A Dress A Day

A dress.
Mostly every day.

April 07, 2006

judging the book by the cover (literally)


love in the time of taffeta

You know what? This cover would definitely make me pick this up in the bookstore. Yay, dresses!

I like the idea of having a Best Book Cover Dress contest. Do you guys want to start trolling Amazon, B&N, Powell's.com, Google Book Search etc. for cover images? The rules will be that the cover must show an obvious dress (no anonymous folds of fabric). Extra points for books (like this one) that show dresses but aren't ABOUT dresses.

I'll choose some finalists and y'all can vote. Then I'll pick the winning book, and its nominator will win their choice of the finalists, assuming they're still in print. (So you can pick crappy books with great covers and not get stuck with the book ...)

Let's say the deadline is April 25. Ready, set, go!

posted by Erin @ 8:23 AM  

19 Comments:

  • At Apr 7, 2006 9:24:00 AM, Blogger bbrug said…

    Ooh! Ooh! Me first! I designed and typeset the interior on this one:

    Living on Air by Anna Shapiro.

    And I must say, I enjoyed the project mostly because I liked the dresses on the cover. And the green.

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 10:13:00 AM, Anonymous jenny said…

    I'm gonna have to raid my vintage-book boxes in the basement.

    The dress on the "Taffeta" cover reminds me of this cute red-and-white striped number that I've been coveting...

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 10:32:00 AM, Anonymous Helen said…

    While hunting the book potential, I came across this gem of a website of textile prints and patterns - is anyone able to copy or print to order... purlease!?!?
    http://www.hants.gov.uk/museum/exhibitions/patterns/index.html

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 12:11:00 PM, Anonymous P said…

    OK, here's my suggestions :)

    Oh so stylish, nice colour... Agatha Christie 1950s Omnibus

    Such a romantic print, just the dress for wandering around woods in springtime... Alice Munro Runaway

    Not sure about the dress shape, but the print is great... Nancy Mitford A Talent to Annoy

    I'm biased here as this is written by my DH, but I keep wanting to actually make this dress, if I can find a similar print. Thankfully I don't have the same problem of my tail getting in the way... Andi Watson Skeleton Key The Celestial Calendar

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 12:39:00 PM, Anonymous Ice Scribe said…

    This Gone With the Wind cover:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0330323490/sr=1-20/qid=1144431263/ref=sr_1_20/104-6336100-1681508?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=books

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 1:30:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Bbrug, that's a beautiful book. I vote for bbrug!

    Are a _professional_ book designer? Do you get to pick the font?

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 2:15:00 PM, Anonymous Jessica said…

    Jen Lancaster's book: Bitter is the New Black http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451217608/sr=8-1/qid=1144437112/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-3439739-9695241?%5Fencoding=UTF8 Its not a *real* dress, but it's a FABULOUS book!
    -- Jessica

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 2:35:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Are you serious? I love Andi Watson. "Love Fights" in particular. Yay for the internet. Not a dress, but I also love the kimonos that Mary Russell is wearing on the new editons of Laurie R. King's books here.

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 6:16:00 PM, Blogger iopine said…

    I searched for the Nancy Drew books; they were so . . . je ne sais quoi. The ones I found featured illustrations, but the dresses were cropped! This one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0448095106/qid=1144451412/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_9/002-1588225-9852054?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

    reminded me a little bit of that post from yesterday: the collar. I tried to nick the image for you but Amazon wouldn't give it up. That particular one may not be a contest winner, but those covers are a veritable trove of 'period' dress illustrations--the books I read were originally published in the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s. (The Bungalow Mystery dress was a blah mass of green nebulousness, don't count that one.)

     

  • At Apr 7, 2006 10:43:00 PM, Anonymous Missie said…

    Oooh, I've got one!
    Redeeming Love

     

  • At Apr 8, 2006 9:57:00 AM, Blogger Wyt Rabbit said…

    Wow, you just gave me a strong enought incentive to stop lurking -- an excuse to show my all-time-favorite dress. The "fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night" Edith Head classic. Please note the pockets! They just put me over the edge. A dress....with pockets...it doesn't get any better than this:
    http://www.moesbooks.com/cgi-bin/moe/38640.html

     

  • At Apr 8, 2006 7:33:00 PM, Anonymous Margaret said…

    Rainy Day in NYC, so a good excuse to browse Rizzoli's (keeping an eye peeled for dresses on covers) after gallery hopping. La Dolce Italia? Schmancy, but kind of about dresses (glamour photography). Born to Rule—eh, might be kind of hard to find the pattern, even on Ebay. Then the clouds parted, and lo, I saw the one I knew I would humbly submit:

    Pugs in Public

    The cut is kinda blah, but there's nothing like a fabric that requires you to accessorize with a pair of wall-eyed, slobbering bawlz of wuv.

    PS—BBRUG is all pro! [/shoutout]

     

  • At Apr 9, 2006 12:45:00 AM, Blogger floridaprincess said…

    Iam with Iopine I love the Nancy Drew ones. I saw the cutest Nancy Drew note cards at Barnes & Nobles almost bought them. The Mystery at Lilic Inn love that book and the cover!!! Iam so in love with Margaret's dress Born to Rule it is exquisite. I so love the colors too.

     

  • At Apr 9, 2006 2:20:00 AM, Anonymous Carbonel said…

    Running right to the edge of the rules, there's Claire McCardell: Redefining Modernism.

    Two that are more in tune with the rules (but are also rather more my cup of tea: The Masqueraders (that hat! That jacket!!!), and a cute children's book: Snapshots Fromt the Wedding (I may have to break down and scan the cover myself: the pictures on the 'net don't do it justice.

    And finally, one that fits the rules and the ruling taste: Lucia, Lucia

    I wish I could find my little 1950s book on "manners for young people" - teal and polka dots, circle skirt and waist panel - I'd be a shoe-in!

     

  • At Apr 9, 2006 11:50:00 PM, Blogger bbrug said…

    Oh, here's another one. I've always loved the cover of The Cinnamon Peeler.

     

  • At Apr 14, 2006 8:25:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    saw this and thgout u sahould to.
    http://www.rizzoliusa.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780847827879

     

  • At Apr 24, 2006 7:58:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    This isn't a book, so I'm not entering the contest. However, I bought several bottles of this wine because I covet the dress on the label.
    http://www.preceptbrands.com/wines/SweetPea.asp
    Christina

     

  • At Apr 24, 2006 10:57:00 PM, Anonymous Alison said…

    Demure: The Curse of Kings by Victoria Holt
    Classic: I am Madame X by Gloria Diliberto
    Tarty: Surviving Sarah by Vicki Lewis Thompson

    I have read none of these books, but found them through back-breaking browsing.

     

  • At Oct 26, 2006 8:17:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Oh I absolutely love taffeta!!! The rustling, the feeling of the fabric against bare skin, and don't forget the zippers!!!!
    There is nothing sexier than unzipping a taffeta dress off a great smelling woman!!! Total sexual gratification!!!!!!!!!!!!

     

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