The History of Clogs and How to Rock Nehru

FASHION 101: A CRASH COURSE IN CLOTHING is the only encyclopedia of fashion for teens

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 17, 2008 -- Every piece of clothing has a story, a place in history, and a cultural icon who made it famous. Part Forever 21, part Project Runway, part wiki, FASHION 101 (June 2008; $17.95; 128 pages; Paper) chronicles more than three centuries of fashion with full-color illustration. Thorough, educational, and playful, FASHION 101 provides inspiration for young fashionistas, vintage store fanatics, and even jeans-and-T kids.

"Fashion is a great way to express one's own unique self, which is especially exciting to teens because they are starting to buy their own clothes," says author Erika Stalder. "In addition to opening teens' eyes to all of the clothing options out there, I wanted to provide a fashion 'vocabulary' to make it easier for girls to understand, and experiment with, styles from every era. I also wanted to show how popular looks are cyclical and how pieces can be used in different ways. Hopefully, this knowledge base will help teenage girls find a personal style as original as that of Audrey Hepburn or Gwen Stefani."

With a passion for completeness and accuracy, Stalder spent months doing research in both the academic and cultural worlds, using sources such as the FIDM San Francisco library, the handbag museum in Amsterdam, the Mid Manhattan Library fashion collection, Getty Images, US Weekly articles, and blogs like PerezHilton.com. Thousands of hours later, Stalder selected (and illustrator Ariel Krietzman drew) more than 300 wardrobe items that continue to influence apparel today, detailing what they look like, who designed them, how to wear them, and which celebrities made them hot.

A taste of what you'll find in FASHION 101:

Know Your Necklines: From boat to V, pictures show what covers (cowl) and what reveals (the plunge).

The Motorcycle Jacket: It was called "The Perfecto" even before Marlon Brando immortalized it in The Wild One.    

Ball Gown: Even wonder why traditional ball gowns have so much volume from the waist down? See page 12!

Man Girdles: Today, we simply call them belts. But in the 16th century, military men wore them for practicality.

Men With Mules: Yet again, 16th-century men launched a new look: the mule shoe. Women took it over once a naked female foot was no longer considered scandalous.

Erika Stalder is a San Francisco-based writer who has contributed to Wired, Missbehave, and The Journal of Life Sciences, and worked with the International Museum of Women to produce the Imagining Ourselves anthology. For Zest Books, she also wrote THE DATE BOOK and coauthored 97 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU FINISH HIGH SCHOOL.

For more information, review copies, author interviews, or images, please contact Deborah Brosseau at Spinner PR on 323.467.7633 or brosseaupr@aol.com. Excerpts from the book or exclusive author content for your outlet are available as well.

ABOUT ZEST BOOKS:

Zest Books is an exciting line of smart and edgy titles that focus on the colorful chaos of teen life. The books cover timely topics in creative ways by incorporating solid life advice, practical how-to instruction, and humorous commentary. Zest Books' catalogue includes INDIE GIRL, UNCOOL, CRUSH, and DUMPED, with 47 THINGS TEENS CAN DO FOR THE ENVIRONMENT to be released early 2008. Supported by parents, teachers, and teens themselves, Zest Books is a progressive leader in teen nonfiction.

Zest Books is an imprint of Orange Avenue Publishing.

UP NEXT: BEEN THERE, SURVIVED THAT - written by teens.

www.zestbooks.net

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