Fashion Design Books - Update

Update:  This store is closing, but there is currently a big 50% off sale going on!

Fashion Design Books (click the link for pictures of the store and their offerings) is a great bookstore, nestled within the campus of Fashion Institute of Technology on West 27th Street.  Open to the public, whether you are a student or not!

With both a website, and their brick and mortar location, they offer much more than simply books.

Fashion Design Books
250 W 27th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 633-9646

Store Hours:

Monday: 8:30AM - 7:00PM 
Tuesday: 8:30AM - 7:00PM 
Wednesday: 8:30AM - 7:00PM 
Thursday: 8:30AM - 7:00PM 
Friday: 9:00AM - 6:00PM 
Saturday: 10:00AM - 4:00PM 
Sunday: CLOSED





One of the beautiful things about this store, (and there are many), is that the names of the products they offer are clearly labeled, letting you know exactly what they are for. In many garment district stores, mystery products abound, but here, you know what you're looking at.


Walk over to the notions area and you will find shirring thread for example, and plastic bags offering 100 zippers for $4.99 (not a typo), quality sewing scissors, screen printing kits, oversized waxed carbon paper and yarn. Aimed at the person who wants to create small quantities with high-quality results, you can get good bang for your buck here.


In addition to that, let's say you want some books. Some of the books they offer are also used for classes taught at FIT. But ANYONE Can buy them, and no, you don't have to be enrolled in a course to do so!


Need drawing supplies? Portfolios? Fashion Art supplies? Books to help you become a better illustrator? It's all here, in a quieter, less hustley-bustley environment (depending on when you choose to go, of course).


They also have a nicely curated selection of high end fashion magazines, from which I had to rip myself away... since I have often wondered if there was a rehab for magazine addicts I could attend in the past. Now I abstain almost entirely!


Anyway... if you've never been to this store, or actually, even if you have, it is worth a second (or ten thousandth) look!

Create the Perfect Fit

I must say... I have some sewing friends who really rock...

Joi Mahon, with whom I have maintained a great friendly rapport over the past decade or so, has been rockin' it for years, and is now the author of a fun book on fitting! 

Note: Other than having my own copy of this book, I am not being paid or compensated in any way for this review.

I received my copy, ready to review it with careful, critical eyes, and let me tell you.... it is a great fit for the hungry sewing audience right now!

Here's what the book assumes:

• That you are sewing with a commercial pattern that is a standard size, and the body of the intended wearer differs from that standard size, which is almost ALWAYS the case, by the way.

• That you RECOGNIZE the difference between the body for which the pattern was intended (understanding both the body measurements and fit descriptions of the pattern) and the body of the intended wearer.

• That you already have basic sewing knowledge, and recognize the markings (bust, waist, hip, etc.) on your commercial pattern. *The book will help you with this.

• That you intend to sew for an adult female or tween figure.  (Although there is one page dedicated to sewing for men)

Here's why it's great:

• Spiral bound/easy to lay open while you work

• Clear, quality photography, so you can both SEE and READ what you are supposed to do.

• The information and techniques are presented in a conversational, easy-to-read, no-nonsense way by Joi, who has experience teaching students in a variety of settings, and addresses the most commonly asked fitting questions!

• Addresses often overlooked issues - modifying ease, applying adjustments to pants, when adjustments intersect design details, and... the adjustments I frequently encounter when sewing for athletic figures, like bicep and upper back adjustments!

This book can certainly fill a gap in your sewing education.  If asked to compare it to any other sewing books I've seen, I would say it is best suited to the more modern, creative sewer.  It is simple enough to be a useful tool, without burdening you with excessive fitting details, and complex enough to help you navigate common fitting issues many sewers face, for a variety of different patterns.

I truly find it a worthy addition to a home sewing library!

Close to home

"Ma also gave me $2.99 to buy a paperback Webster's dictionary.  This cost us almost two hundred finished skirts, since we were paid 1.5 cents per skirt.  For years, I calculated whether or not something was expensive by how many skirts it cost.  In those days, the subway was 100 skirst just to get to the factory and back, a package of gum cost 7 skirts, a hot dog was 50 skirts, and a new toy could range from 300 to 2,000 skirts.  I even measured friendship in skirts.  I learned you had to buy Christmas and birthday presents for friends, which cost at least a few hundred skirts each.  It was a good thing I only had Annette as a friend."

- Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation.

