Monday, December 18, 2017

THE 10 BEST READS OF 2017



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This reader/reviewer was slack jawed when realizing the lasting influence that this designer/brand had on future generations as well as the foundation that was built for the art of haute couture. You might take notice that Worth influenced everyone from Jacques Fath, Charles James, Christian Lacroix, Giambattista Valli, and Christian Dior, as well as John Galliano’s oeuvre for Dior; frankly it’s an extraordinary accomplishment and legacy that few ever allude to.

All About Yves
All About Yves contains little that is new but with this unbelievably unique presentation, Örmen has unearthed a treasure trove of memorabilia that has only been previously written of but never seen in book form. The monograph was first released in France last year and now its translation appears here in the USA at a time that seems propitious given the very recent openings of the YSL museums in both Paris and Marrakech.

Fashion Together: Fashion's Most Extraordinary Duos on the Art of Collaboration, Trust, and Love
Fashion Together is a collage of 18 redacted interviews between Stoppard and her subjects. The primary or main topic is about the dynamics of working together as a team while involved in some creative process having to do with the world of fashion. What is most stunning in many ways is that the conversations range from intimate to vapid to enlightening to cases of TMI.

Unquestionably Robert Fairer has delivered a gift, a paean, and a love letter to every fashion aficionado, the business of fashion, as well as to any fashion reader no matter their level of fashion education. This uniquely gifted visionary with exquisite talents has taken it upon himself to jolt our fashion consciousness and literally shout at us that John Galliano is undeniably one of the greatest designers of our generation.

Chaumet: Parisian Jeweler Since 1780
Be prepared to be dazzled by their work in pearls, cameos, and exotic materials that boggles the mind; who knew this was the favored jeweler of Napoleon and Josephine? Who knew that they centuries ago they collaborated with Breguet to produce timepieces? Who knew that there was such a thing as a “watch” that told time and a separate one to tell the day of the week? The book is full of bits and pieces of ephemera that will feed the most hungry and inquisitive of minds.

Dior: The Collections, 1947–2017 (Catwalk)
Alexander Fury has perhaps written one of the most insightful, intelligent, eloquent and detailed appraisals and assessments of all that was Dior haute couture—each designer, each collection, and each era. The introduction and text are head and shoulders above any before, especially when dealing with a singular brand or designer. What is confounding is that regardless of the superlative content and style with which it is written, there is nothing to prepare you for the visual and informational onslaught that lies within this epic 632-page tome.

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion
Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion is a crash course in all things Cristobal Balenciaga but in a highly curatorial way. For the very well fashion educated reader there may not be a lot that is new, but Miller is so all encompassing and thorough that the book is remains a must read. For the less informed reader the book will give them everything they might ever need to know about this consummate creator and designer.

House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth, Home to the Devonshires
One is given a rare glimpse into their sartorial choices, their impossibly luxurious living conditions as well as heirlooms, treasures and remembrances. The complex fabric of the Devonshire clan including friends, relatives, and preferences when it came to designers and where to shop, what to buy and what purpose they served is all laid out within.

Dior by Christian Dior
Saillard, who is an amazingly skilled and well-spoken historian and author, offers us just enough text to remind the reader of the history and the man and the genesis of the brand, but what happens outside the text is simply beyond one’s wildest expectations. The reader is transported to an exquisitely curated view of the Dior archive that will surely be a revelation to most. This reader came away with a new set of opinions and perspectives.

Italian Jewelry of the 20th Century
The narrative is encyclopedic in content yet enormously interesting and engrossing. If the prospective reader has more than just a passing interest in the finest of jewelry, this book will certainly satisfy or a fill a void that has been missing in the annals of jewelry makers and their histories.

FOR FULL REVIEWS PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK ….  https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/reviewer/jeffrey-felner

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