American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion

A delicate and precisely executed gown by Jean Yu

By Patricia Mears, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009, 182 p.

Mears starts with a very simple thesis: American fashion is not wholly defined by sportswear.  There are, and have been, fashion designers in the States who rival their European counterparts in expertise, creativity and vision.  Meyers identifies Jean Yu, Isabel Toledo, Rodarte, Ralph Rucci and Francisco Costa as contemporary Americans designers working in the Grand European Tradition.

Isabel Toledo: Fashion From the Inside Out

The First Lady in Isabel Toledo on Inauguration Day


by Valerie Steele, Patricia Mears, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2009, 250 p.

Toledo is an artist working in a mass-market industry. Without significant financial backing, Isabel Toledo produces collections that dispense with the idea of theme (e.g., Brigitte Bardot in Cann circa 1958) and bases her collection on the construction and proportions of clothing itself.  This beautiful coffee table book outlines Toledo's creative process and her dedication to creating innovative yet wearable fashion.