Fashion Accessories: The Complete 20th Century Sourcebook

Mr. Gerval is moderately more successful in this volume than he was with Fashion: Concept to Catwalk due to the fact that, quite simply, this book is not about clothing per se. Once again, Gerval makes these assumptions and pronouncements that seem so out of sync with the fashion business as it truly operates today.

The truth of it is, brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci are still very much steeped in the accessory business and use their ready to wear for public relations and press vehicles. These houses depend on the handbags and the key chains and the belts for consistent revenue far more than they do on apparel. Mr. Gerval neglects to specify that these mega brands work in reverse of brands such as Dior, Balenciaga, or even Sonia Rykiel—all of which branched out into accessories to complement their respective collections once the apparel was established as their main revenue source.

What is glaringly unsettling about this treatise is that when discussing leather goods—anything from shoes to handbags to belts—Mr. Gerval only references and discusses French resources. The French are indeed superb producers of accessories, but what happened to the makers and manufacturers of Italy? Nowhere in the title—not the preface nor the introduction—does it reveal that Fashion Accessories only covers French brands and French manufacturers.

Lastly, why does Gerval devote almost one half of the book to how to make a pattern for various handbag shapes? This microfocus is patently absurd, as this is not a text book.

To Gerval’s credit, however, he does offer the fashion accessory novice a full and complete glossary of shapes and styles for many categories of accessories.

Yet once again, one must question who his intended audience is for this book and why the focus is ultimately so narrow.