Draping for Apparel Design [Hardcover]

This book is so beautifully illustrated, you hardly need to read a line. To me, draping is the most rewarding method of apparel design, in that what you see is what you get -- no sketching, drafting, sewing up a muslin, and then seeing the results. That is why I find this book to be the best of all popular draping texts on the market today. The instructions are clear, the book itself is clean and well laid out. The illustrations are flawless. You can follow the drawings and easily achieve the same results. There is so much clarity in the way the material is presented, it's easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to learn from. The quality of this book is similar to her pattern drafting book. I would recommend any book authored by Helen Joseph-Armstrong, as you will certainly get the best book on the subject. This book is absolutely delightful.

I wanted to wean myself off dependency on commercial patterns and having invested in a dress form, I came across this book. It's a bit pricey but it turns out that it's a fashion school text book, hence the price tag. The text is very well-written and illustrated. The author has the reader analyze a fashion drawing, and identify the structural components of a particular garment as most embellishments can be broken down to basic components (i.e. dart excesses).

My only peeve was that some definitions for terms I wasn't familiar with (e.g. Princess Line) couldn't be found in the back of the book. Also, not all the formats seen in fashion are portrayed in this book. Most, if not all, garment examples have a waist or empire seam, and designed for woven fabrics (no knits); and as far as I can tell, the author doesn't direct the reader/student on how to accomodate for that. However, I am happy that there is a section on bias-cut gowns (the info. is very hard to come by on the Net) As a self-taught sewer and wanna-be designer, this book will definitely help me to go to further.

This book is the text used in my draping class in college. The purpose of the book is to teach you how to manipulate woven fabric on a dress form. It covers the principles of draping fabric and the techniques for draping fabric properly. (Knits are covered briefly in a chapter at the end of the book, with several drapes for knits.)

This book will teach you how to drape fabric and then turn that drape into a paper pattern.

This is not a sewing book and this book won't teach you a thing about sewing. You need to have a basic knowledge of sewing in order to use this book.

This book is not written for the home sewer. There is no mention of commercial home-sewing patterns or explanations for how to modify them etc. For example, this book will not tell you how to turn a Vogue basic fitting pattern into an evening gown.

What you will get is detailed information on how to drape for almost every kind of imaginable design element found in today's garments. Here's a random sampling of some of the things this book will teach you how to drape: mandarin collars, cowl necks, cowl necks with pleats, tent dresses and tops, bustiers, bias cut evening gowns, drop shoulder sleeve, off shoulder design, surplice wrap bodices, french darts, darts with gathered legs, back cowls, raglan sleeves, notched lapel jackets, pants, swimsuits, leotards, jeans, flare overlays, halter bodices, circle skirts.

Each drape includes clear illustrations. The font is large and easy-to-read and the illustrations are large as well. This is helpful because you need to have the book open as you work and you need to refer to it frequently. (Think of this as a cookbook for fashion design.) Despite this, I and the students in my class, often have to call on our instructor to for additional guidance. Draping takes time and patience to master. It is not as easy as it looks on TV shows like Project Runway. This book is best used while under the tutelage of a pro who knows how to drape.

A note: many people think that draping involves playing around with fabric and that it's all about being "creative." There is plenty of math in this book and plenty of rules to follow (including the law of gravity). Draping is no less rigorous than architecture.

One reviewer called this book "inspirational." I'm not sure where that comes from. This book does not cheer lead or encourage you. It's a dry text book. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) The inspiration and motivation to drape needs to come from you and your instructor, if you have one.

I give this book only 3 stars because despite the exorbitant price the paper is cheap and thin. You can see the ink from a page's back and you can see through the paper to the page under it . For example, while looking at page 71, I can see the words printed on page 72 (in reverse, of course) and I can see the printing on page 73. Buy this book on sale or used. (Older editions will be just as good.)

The other reason this book gets low marks from me is that it has some serious typos. My instructor has found several. But only she can spot them. An amateur would not spot them as easily. The most egregious so far is on page 56, which shows how to draft a sleeve. If the instructions are followed as written, the sleeve will not come out correct. Several students drafted their sleeves incorrectly because they followed the book to the letter and were not paying attention when the instructor explained the typo.