Paper Illusions

It's been awhile since I've reviewed a book and this one is all about beautiful paper dresses and shoes. Paper Illusions: the art of Isabelle de Borchgrave, written by Barbara and Rene Stoeltie (Abrams, 2008) will more than likely take your breath away.

Barbara Stoeltie wrote the text and and provided the styling, while Rene Stoeltie photographed the collection. According to the text, "artist and designer Isabelle de Borchgrave creates exquisite paper dresses evoking high fashion from the courts of the Medici to the legendary Fortuny silks of the early 20th century. She cuts, folds, glues, and paints her paper costumes with imagination. . . ." And what an imagination (and talent) she has.

First shown in France in 1998 as "Papiers a la Mode," these historically authentic dresses were considered by critics to be an instant hit. These dresses have now traveled the world winning both critical and popular acclaim. After you see the stunning collection yourself, you will agree that this is one book not to be missed. If you are into coffee table books, this is the one for you. If you are in Margaret's Dress Up project, the collection will fuel your creativity and spark your imagination.

I'm going to allow the pages to speak for themselves. I hope you enjoy these, although I show only a few of the pages in the book. In fact, there are five pages of thumbnails in the back of the book (I show them at the end) that show all the pages, along with captions. Enjoy and click to enlarge.




























































My blog pick of the day should surprise no one who has ever been to Terri's Artful Affirmations blog. There is such a tie-in between Terri's postings and this book, it's almost a no-brainer. First, is the SHOE template and tutorial that Terri shares in a video. I swear it rivals some found in the book. See her sidebar for a direct link. Then there is her French Friday post. Since she recently visited France, her museum photos look surprisingly similar to those found in the above book. Terri also is co-host (with Martha) of Teacup Tuesday. So if you love teacups, but don't necessarily want to drink tea each Tuesday, this is the place to go. Whatever the reason, be sure to check out Artful Affirmations today.