Cosplay: Wearing Your Fandom

Japanese woman in cosplay outfit, Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan, Asia. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
quest.eb.com/search/151_2569803/1/151_2569803/cite. Accessed 14 Oct 2017.

For me personally, cosplay is the strongest and purest way to express your love for a fandom. Creating a costume from scratch by spending days and nights with your sewing machine or heat gun and using most of your hard-earned money to bring this dream to life takes passion and pure dedication. Before cosplay you just consumed the art and worlds of other artists by reading comics, watching movies or playing video games, but now you're becoming the artist yourself!
~Svetlana Quindt AKA Kamui Cosplay

We confess, our first introduction to cosplay was when we happened upon Shoichi Aoki's Fruits in the early oughts. This book of portraits of Japanese street kids in Tokyo's Harajuku district, taken from a popular fanzine of the same name, is probably more about fashion than cosplay, but it is about having fun with fashion. Though there are a lot of "Gothic Lolitas," you also find references to anime such as Sailor Moon popping up. But cosplay existed long before 2000. The first recorded cosplay (a portmanteau of costume play) involving an established character - as opposed to a masquerade or fancy dress party - took place at the 1st World Science Fiction Convention in 1939, according to Wikipedia, with fan costuming at conventions taking off slowly and primarily in party settings. The term cosplay was not actually coined until 1984, although fan costuming had been a phenomenon in Japan since the 1970s. Japan later became the home for cosplay cafés and the first World Cosplay Championship, one of many events for cosplayers.

Cosplay is not just a costume worn for a party or holiday. Cosplay costumes are drawn from any movie, TV series, book, comic book, video game, or anime and manga characters. Steampunk became a very popular look recently. Cosplayers often stay in character whenever in costume, although this kind of performance is more often seen in live-action role-playing (LARP). Some cosplayers just model their costumes without staying in character.You can buy costumes, or create your own from scratch - costumes are judged for accuracy, craftmanship, presentation, and audience impact in competition. There are those who cosplay "to create, learn, socialize, and be someone or something you've always dreamed of."

Other than cosplay-centered conventions, another place to find cosplay is, of course, any comic convention worth its salt - New Mexico has several options, including Bubonicon, Las Cruces Comic Con, and the Indigenous Comic Con (coming up in November!)  - or at the Renaissance Fair (locally, there's one in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe).

If you're interested in exploring cosplay, the library catalog has some titles that might help you along. As Kamui Cosplay says, "Being an artist means being free to express yourself and not be bound by skin color, sex or body shape. Dress up as whoever you want to be and enjoy all the different character interpretations you'll find on the convention floor."

How To Cosplay. Vol. 1.

The Hero's Closet: Sewing For Cosplay and Costuming by Gillian Conahan

The Costume Making Guide: Creating Armor & Props for Cosplay by Svetlana Quindt, aka Kamui Cosplay

Make: Props and Costume Armor - Create Realistic Science Fiction and Fantasy Weapons, Armor, and Accessories by Shawn Thorsson

Knits For Nerds: 30 Projects - Science Fiction, Comic Books, Fantasy by Joan of Dark, a.k.a. Toni Carr

Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen by Abby Denson [eBook]

The Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan by Patrick W. Galbraith

Leaving Mundania: Inside the Transformative World of Live Action Role-Playing Games by Lizzie Stark

New & Novel: Fashion & Style

We sat down to write about fashion, and two songs immediately started running through our heads - "Fashion" by the late, great David Bowie, and "Supermodel (You Better Work)" by reality show star RuPaul. But there's more to style than working the catwalk! We've assembled a list of books that focus on a variety of aspects of fashion and style, from memoirs and biographies to fashion history, from costume design to street style, from the little black dress to the human and environmental costs of the fashion industry, from Paris to the Republic of the Congo, famous designers and beyond.


