Little Book of Chanel is the pocket-sized and beautifully illustrated story of the most celebrated fashion designer in history.
Chronicling the life and legacy of Coco Chanel, one of fashion's most influential couturiers, this gorgeous book offers a fascinating account of Chanel's evolution and innovation. From her early days of millinery, through her revolutionary inventions in sportswear and jersey fashions for women, to the classics that made her name, such as the Chanel cardigan jacket, little black dress and exquisite perfumes. Detailed photographs and sketches of Chanel's designs, along with fashion photography and catwalk shots, pay tribute to one of the world's most highly regarded fashion houses and the woman behind it, making a striking gift for any lover of fashion.Containing the stories of four legendary fashion houses, this collectable box holds a beautiful set of covetable style guides.
Exploring four designers who exemplify elegance and high couture, these little books of fashion follow these brands from their creation, moving through their style evolutions, the key looks that define them and their impact on the fashion landscape today.
Discover the story behind the little black dress with the Little Book of Chanel, the tailoring behind Milan minimalism with Prada, the conception of the New Look with Dior and the genius behind androgynous maximalism with Gucci.
Featuring hundreds of exquisite images and text by best-selling authors, these definitive guides to luxury style are the perfect gift for any fashion lover.
Allis's thorough and beautifully illustrated account reveals both the qualities that made Bendel successful and the thrilling, volatile history of the industry in which he made his mark. Fashionistas will be delighted.-Publishers Weekly
Henri Bendel. A store of legend. A man of mystery. And the first-ever book to explore and celebrate both in a style worthy of its fashionable subjects.
Milliner, designer, dress importer. Ambassador of French fashion in America. Henri Willis Bendel was celebrated in his lifetime as a tastemaker and merchant prince but is now a nearly lost figure. His journey from a humble upbringing in late-nineteenth-century Louisiana to the pinnacle of high society was remarkable: Starting with a small hat shop in Greenwich Village in 1896, he eventually redrew the map of fashion retail, turning then-strictly residential Fifty-Seventh Street into the Rue de la Paix of New York. He introduced his discerning clients to such influential designers as Schiaparelli, Molyneaux, and Chanel. He outfitted Astors, Vanderbilts, and stars of stage and screen from the sunset of the Gilded Age past the dawn of the Jazz Age. But he also brought a democratization to fashion and in syndicated newspaper columns dispensed pithy and impassioned fashion advice to women across the nation who might never set foot in his store.
Henri Bendel and the Worlds He Fashioned traces his life from his upbringing in a tight-knit Jewish family headed by his immigrant stepfather and mother--herself an enterprising merchant--to his early dry goods business, then to the romance that led him to New York and the tragedy that would set in motion his rapid ascent. Bendel was treated as a kindred soul in the Paris salons of haute couture and throughout Europe, where he amassed rare antiques, then built dramatic showplaces back home in which to place them. All the while he stayed loyal to his kin down South and to his chosen family up East, which consisted of blood relatives and two beloved companions whose true place in Henri's heart required discretion, owing to the constrictions of the time.
Richly illustrated with dazzling fashion photography, Henri Bendel also recounts the history of his storied store from its bustles-and-corsets years through the days of furs and flappers, then on to the tailored chic of the 1930s and '40s. In more modern times, the legendary president Geraldine Stutz made Bendel's a cornucopia of cutting-edge designers and innovative merchandising, a lure for the most famous and fashionable women in America. In its long, final era, Leslie Wexner of The Limited expanded the store's reach and solicited younger clients, emphasizing jewelry, accessories, and dazzle. Those various and sometimes-at-odds incarnations define Bendel's extraordinary 123-year run under the iconic brown and white stripes first sketched by Henri, who himself said, A designer, to be successful, must feel the trend of the times.
Containing the stories of four legendary fashion houses, this collectable box holds a beautiful set of covetable style guides.
Exploring four designers who exemplify elegance and high couture, these little books of fashion follow these brands from their creation, moving through their style evolutions, the key looks that define them and their impact on the fashion landscape today.
Discover the story behind the red sole with the Little Book of Louboutin, the process of creating the world's most iconic bags with Louis Vuitton, the craftsmanship behind the androgynous Le Smoking in Yves Saint Laurent and the genius behind the most exquisite couture with Schiaparelli.
Featuring hundreds of exquisite images and text by best-selling authors, these definitive guides to luxury style are the perfect gift for any fashion lover.
Leaving an invisible childhood behind, Laurie Marsden seized a rare chance to rise to the top of the fashion industry in the 1980s and 1990s, propelling her into a world of powerful players, hidden politics, and dark secrets.
In this searingly honest memoir, Laurie traces her journey from her modelling debut in New York City to whirlwind adventures in Milan, Paris, London, Australia, and Brazil.
An elite model in this iconic era of fashion, Laurie takes the reader on an inside journey, exploring the details of life in this glamorous business, its nit, its grit, and its dark side. As she navigates celebrity encounters and high-stakes jobs, the harsh reality of a 'pay-to-play' world clashes against her desire for connection and authentic love. And men, the good, the bad, the influential, are always present.
Now an activist at the forefront of the global #metoo reckoning, Laurie reflects with hard-won wisdom and the expert knowledge she now has as a therapist, on what it means-and what it takes-to maintain personal power and purpose as a woman in any decade.