The above quote is an excerpt from a beautifully written work of fiction, which I highly recommend to you all.  The following quote is from the author herself:

We lost all our money in the move to the United States.  My family started working in a sweatshop in Chinatown.  My father took me there every day after school and we all emerged many hours later, soaked in sweat and covered in fabric dust.  Our apartment swarmed with insects and rats.  In the winter, we kept the oven door open day and night because there was no other heat in the apartment. 

-Jean Kwok

With all of my recent talk about foreign factory labor, unions, the importance of local suppliers, etc.  Here's the kicker: I read the about the author page on the web, after seeing her familiar face with a link on a high school friend's Facebook page. The high school the author went to?  Same as my own.  I didn't know her personally, although the classes were small,  (at least, I don't remember - my apologies if you see this somehow, Jean if that isn't true, but I certainly know your face!) since we were a year apart. 

The hard truth is this:  You have no idea what kind of hardship your neighbor may be facing. With enough food worldwide to fill everyone's bellies, 1 in 8 people is hungry.  This shocking statistic is amplified when visiting the Our Global Food exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City right now.  With our closets and drawers overflowing, and workers are sometimes risking even death to make even more clothing for those of us privileged enough to buy even more stuff, without even thinking twice. A family friend who works as a home health aid had a nearly impossible time trying to find an appropriate school for her autistic son, so she could simply earn a modest living.

The fact is, this is about far more than clothing.

What can we do?  Well, we don't need an official "movement", since everyone can take steps of his/her own.  Here's what my (literal) sister is doing. How about you?

There is always SO much to learn... (Part 1 of ... well... who knows how many?)

Anyone who creates garments, whether professionally, or even strictly as an enthusiastic hobbyist, gets pretty excited about learning new techniques. Classes can be hard to find, and expensive when you do find them. Books are great, when they are the RIGHT books, and videos can be great... but some of us just need to learn in a classroom setting, with a skilled teacher who uses his/her own HANDS and HEART to teach us. This inspired me to go on a bit of a hunt for learning opportunities. This post could go ON and ON and ON... so if you want more, just ask. I'll list my findings here, and welcome any of you to chime in with your thoughts, experiences, desires, and ideas!

BOOKS
When it comes to books, there are so many dedicated to sewing. Some technical manuals are far too technical, and some books written for home sewers are a bit too... well... "homemade" in their approach.

If costume design is your thing, check out The Drama Bookshop on 40th Street near 8th Ave (between NY Elegant and Sposabella Lace). You will be sure to find some inspiration and information there.

If you want patternmaking or design books, especially for the aspiring professional who doesn't want to commit to a course of study right now, you may discover some cool books in the bookstore at FIT, which is open to the general public. This Barnes and Noble affiliated store offers a good number of books and supplies, but also reveals a great deal about what ISN'T a priority for the school in these economic times. The book selection is heavy on the glitter and glamour aspects of the fashion business - not too much for the person who actually wants to design or participate manually in the manufacture of clothes. I guess that's just reality, though. If you want to be a factory worker or similar, why bother getting a degree when you can simply bootstrap it, right?

And while we're on the subject of bookstores, just WHO is the customer for $50 or $90 fashion magazines? Why do they even exist? Especially when they aren't even sealed in plastic! You can leaf through them right in the store, ya know? Someone explain!?!?

Now, across the street (250 West 27th Street - website seems to be down), you will find the Fashion Design Bookstore (open to the public), which has LOTSA stuff, and many interesting things to distract you.

I was looking at design books when... oh wait... Alexander McQueen paper dolls? Really?

Oh wait, I digress. I was looking at fashion books when... oh wait... a T-shirt screen printing kit?.... Oh wait, again, I digress. Not for the ADD creative person... clearly.

CLASSES
If you would like to learn draping, in my opinion , there is only one place to REALLY learn, because you really need the right equipment to do it well. Oh, and you should be able to afford the class, too. To learn how to drape, without pursuing a degree, you have to enroll in a Continuing Ed course at FIT. Now, if you have a bit of cash to spend, you can certainly get a good sewing education at Parsons, right in the very heart of the garment district. Click here for continuing education courses Parsons offers.

If you want to be a bit less formal about it, and a bit cozier, try The Sewing Studio. In my experience, they hardly ever answer the phone, but the classes must exist, since I know Gertie from the uber-popular Blog for Better Sewing teaches there, and I'd bet you money her classes are a blast!

If you are SERIOUSLY interested in an in-depth course of study, learn more about the Maison Sapho School. Not in the garment district, but a VERY serious Manhattan school, where French dressmaking techniques are taught in a no-nonsense course for only the most dedicated dressmaking students.

Next, I'll tell you about individual teachers, and why you might want to pursue learning options with them, specifically! To be continued... whew... my hands are tired!