Madeleine Vionnet

Back in print at last, with a ravishing new cover, Madeleine Vionnet is 'not only the best book on Vionnet, but perhaps the best book ever on a fashion designer' (Out). Madeleine Vionnet (1876 1975) was the greatest dressmaker in the world. Considered a genius for her innovations with the bias cut the most difficult and desirable cut in clothing design she has a fanatical following. Vionnet was a maverick, her results spectacular. She dressed the stars of the '30s, invented new pattern-making techniques, and eschewed corsets for her models. Vionnet's dresses are virtually un-copiable and highly coveted by vintage clothing collectors. Madeleine Vionnet is the definitive study of this venerated artist. Illustrated with more than 400 photographs, line drawings, and watercolors, it also includes 38 original patterns for Vionnet dresses. As the Art Deco Society of L.A.'s newsletter has said, anyone 'interested in Art Deco or fashion must have this book.'

Betty Kirke has been a fashion designer and costume restorer at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She lives in New York.

Issey Miyake is a fashion designer known for his distinctive use of fabric.