I bought this along with Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer because, looking at the reviews for both, I thought I might be missing something if I didn't get the other. I wasn't. This book is by far the better in my opinion, but I was looking for something to instruct me on how to get a more professional, high end finish on my clothing (which includes wedding dresses, prom dresses and christening gowns amongst other things - so finish is pretty important) rather than an in-depth history book. This book has very clear, user-friendly instructions, excellent photographs and illustrations and most of the techniques are illustrated in several steps...on actual fabric, unlike the other book! It has given me much inspiration and reminded me of several techniques my mother, a professional seamstress, used but I had completely forgotten about. I do understand that much actual couture sewing is done by hand and I'm not adverse to that, where necessary (in fact, I always 'thread trace' and 'baste', though I've always known these as simply 'tacking' - 'basting' is what you do to a turkey!), but if you want to use a sewing machine for the majority of your project as I do, then this book also comes up trumps in that department. I will definitely be referring back to this book time and time again - exactly what I was looking for!