V&a Pattern: Novelty Patterns

Valerie D. Mendes is a fashion and textiles historian who became Chief Curator of the former Textiles and Dress Department at the V&A. Previous publications include "Black in Fashion, ""20th Century Fashion in Detail, "and "Lucile Ltd."

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is the world's greatest museum of art and design, with a vast collection that been an unparalleled resource for designers for 150 years. This new series of pattern books presents the range of the V&A's superb collections. Beautifully designed, accessible, and informative- perhaps a little quirky - they are a repository of ideas for designers of all kinds, but also a collection of desirable gift books. Included in each volume is a CD of all the images shown within--to be redrawn, reworked, or even licensed for further use. The books are available individually or in a beautiful decorative slipcase. "Novelty Patterns" showcases the innovative and fanciful decoration employed for lightweight fabrics made between the early 1920s and the late 1940s. Approximately 60 color illustrations show off the varied witty and attractive patterns.