Claire Wilcox Livres

Focuses on Parisian and British couture between 1947 and 1957, a decade that Christian Dior described as fashion's 'golden age'. This work features stunning gowns and exquisite tailoring from designers such as Balenciaga, Balmain, Givenchy, and Dior as well as photographs by the likes of Richard Avedon and Cecil Beaton.

This volume is a full-length study of Vivienne Westwood's work as a groundbreaking fashion designer. It seeks to convey the dynamism and impact of her ideas from the early punk years to her more recent collections.

Part of the V&A; Fashion in Detail series, this book illustrates the intricate details of twentieth-century fashion with photographs, expert commentaries and line drawings.

A comprehensive look at the changing styles and uses of one of fashion's best- loved accessories, the bag, throughout history

An expert and intimate exploration of a life in clothes: their memories and stories, enchantments and spells.A linen sheet, smooth with age. A box of buttons, mother-of-pearl and plastic, metal and glass, rattling and untethered. A hundred-year-old pin, forgotten in a hem. Fragile silks and fugitive dyes, fans and crinolines, and the faint mark on leather from a buckle now lost.Claire Wilcox has worked as a curator in Fashion at the Victoria & Albert Museum for most of her working life. Down cool, dark corridors and in quiet store rooms, she and her colleagues care for, catalogue and conserve clothes centuries old, the inscrutable remnants of lives long lost to history; the commonplace or remarkable things that survive the bodies they once encircled or adorned.In Patch Work, Wilcox deftly stitches together her dedicated study of fashion with the story of her own life lived in and through clothes. From her mother's black wedding suit to the swirling patterns of her own silk kimono, her memoir unfolds in luminous prose the spellbinding power of the things we wear: their stories, their secrets, their power to transform and disguise and acts as portals to our pasts; the ways in which they measure out our lives, our gains and losses, and the ways we use them to write our stories.

The 20th century has witnessed extraordinary changes, fads and trends in all aspects of fashion and style. New materials, manufacturing and marketing methods, the deprivation of two World Wars, economic depression and periods of prosperity have all played their part in shaping the variety and inventiveness of clothes and accessory design.

Exploring the evolution of bags, this history showcases items from the Victoria and Albert Museum, highlighting their significance across centuries. It traces the journey from 16th-century embroidered purses to wartime 'make-do-and-mend' designs and the emergence of the 'It' bag in the 2000s. Each example illustrates how bags mirror societal needs, desires, and shifting fashion attitudes, offering a unique perspective on personal and cultural expression through these essential accessories.

The book offers a clear and insightful exploration of the Bible's structure, aimed at those who find its organization perplexing. It breaks down the complex arrangement of biblical texts into seven distinct days, providing readers with a framework to better understand and navigate the scriptures. By simplifying the Bible's configuration, it enhances comprehension and encourages a deeper appreciation of its teachings.

This definitive publication on Alexander McQueen explores the visionary mind of the iconic designer. Accompanying the V&A exhibition "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty," it features unseen material, essays, and striking images that delve into themes like tailoring, gothic elements, and the theatricality of his collections.