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REVIEW REVIEW
Superheroes The House of Viktor & Rolf 1960s—A Fashion Source Book Very Vintage North Korean Posters The Essential Principles of Graphic Design
Edited by Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton By Caroline Evans and Susannah Frankel By Marnie Fogg By Iain Bromley and Dorota By David Heather and Koen Ceuster By Debbie Millman
Published by Yale University Press, £30.00 Published by Merrell, £35.00 Published by Batsford, £16.99 Wojciechowska Published by Prestel, £12.99 Published by RotoVision, £25.00
Published by Black Dog, £24.95
Subtitled “Fashion and Fantasy”, this Abbot Released to coincide with the enigmatic Depending on how old you are, this book This is a collection of posters belonging to As well as being an AIGA board member
Miller-designed book accompanies the Dutch duo’s exhibition at the Barbican, this is either a gloriously unselfconscious romp In ye olde days, when something wasn’t new David Heather, an art collector who first and a tutor at New York’s School of
exhibition of the same name at the Costume is a cut above your average exhibition through a collection of rather cool-looking, it was generally referred to as being ‘second- visited the Democratic People’s Republic Visual Arts, Ms Millman is a branding expert,
Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue—it’s designed by FUEL and is tripped-out, retro fashion fabrics—or a grisly hand’. ‘Second-hand’ was pretty much the of Korea in 2004 and was responsible for radio presenter and contributor to both
in New York. The first thing you notice is the packed with luscious imagery in the form of reminder of some of your earliest but territory of students and dole-mongers due to staging the largest ever exhibition of North design blog Speak Up and Print magazine.
Kryptonite-on-Superman effect that the studio shots, sketches and images from the most ghastly wardrobe disasters. Did anyone the general public’s sniffiness about wearing Korean contemporary art in the West in Phew. Does that make her the Martha
book has on you when you pick it up—you designers’ memorable catwalk shows. While else have to endure scaled-down versions anything that was pre-owned (and therefore London last year. Heather owns over 400 Stewart of Design, we wonder? Those about
could be forgiven for thinking that the bonkers Gareth Pugh may have caused of their Mum’s latest curtain fabric-inspired smelly and flea-bitten). The upshot was that of these fascinating hand-painted posters, to embark on a career in graphic design
lashings of spot UV are responsible, but it’s quite a stir recently with his outlandish Butterick creation? No? Just us then. charity shops were full of undiscovered which date back to the 1950s. With a few could do much worse then get their hands
the moulded metal cover that makes it so creations, as this book shows, Viktor & Rolf Not a book to be viewed the morning after gems, ripe for discovery by those who could exceptions, the posters fall fairly and squarely on a copy of this useful little book. While
weighty. America loves a superhero (must (who look like a younger, cooler, better- the night before, or if you’re susceptible to be bothered to riffle through the rails. Fast- into the propaganda category, rallying there’s been a bit of a rush on textbook-like
be something to do with having a baddie dressed version of Gilbert & George) have migraines—this modest little book is all about forward to 2008 and suddenly, in fashion the citizens and warning of the dangers of volumes about graphic design lately,
in charge) and fashion designers have been working the conceptual fashion no-holds-barred colour and expressive Pop terms, anything that’s no longer on the rails the capitalist world. The USA is a particular this is one of the more useful. Divided into
never been shy of a spot of appropriation, thing for years. Masters of the unexpected Art-influenced patterns. It’s about as far from is labelled ‘vintage’, rendering any past target for the anti-imperialist rhetoric: eg three sections, it covers Essential Principles
so this book looks at how the regulation and overstated silhouette, there isn’t the tasteful modernism that we’ve become meanings of the word redundant. ‘Vintage’ “Let’s take revenge a thousand times on the (typography, colour, layout and style),
get-up (mask, boots, tights etc) favoured by much on show that could be described so accustomed to as you can get, but fits nicely into the recycling ethos—hence US imperialist wolves” and “Do not run riot Principles of the Creative Process (visual
superheroes has directly influenced as ‘wearable’—but that would be missing that’s the point. Fogg’s well-researched text most people flog their good stuff on eBay, recklessly! The US might be wiped off the strategy, research, working with images
the world of fashion—be that high street or the point. This is fashion as art—hence the gives us an overview of the landscape of the and anything good that does make it to face of the earth!”. One particularly emotive etc), and Principles Within Disciplines. The
haute couture. Given the somewhat flaky exhibition being held in an art gallery, the time. Old favourites such as Celia Birtwell, the charity shops gets sold straight to the poster shows a pair of machine gun-toting latter, the largest section, looks at the
subject matter, it’s a surprisingly engaging focal point of which is a six-metre-high doll’s Marimekko and Zandra Rhodes are featured; dealers. So what does this informative book US soldiers—one restrains a mother while many (thirty-three in total) different aspects
read (once you’ve prised the varnished house. The traditionally crafted dolls that however, many of the most out-there fabric have to offer? As well as running through past the other dangles a North Korean baby over of graphic design such as editorial design,
pages apart). Maybe it’s because we get to lurk within are dressed in handmade replicas designs come courtesy of California-based decades and their defining trends, it takes a well, Jacko-style. There’s nothing subtle illustration, typography, motion graphics
see a more light-hearted view of fashion as it of various Viktor & Rolf creations and feature Alexander Henry Fabrics and British designer things further by including pattern diagrams or of particular artistic note here, but it’s a etc. Each discipline is illustrated with a project
doesn’t take itself too seriously. Or, maybe it’s heavily in the catalogue, adding to the Natalie Gibson. Also making an appearance so that you can recreate certain key fascinating snapshot of a country that’s been explained by the designer responsible.
just that it’s simply impossible not to laugh at surreal quality of the proceedings. Check out is the original incarnation of Liberty’s garments. The diagrams themselves are very almost completely hidden from Western eyes There’s quite a bit of sketchbook and
some of the bizarre outfits featured here the cover—it’s definitely the creepiest we’ve ubiquitous Tana Lawn. It sends shivers down small, so you’d really need to know what you for the past five decades. How long it will research work included, which is invaluable
(and we’re not just talking Gareth Pugh). seen in a long time. our spine—and not in a good way. were doing on the pattern-cutting front, but remain so is in question—look out for North when trying to understand the design
it’s a nice touch even if you’ve got absolutely Korean Design Now at the V&A some time process involved. As you might expect there’s
no intention of picking up a pair of scissors. around 2028… a heavy bias towards US designers, but
even if you’re not keen on the aesthetics
there’s much to be gained. Recommended.
Review
Six Books
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