Wear and Tear: The Threads of My Life by Tracy Tynan

Focus: The Secret, Sexy, Sometimes Sordid World of Fashion Photographers by Michael Gross

Dressing the Decades: Twentieth-Century Vintage Style by Emmanuelle Dirix

Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair by Emma Tarlo

In the Name of Gucci: A Memoir by Patricia Gucci ; with Wendy Holden

American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion & Business by Tommy Hilfiger with Peter Knobler 

Denim: Fashion's Frontier by Emma McClendon 

9 1/2 Narrow: My Life in Shoes by Patricia Morrisroe

Love x Style x Life by Garance Doré

The Sartorialist: X by Scott Schuman

The Tattoorialist: Tattoo Street Style by Nicolas Brulez

Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour by Dita Von Teese with Rose Apodaca 

Model Woman: Eileen Ford and the Business of Beauty by Robert Lacey 

Dior & I [DVD]

The Mood Guide to Fabric and Fashion: The Essential Guide From the World's Most Famous Fabric Store edited by Melanie Falick

Girl in Dior by Annie Goetzinger [eBook]

Tales From the Back Row: An Outsider's View From Inside the Fashion Industry by Amy Odell

Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin by Andrew Wilson

Fashion Victims: Dress at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell

Tales From the Royal Wardrobe [DVD]

Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style

Creating the Illusion: A Fashionable History of Hollywood Costume Designers by Jay Jorgensen and Donald L. Scoggins

The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled Into the Spotlight and Made History by Robin Givhan 

Fear and Clothing: Unbuckling American Style by Cintra Wilson 

Hijacking the Runway: How Celebrities Are Stealing the Spotlight From Fashion Designers by Teri Agins 

Dimanche à Brazzaville: Sunday in Brazzaville [hoopla eVideo] 

A History of the Paper Pattern Industry: The Home Dressmaking Fashion Revolution by Joy Spanabel Emery 

The Roots of Style: Weaving Together Life, Love & Fashion by Isabel Toledo 

Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington 

Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History by Rhonda K. Garelick 

New Icons of Fashion Illustration by Tony Glenville 

Famous Frocks: The Little Black Dress - Patterns For 20 Garments Inspired By Fashion Icons by Dolin Bliss O'Shea 

The True Cost [DVD] 

    

Fans

Here at abcreads, we confess to a fascination with antiquated social customs, especially those from the Victorian era. Imagine employing the language of flowers in daily life - we can never disparage a gift of carnations now, knowing they might mean "My heart aches for you" (red) or "I'll never forget you" (pink). Or having to use calling cards again, and all the complicated etiquette that that involved. Steampunk has brought us back corsets, bustles, petticoats, and other Victorian finery. There was even a museum exhibit of mourning jewelry a couple of years ago. Personally, we'd like to see fans make a comeback.

There are a couple of books about fans in the library catalog, of particular interest to fashion history buffs. For instance, to quote from the library's holdings, we find that from 1700-1800, "Fans of majestic proportions (à grand vol) balanced skirts held out by paniers. They dwindled to 'imperceptibles' to match the deflated skirts of Revolutionary times. To carry a fan of grand luxe became unfashionable as well as politically unwise"; in the 19th century, there was a "European fashion for articles in the Chinese taste" [chinoiserie], so many fans featured art from the East; and "since 1914, the story of European fans has been essentially one of decline... In the 1920s extravagant feather fans were considered the perfect accessory for a slimline evening dress, but since then fans have enjoyed only fitful popularity..."

If we have piqued your interest in fans, check out:

Fans by Avril Hart and Emma Taylor

Fans in Fashion: Selections From the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco by Anna G. Bennett, with Ruth Berson

Fans From the East edited by Carol Dorrington-Ward 

We would also like to encourage the use of fans in ordinary life. It certainly gets hot enough in New Mexico to warrant carrying one around, and you can get the ones that fold up very cheaply! Plus, you can use them to communicate amongst an elite circle of fan aficionados, using the language of the hand fan (courtesy of the website elAbanico):
 
To hold the fan with the right hand in front of the face.
Follow me.

