local charity shop in the vain hope that they’ll […]

Freaks, Geeks, and Automobiles

Role Models by John Waters

by 3 Comments

Oooh mama, this is not for the faint of heart! If you aren’t already a fan of John Waters and his coterie of misfits and outsiders then this is NOT the place to start! I first became aware of John Waters through the 1990 film Cry-Baby. It used to be on TV fairly frequently in the late 90s/early Aughts, and I would secretly watch bits and pieces of it when my parents weren’t in the room. I had the “flashback” button on the remote primed and […]

One Can Tell It Was Written in 1954

The Little Dictionary of Fashion by Christian Dior

by Leave a Comment

Best for: Anyone who might enjoy a 1950s time capsule of fashion terms and ideals. In a nutshell: Christian Dior provides definitions and opinions on everything from collars to tweed in this 65-year-old gift book. Worth quoting: “However much you admire a certain frock or coat on somebody else before you wear a similar one yourself you must think to yourself ‘What will this do for me?’” Why I chose it: In April of this year I was fortunate enough to attend the Dior exhibition […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo