I first heard of Cora Harrington when I attended the Great Bra Sewing Bee in 2021. She talked about lingerie trends, and explained what she was seeing in ready-to-wear trends. I was fascinated by everything she wrote about on her blog, and figured I would see what her book had to say. Below, I’ve given what I think are the pros and cons of her book, as well as my overall thoughts.
The Pros
Elegant design
Just the book itself, before opening any pages, looks and feels elegant. The layout of the pages and watercolor side bars are so appealing, and everything about this book is just pleasant to look at.
Illustrations
One of my favorite parts of the book is the illustrations. The sketches of the lingerie are accurate enough to gauge what they would look like in real life, but dainty enough that you can still tell its a drawing. There are so many pieces in here that I would love to replicate, and I think the author has really good taste when it comes to attractive designs and color ways.
Information
This book contains so much good information. It covers basically everything one might need to know about fitting a bra and shopping for a bra, as well as what is available in the ready-to-wear space. I am very impressed with the amount of information given in this book. The range of topics covered along with the depth of information relevant to the modern consumer is yet to be seen in other books on this subject.
The Cons
Is there any?
Personally, there is nothing I would change about this book. I think it was carefully crafted and intentionally put together, and I enjoy everything it has to offer. No changes needed.
Overall
I was surprised at just how great I found this book to be. The information is concise, and the pages are so pleasant to read and look at. It is a sturdy book with a hard cover and bookmark ribbon, which gives it that same hearty yet beautiful feeling you want lingerie to have. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone at any stage of bra-making or wearing, even if for the inspiration photos alone. Cora gives such great, practical advice when it comes to buying and fitting lingerie, and I will definitely be adding this book to my library.