To hold it in the left ear.
I want you to leave me alone.

To let slide it on the forehead.
You have changed.

To move it with the left hand.
They are watching us.

To change it to the right hand.
You are imprudent.

To throw the fan.
I hate you.

To move it with the right hand.
I love another.

To let slide it on the cheek.
I want you.

To hold it closed.
Do you love me?

To let slide it on the eyes.
Go away, please.

To touch the edge of the hand fan with the fingers.
I want to talk to you.

To hold it on the right cheek.
Yes.

To hold it on the left cheek.
No.

To open and close it.
You are cruel.

To leave it hanging.
We will continue being friends.

To fan slowly.
I am married.

To fan quickly.
I am engaged.

To hold the fan in the lips.
Kiss me.

To open it slowly.
Wait for me.

To open the hand fan with the left hand.
Come and talk to me.

To strike it, closed, on the left hand.
Write me.

To semiclose it in the right and on the left.
I can't.

To hold it opened, covering the mouth.
I am single. 
 

Come Fly With Me

Are you traveling by air this holiday season? Travel in the past has seemed so glamorous - loading your steamer trunk onto a passenger ship (unless, of course, it's the Titanic, Lusitania, or other famous disaster), flying in a propeller plane.  Maybe we've watched old movies too many times, or too many Indiana Jones movies (where you see Indy's itinerary traced out on a map), but in our heads, every time we get on our plane and sit in our economy class seat and are served our lackluster airplane meal (if we get one), it's a bit disappointing.  Whether you are an armchair traveler or heading out into the wild blue yonder this season - well, you can dream, can't you?  Or, at least, check out what travel was really like in the past.

Jet Set: The People, The Planes, The Glamour, and The Romance in Aviation's Glory Years  by William Stadiem

In October 1958, Pan American World Airways began making regularly scheduled flights between New York and Paris, courtesy of its newly minted wonder jet, the Boeing 707. Almost overnight, the moneyed celebrities of the era made Europe their playground. At the same time, the dream of international travel came true for thousands of ordinary Americans who longed to emulate the "jet set" lifestyle. Bestselling author and Vanity Fair contributor William Stadiem brings that Jet Age dream to life again in the first-ever book about the glamorous decade when Americans took to the skies in massive numbers as never before, with the rich and famous elbowing their way to the front of the line. Dishy anecdotes and finely rendered character sketches re-create the world of luxurious airplanes, exclusive destinations, and beautiful, wealthy trendsetters who turned transatlantic travel into an inalienable right. 

Airline: Style at 30,000 Feet 

written and designed by Keith Lovegrove

This fascinating book examines every aspect of airline style, from the company liveries and interior designs of planes to advertising, haute couture and airborne haute cuisine. Divided into four sections covering fashion, food, interior design and identity, Airline shows how airborne culture has changed since the 1920s. The book spans the conservative to the outrageous, from saris to hotpants, from Hugh Hefner's private jet to the huge Airbus A380. A wide selection of retro styles are illustrated with illuminating archive material and images of ephemera. Airline uncovers the style, image and experience of the parallel universe that exists at 39,000 feet.   *book blurbs are taken from the catalog unless otherwise noted  Links   Take a One-Way Trip from Tatty to Natty [Slate]   All Aboard AirBnB's Airplane Apartment [Messy Nessy Chic]   Come Fly Away [RL Magazine]   What It Was Really Like to Fly During the Golden Age of Travel [Fast Company]  Forget 1960, The Golden Age Is Now [New York Times]   The Endless Holiday [Vanity Fair]  

New & Novel: Fashion

Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.
~Vivienne Westwood

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.

