best-of-2011-craft In the next part of our 'best of' series, resident design expert Margaret Snowdon rounds up her top fashion and craft for 2011. From the sartorial theatre that is Dior to the pop-culture cool of Tokyo's urban scene, these books are a visual feast for the eyes and the heart.

988185833X Hats on the Streets of Tokyo
Shlomit Yaish
Hats, caps, beanies and berets as worn by Tokyo trendsetters. The perfect guide to making your headwear look hip, cool, fabulous and OK. Seriously, hats are great, everyone should wear them and the young urban Japanese in this book show us how.

1419701061 Inspiration Dior
Florence Muller
This wonderful homage to the magic of Christian Dior includes art, fashion and theatre. As a young man, Dior was very attracted to art and artists (he had his own gallery), and the creators of this book have spring boarded from that into a wealth of influences and the influenced, to present alongside classic Dior creations.

0847836517 Christian Louboutin
Christian Louboutin, Philippe Garcia, Eric Reinhardt and John Malkovich
Personally, I don’t/can’t wear high heels but this is, as the jacket declares, "[a]n extraordinary monograph created by Christian Louboutin, renowned for his beautifully crafted handmade shoes, in particular his elegantly sexy stilettos. A stunning volume, with a fanciful and intricate pop-up, an elaborate foldout cover, and dramatic still-life photography, that evokes the artistry and theatricality of Louboutin's shoe designs.”

1584799099 Repurposed Library: 33 Craft Projects That Give Old Books New Life
Lisa Occhipinti
This excellent craft book presents 33 projects to make from old books – the ones that won’t be read any more! Artists have been making fantastic and clever works from unwanted books for a while and now you can too.

9780143203964 Happy Home Made 9780143203902 & Stylish Dress Book
Yoshiko Tsukiori
Both of these excellent titles on making practical and comfortable, but very stylish dresses and tops were warmly welcomed in English editions in 2011. They include all patterns and instructions.

9781921382376 The Dressing Table – Writings on Style
Clare Press
A book on style that mentions elegance and gentility (as in gentle and good behavior, not ‘my neighbors are not good enough’, gentle reader) in this day and age should be promoted. Also good are the historical references to style icons and stylish occasions.


Other 'best of 2011' lists:


Margaret Snowdon is from Readings Carlton.