Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Four Fashion Books For You


The first is British Fashion Designers by Hywel Davies.
London is a creative and cultural melting pot for international designers to develop their creative identity. London Fashion Week is renowned for showing an edgier breed of fashion designer, and for celebrating cutting-edge couture that pushes the boundaries of convention. This is the first book to embrace the whole of the UK ands its creative influence on international fashion. It is aimed at industry professionals, students and anyone with an interest in fashion. Both inspirational and informative, it will also appeal as a coffee-table book, being visually inspiring and modern. This book focuses on the British designers since 2000 who have made their influence resonate globally: designers such as Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Julien MacDonald, Giles Deacon, Matthew Williamson and Paul Smith. Each chapter is devoted to one designer and defines visually how Britishness informs their work, showing final collections, process work and studio space. Text in the form of questions and answers or running text illustrates each designers British influence and distinct style.




Luxury and art have never been more closely linked than they are in these early years of the twenty-first century. Virtually all the world’s major luxury houses have associated themselves with contemporary art through sponsorships, commissions, or foundations, and these points of exchange nourish the increasingly symbiotic relationship between fashion, art, and other design disciplines. Of all modern luxury brands, Louis Vuitton can claim to maintain the richest and most varied associations with the world of art. Included in this volume are Louis Vuitton’s important collaborations with an elite group of artists, architects, designers, and photographers, such as Jun Aoki, Shigeru Ban, Vanessa Beecroft, Olafur Eliasson, Zaha Hadid, David LaChapelle, Jean Larivière, Annie Leibovitz, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Stephen Sprouse, James Turrell, Inez Van Lamsweerde, and Vinoodh Matadin. The book is structured as a seductive anthology of the house’s most visible collaborations. Critical essays examine and position Louis Vuitton’s patronage—under the guidance of Artistic Director Marc Jacobs—during one of the most fertile periods of contemporary art and design. 




Book number three is a third installment by Nina Garcia (better known as one of the judges on Project Runway) titled, Style Strategy. In this book "fashionistas will not only discover a myriad of shopping alternatives sure to help them attain high-end looks at lower prices, but also learn how to maximize what they already have through maintenance, ingenuity, and creative style choices. Step by step, Nina helps readers honestly answer three key questions—What do I have? What do I need? What do I want?—before making purchases, so they can effectively eliminate any unnecessary spending."

Last but certainly not least is Marc Jacobs Advertising.
For more than a decade Juergen Teller has worked with Marc Jacobs on the advertising campaigns for each of the Men's and Women's Marc Jacobs collections, Marc by Marc Accessories and perfume lines. Teller's idiosyncratic visual style and use of unusual models has been instrumental in establishing what has become one of the preeminent fashion brands of our times. Reflecting the intelligence and individuality of the Marc Jacobs brand, the models have included Sofia Coppola, Charlotte Rampling, Meg White, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, Michael Stipe, Rufus Wainwright, Harmony Korine, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Samantha Morton, Winona Ryder, Roni Horn, Victoria Beckham and Teller himself, among many others. 
This volume brings together a selection of images from all the campaigns to create a single collection that marks the significance of this collaboration in both fashion and visual culture. 
Photographer Juergen Teller was born in Erlangen, Germany in 1964 and has lived in London since 1986. His work in book, magazine and exhibition form is marked by an intriguing refusal to separate his commercial fashion pictures from his more autobiographical uncommissioned work. Teller's photographs have been published in influential international publications such as W Magazine, i-D and Purple and have been the subject of solo exhibitions at The Photographers' Gallery in London and the Fondation Cartier Pour l'art Contemporain in Paris. In 2003 Teller was awarded the Citibank Prize and in 2007 he was one of five artists to represent Ukraine in the 52nd Venice Biennale. 
Marc Jacobs was born in New York City in 1963. He graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1984 with many of the school's highest honors, including Design Student of the Year. In 1986 he designed his first collection under the Marc Jacobs label and in 1997 he became Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton. Marc Jacobs International, LLC has expanded to include more than 50 stores worldwide. Jacobs splits his time between New York and Paris.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

This Is SO It!


Today I was blessed to finally find the UK Q magazine at Barnes & Noble. It was the LAST magazine MJ posed for before he passed on. The mag printed the article in the present tense and then followed up with some tribute pages. This will be a bittersweet read because it's safe to assume this was done to promote his comeback tour in London.

After a long stint at B&N listening to the "Off the Wall" album being played in the Starbucks section then catching a classical instrumental rendition of "Smooth Criminal" as I perused for books, I came home and found an Amazon.com box waiting for me. I knew I recently ordered ONE item and it was a pre-sale item due to be released in August. To my delight it was the biography of MJ's life, "The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story". The 700+ page bio is written by an author/journalist who's known Michael since he was 18 and interviewed him and his family numerous times. I can't wait to start reading this and hopefully it will put to rest my MJ obsession.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Stephen Sprouse in print




Inventive, enigmatic, and supremely creative, Stephen Sprouse made art and clothing that captured the mood of the 80's and 90's.
One of the first American designers to mix graffiti and a punk aesthetic with fashion, Sprouse challenged conventional notions of style, and his unique sensibility still influences fashion and music today.
Rizzoli editions pay a tribute to this amazing designer, who passed away in 2004, with this retrospective book written by Mauricio et Roger Padilha. The four neon colors of the cover will only be sold at colette for France, when a limited edition and a special collection will be available at Louis Vuitton starting January 9th. The 2009 edition of Le Book New York is decorated by Stephen Sprouse works and presents some unseen polaroids. Finally, don’t miss the "Rock on Mars" exhibition at Deitch Projects in NYC until February 28th and another one of drawings from the 70s and the 80s at John McWhinnie and Glenn Horowitz Bookseller from Jan 10th until Feb 21st.


i do remember seeing the famed SS lettering on LV bags and reading about how Gwen Stefani was inspired by his work. she even donned an outfit with his graffitti just for a mag shoot many moons ago. if the price won't stretch my pockets, i would love this book in pink (b-day gift idea alert) lol.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop



i got this art book about two weeks ago and it's worth the buy if you're into the hip-hop culture and art. the book features artists Obey, Fafi and more, has a forward by Russell Simmons, highlights different hip-hop icons and more.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Influence by Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen



i got to check this book out last night and it's very delightful. i'm a sucker for scrapbook-like imagery that fuses fashion and art and people who truly "influence" others. the book has interviews and shines light on people like Andy Warhol, Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Loubitin just to name a few. the sisters even write a piece on how they admire and each other and their style. this book was fun to look through and makes me want to start a scrapbook of what has influenced me over the years.

ps
you can listen to a podcast with the the twin sensations here.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

book club: Fabulosity


so here's the thing, i have a tendency of buying/receiving books and then they just sit in a nice stack in my room. so i'm hoping to knock these bad boys out by starting my own fM "book club". i'll just post the book up on here and if you have or would like to read it along with me then you can feel free to do so. there will be a section on the side keeping you up to date with what book is featured and you can feel free to comment about your likes/dislikes from each book. so book number one is obviously, Fabulosity. as much as i am aware that people aren't too much of a fan of the over the top mogul... i am a fan and am willing to read about ms. KLS. so check your local library or make the purchase and let's go!!!

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