~Coco Chanel

We don't fancy ourselves to be fashionistas here at abcreads, but we do love discovering fashion! Whether it's about Marie Antoinette or Diana Vreeland, about creating the perfect frock or reminiscing about your favorite piece of clothing, pictures of shoes or a movie about Donatella Versace's triumph as the head designer of her brother's fashion empire, the library catalog has plenty of items to make you feel like you've got a front row seat at a fashion show!  We've compiled a list of items for you that includes several fashion topics, but if you have any requests, let us know in the comments!

History of Fashion

The Vogue Factor: The Inside Story of Fashion's Most Illustrious Magazine by Kirstie Clements

Glitter Plan: How We Started Juicy Couture For $200 and Turned It Into a Global Brand by Pamela Levy

The Lost Art of Dress: The Women Who Once Made America Stylish by Linda Przybyszewski

Marie Antoinette's Head: The Royal Hairdresser, the Queen, and the Revolution by Will Bashor [eBook]

Art & Sole by Jane Gershon Weitzman

Great War Fashion: Tales From the History Wardrobe by Lucy Adlington

Elegance In an Age of Crisis: Fashions of the 1930s edited by Patricia Mears and G Bruce Boyer


Create

Stylish Skirts: 23 Simple Designs to Flatter Every Figure by Sato Watanabe

Basic Black: 26 Edgy Essentials for the Modern Wardrobe by Sato Watanabe

Buffi's Dress Design: Sew 30 Fun Styles by Buffi Jashanmal

Famous Frocks: The Little Black Dress - Patterns For 20 Garments Inspired by Fashion Icons by Dolin Bliss O'Shea

The Language of Fashion Design: 26 Principles Every Fashion Designer Should Know by Laura Volpintesta


Fashion-Forward Faces 

The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane Von Furstenberg

Mademoiselle C  [DVD]

Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History by Rhonda K. Garelick

House of Versace [DVD]

The Master of Us All: Balenciaga, His Workrooms, His World by Mary Blume

Elsa Schiaparelli: A Biography by Meryle Secrest

Champagne Supernovas: Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, and the '90s Renegades Who Remade Fashion by Maureen Callahan

Bold, Beautiful and Damned: The World of 1980s Fashion Illustrator Tony Viramontes by Dean Rhys Morgan


Miscellaneous

Worn Stories by Emily Spivack

Women in Clothes by Sheila Heti, [et al.]

Books with Style

I am a dedicated follower of fashion, despite the fact that I don't rock a lot of personal glamour myself.  But I can dream about being a style maven, right?  Here are a few books that help me live the dream:

Schiaparelli & Prada: Impossible Conversations by Andrew Bolton and Harold Koda

This is a gorgeous book, the catalog from an exhibit that just ended in August at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Elsa Schiaparelli was a designer in the early decades the the 20th century, perhaps best remembered these days for getting Wallis Simpson, future Duchess of Windsor, kitted up in a dress with a lobster painted on the front - a motif inspired by the Surrealists, including Dalí.  Don't miss these "conversations" between Schiap & Prada on ugly chic, the exotic body, waist up/waist down, & more!

Jean Paul Goude with texts by Edgar Morin, George Lois, & Jean-Paul Gaultier

This beautiful & sometimes explicit collection is not for the faint of heart!  A selection of photos & images by Goude, "designer, illustrator, filmmaker, even choreographer". Goude has made commercials for Kodak & for 10 years was in charge of Galeries Lafayette's advertising campaign, but I especially enjoy the images of his "muse", Grace Jones.

Coco Chanel: The Legend & The Life by Justine Picardie

I don't think you can have a proper fashion biography without a lot of pictures, & this book is satisfyingly chockablock with photographs & drawings. Full disclosure: I haven't read it yet, but with chapter headings such as "Mademoiselle is at home", "The Little Black Dress", & "Through a Glass, Darkly", this book is calling to me. I'm even more won over by the blurb: "...this beautifully constructed portrait gives a fresh & penetrating look at how Coco Chanel made herself into her own most powerful creation".

