Alice Starmore

This is the strangest craft book ever, composed as it is of at least three books in one.

Jade Starmore is a fantasy author. Alice Starmore, her mother, is a costumer and knitter. Together they have designed this book which is short stories, knitted and sewn costumes to match, and knit patterns that echo, but do not reproduce, the much more elaborate costumes. And, the book is a tribute to Scotland's seacoast.

Ok. I don't read much high fantasy and I certainly don't dress up in elaborate evocations of birds and sea anemones, nor do I wear knitted shrugs and ponchos. So this book doesn't offer much for me personally. But I think it might pique the interest of a budding costumer, if you happen to know one.

Costuming begins with dressing up for special occasion, and moves onward through competitive reproduction of classical garments with numerous side paths into theatre and film (think Outlander wedding dress). Here we are taking the idea from the stories, developing them into a proper costumes as if we were performing, and then simplifying the designs for everyday use (more or less, I don't want knitted feathers around my neck, and a peplum would be unfortunate on my hips).

Ms Starmore Sr.'s costumes are amusing, tending toward deeply dramatic jackets over billowing skirts, all in the colors of fantasy – blues, smoky grey, plum – with embroidered or felted accents. Knitted hats and helmets evoke birds and insects. The everyday patterns that go with them are disappointing in that some of the costume ideas that I enjoyed and might have considered using – like the elaborate collar and sleeves on the Mountain Hare jacket (more tortoise than hare, really), the full body pattern of the Otter costume, and especially the glorious Selkie offset button jacket with the cable on the collar reverse, have been replaced with mundane shapes, except for the fake feathers.

The book cover is particularly disappointing. Rather than one of the more dramatic costumes or an elaborate design like the Selkie jacket, the cover is the Mountain Hare sweater and hat, the most boring and colorless of the knitting patterns.

Unless you have the perfect gift recipient in mind, I'd look at this book in a shop before ordering.

I received a review copy of "Alice Starmore's Glamourie" by Alice Starmore (Calla Editions: Dover) through NetGalley.com.… (more)