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty by Andrew Bolton

Another Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition catalog! Alexander McQueen, a British fashion designer who died in 2010, left behind a stunning design legacy, as reflected in this catalog.  McQueen's creative vision was informed by one of his favorite quotes, "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind" (also tattooed on his arm), & he was not afraid to shock with his collections. His style includes the use of kimono style, references to Julia Margaret Cameron's photography, & touches from nature (antlers & shells).  Don't miss page 132.  It just makes me happy.

Daphne Guinness by Valerie Steele & Daphne Guinness

I picked up this book because it came up in a search of the catalog on "fashion", not knowing a thing about Daphne Guinness.  Turns out she's a granddaughter of one of the fierce Mitford sisters!  A friend of Alexander McQueen! & a fashion icon, who not only collects couture but is a "designer, editor, model, muse, & stylist" [from the inside cover]. In this book she displays her personal style in a wide variety of photographs, from family photos to shots by Mario Testino.  Vogue editors, photographers, & fashion designers (Valentino & Philip Treacy, to name but two) declaim her style sense with admiration, if not downright awe.  Pick up this book for the hats alone, & stay with it because she is such a character.  & enjoy the metal gauntlet gloves she designed herself.

Vogue's September Issue

I must say that I am a person who loves clothes and shoes, and who loves to shop. However, I do not spend much time looking at fashion magazines, except for the magical time in late summer when the fall fashion collections are shown in magazines around the world. Once a year, just around this time, I will actually buy copies of magazines for my own, making a special effort to find Vogue’s September issue. I discovered the September issue in 2005 when a friend gave me her copy when she was done with it. Ever since then it has been a special late summer treat for me to bring home a copy of the weighty magazine and spend a day looking at the glossy advertisements, wishing I could take the infamous advice of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, and be thin enough to wear everything in the magazine, and rich enough to afford it.

 

Vogue’s September issue has reached a special fame after the documentary movie The September Issue was released in 2009. The movie follows the evolution of Vogue’s biggest issue to date, the 2007 September issue, from the points of view of Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, and fashion editor Grace Coddington. Since the debut of the movie it seems that more people are aware of the late summer and early autumn magazines that feature the newest fashions. However, September 2007 looks paltry in comparison to Vogue’s September 2012, coming in at a record 916 pages (2007 was 840 pages), featuring fashionista Lady Gaga on the cover. Besides the fall fashion collections this issue also celebrates being in business (en vogue, shall we say?) for 120 years. Many women can remember their grandmothers and their great-grandmothers reading Vogue, although its evolution as a fashion magazine has been years in the making. In September 1892 the first issue was released as a weekly society pamphlet, which slowly evolved into a fashion magazine. By the time editor Diana Vreeland took creative control of the magazine in the 1960s Vogue was known as the place for viewing the latest fashions. Under Vreeland’s editorship the magazine began running articles and features based on current events of the day, including the sexual revolution and the hippie movement. Models and fashion photographers became famous when featured in Vogue, and trends flourished after being featured in the magazine. To this day, Vogue is still the first place to look for fashion ideas, fashion advice, fashion trends, anything fashion!

 

Obviously, there is a lot to be said for finding your own voice of fashion. Magazines are simply the starting point. (I think is one of the reasons I don’t buy them year round is that I like to find my own style!) They do offer a great way to get new ideas of how to wear clothes in your head, although most of us will never have the funds to go the lengths the magazines seem to push us. However, sometimes just finding a new color in an ad to search for when you buy clothes can be inspiring.

 

I look forward to this time of year when the days start getting cooler, and the sun looks a little darker, and I look through Vogue’s September issue and dream of designer dresses. It’s a fun escape to imagine wearing the very latest clothes in exotic locations. If I happen to pick up a little fashion advice, a new thought for what shoes to look for, or what shade of nail polish is available along the way, so much the better.

 

Check out Vogue back issues at the library, and take a peek at the September issue 2012 (which will not be available to check out until the next issue is out). Click here to see what branches carry it. If you’re interested in the documentary The September Issue, click here.

 

The library also offers some great books on fashion. Here’s a short list to get you started:

TheThoughtful Dresser by Linda Grant

Advanced Style by Ari Seth Cohen

The Style Checklist: Ultimate Wardrobe Essentials for Youby Lloyd Boston

100Years of Fashion by Cally Blackman

Style Book: Fashionable Inspirations by Elizabeth Walker

If you're interested in learning more about the women who helped make Vogue the powerhouse that it is today check out these biographies:

Front Row: Anna Wintour, The Cool Life and Hot Times of Vogue's Editor-in-Chief by Jerry Oppenheimer

Diana Vreeland by Eleanor Dwight

 

Browsing the Shelf: Personal Appearance & Poets Ranked by Beard Weight

Some of my favorite books have been discovered by browsing the stacks.  Sometimes I find myself in an unusual section (this probably happens more to me than the average customer, since I am in the library all the time,  but bear with me), I spy an intriguing title, & I start to explore the books around it.  That's how I found myself  in the 390s (Customs, etiquette, folklore in the Dewey Decimal classification system) & particularly immersed in the 390s (Costume & personal appearance). Here's a list of some of the most interesting titles that I found between call numbers 391.413 - 391.64!


Poets Ranked By Beard Weight: The Celebrated Edwardian Classic by Upton Uxbridge Underwood

The Dirt on Clean : An Unsanitized History by Katherine Ashenburg

Hair: Public, Political, Extremely Personal by Diane Simon

The Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning, and Sexual Power of Red Hair by Marion Roach

Rapunzel's Daughters: What Women's Hair Tells Us About Women's Lives by Rose Weitz

Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty by Nancy Etcoff

Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful by Teresa Riordan

The OddShoeFinder.com Shoe Wearer's Handbook by Clare Barron and Kent Basson

Women from the Ankle Down: The Story of Shoes and How They Define Us by Rachelle Bergstein

The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort by EllynAnne Geisel

Even if the library is closed, you can get lost in the stacks using the online catalog!  If you are looking in a book's record, click on the call number (in the Location - Call # - Status table), & the catalog will display "Nearby Call Nos" for you to browse at will.

What Not to Read into Fashion

There are a lot of people writing (& hosting TV shows) about fashion. We've all heard the catchwords: "What Not to Wear", "Fierce Style", "fashionista" & so on. You can read books about Audrey Hepburn's & Jackie O's style. But most of us are not America's Top Model or have an unlimited budget. Where can we look for style advice?

I like the following books on fashion as they reinforce the fact that there is no stereotypical beauty in real life, unlike the ideal created (usually by men) in the fashion world. Women come in all shapes & sizes, just needing a little guidance on their own attributes & how to enhance them. All women can make the best of what they have, given a little direction, & be beautiful in their own style.

Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia

Glamour's Big Book of Dos and Don'ts: Fashion Help for Every Woman by Cindi Leive

Style 101: What Every Stylish Woman Should Know from the editors of In Style magazine

Redefining Beauty: Discovering Your Individual Beauty, Enhancing Your Self-Esteem by Victoria Jackson with Paddy Calistro

Just to give you an idea of what goes on, here's a peek into today's fashion world, Chanel-style:



This year, Islamabad has its first Fashion Week!

Also, check out next month's - "FROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS" , NEW WORKS BY RECYCLED TIN ARTIST MARCIA SEDNEK - Mariposa Gallery - Reception Fri, Feb 4 from 5:00pm-8:00pm. "Combining fashion & folk art, Albuquerque artist Marcia Sednek creates mini dresses & ball gowns from vintage tin & found objects." ~from Local IQ

Check out this list of "Worn-Out Fashion Terms" from the New York Times!

Also visit James Laver and Laws on the Timeline of Style.

& here's a question we've all been asking ourselves at the branch:

Sandra Bullock Golden Globes 2011: Hit or Miss?