Best Design Books

Best Fashion Books: The Style Mentors

October 24, 2014

“In The Style Mentors (published by Harper Collins), fashion authority Elyssa Dimant profiles more than 80 famous contemporary women with great style, offering fashion-conscious women role models for the here and now. Each of the book’s eight chapters addresses a signature look with proven fashion longevity-icon, maverick, bohemian, gamine, siren, minimalist, rocker, and classic—and demonstrates how to achieve it by analyzing the style of today’s trendsetters in those categories (Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Sofia Coppola, and Carine Roitfeld) as well as that of powerful icons such as Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Diana Vreeland. From the relatively conventional to the most eccentric, his book profiles the contemporary women who define the art of dressing today. Style Mentors is a fascinating introduction to those who have successfully negotiated the perilous challenges of fashion to achieve great personal style. “The Style Mentors is a very vibrant, new take on fashion and style. Dimant’s deep knowledge of fashion history combined with her contemporary perspective makes the book rich and engaging.” Francisco Costa, Women’s Creative Director, Calvin Klein Collection “A beautifully illustrated volume profiling today’s most stylish women with a solid nod to icons of days past-and featuring timeless styles throughout-The Style Mentors inspires us…

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FASHION

In Your Face, the incredible Mario Testino photobook

September 30, 2014

Mario Testino, born in Lima, Peru moved to London in 1976 where he made his home and where he began his career. Testino is one of the world’s most influential and respected photographers. He travels extensively shooting for Vanity Fair, American, British, and French Vogue. Other clients include Burberry, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Michael Kors. His vision has made him a much sought-after creative partner in the fashion and beauty industries today. Testino work has been featured across the globe in magazines from Vogue to Vanity Fair and he has contributed to the success of many leading fashion and beauty houses through. Mario Testino‘s boundless talent with a camera must be maddening for other photographers working in a highly competitive field, but he remains one of the most revered stars in his profession. Often imitated and never equaled, Testino is graced with a natural ability to float effortlessly from studio to backstage to after-party, producing stunning shots in any kind of situation. From royals to mega-celebrities, Testino has shot some of the world’s most inaccessible subjects, always with an ease that betrays the complexity of the task. “In your face” (published by TASCHEN) Testino captures you at your best—and that is what makes him the best.” This…

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PHOTOGRAPHY

The incredible Beatles Photobook by Harry Benson

August 21, 2014

Harry Benson has photographed every US President since Eisenhower,the Civil Rights movement,and was next to Robert Kennedy when he was assassinated. As well as The Beatles, he has shot some of the biggest personalities of the last 50 years, including Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Her Majesty The Queen. In 2009, he was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE). “These photos convey a really happy period for them and for me. It all comes down to music, they were without a doubt the greatest band of the 20th century, and that’s why these photographs are so important.” – Harry Benson In early 1964, Harry Benson was getting on a plane for a foreign assignment in Africa, when he got a call from the photo editor of London newspaper The Daily Express. He was now going with The Beatles to Paris to document French Beatlemania and what followed was the biggest (ticket to) ride of his life. Benson was warmly welcomed into The Beatles’ inner sanctum, resulting in some of the most intimate photographs ever taken of the band, then on the cusp of world domination. In Paris, he took the famous photograph of the Fab Four having a pillow fight at the…

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PHOTOGRAPHY

The Audrey Hepburn PhotoBook by Taschen

July 25, 2014

Bob Willoughby (1927-2009) author of numerous books on photography took his first photo at the age of twelve. By 1954 his exhibitions of photographs of jazz musicians and dancers led to a contract with Globe Photos, followed by work at Harper’s Bazaar. After shooting Judy Garland during the filming of A Star is Born he became the first “unit photographer”, hired specifically by movie studios to take on-set promotional “stills”. In his distinguished career as a Hollywood photographer, Bob Willoughby took iconic photos of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Fonda, but remains unequivocal about his favorite subject: Audrey Kathleen Ruston, later Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston, best known as Audrey Hepburn. Willoughby was called in to shoot the new starlet one morning shortly after she arrived in Hollywood in 1953. It was a humdrum commission for the portraitist often credited with having perfected the photojournalistic movie still, but when he met the Belgian-born beauty, Willoughby was enraptured. “She took my hand like…well a princess, and dazzled me with that smile that God designed to melt mortal men’s hearts,” he recalled. As Hepburn’s career soared following her Oscar-winning US debut in Roman Holiday, Willoughby became a trusted friend, framing her working and home life. His historic, perfectionist, tender photographs seek out the…

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PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO:BOX by Roberto Koch

May 22, 2014

Roberto Koch is the author/photographer of Exit, Album, and Istanti di Russia, for which he received the 1991 Kodak award. As publisher of Contrasto, one of the world’s leading publishers of photo books, and founder and CEO of Forma, the International Center of Photography in Milan, he is deeply knowledgable about photography. PHOTO:BOX (published by Abrams Books) presents a collection of 250 photographs by 200 of the world’s most prominent photographers, ranging from legendary masters to contemporary stars, in an appealing format with a portfolio binding. Photographers include Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliot Erwitt, Robert Frank, Nan Goldin, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, and many more. Each image is accompanied by an engaging commentary and a brief biography of the photographer. The book is organized by subject and theme, offering a fresh perspective on the medium: from reportage to nature, and also covering war, portraits, still lifes, women, travel, cities, art, fashion, the nude, and sports. PHOTO:BOX is an irresistible and amazingly affordable survey of photography. “The book is organized in such a way that you are exposed to the things you would normally not look at. I’m more apt to dwell on Dorothea Langes’ “Migrant Mother-California 1936″ or any of the other contemporary photos than let’s…

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Uncategorized

Hue by Kelly Wearstler

November 14, 2013

I decided to study the book properly as I was looking for two things: some colour inspiration for what to do with our awkward purple sofa and how to develop a signature style. On first glance Hue appears to be little more than a brochure of interiors designed by Kelly Wearstler. Many people who have bought this book have complained that there are no captions, tips or explanations to accompany the photographs and whilst I can understand this disappointment – I felt it myself – in some ways the lack of text adds to the sense of intrigue that her interiors create, in the same way that Kate Moss’ point blank refusal to explain her actions make her all the more fascinating. At the start of the book there is an interview with Kelly and to be honest I found more insight and inspiration here than can be found in the entirety of many design books. There are some real gems on how to find, collect and store inspiration and how to blur the boundaries between fashion, art and interior design. Kelly’s interiors play on scale and colour in a big way. Everything is oversized and every colour is ramped…

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Lifestyle

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

November 12, 2013

In its time Jack Kerouac’s masterpiece was the bible of the Beat Generation, the essential prose accompaniment to Allen Ginsberg’s Howl. While it stunned the public and literary establishment when it was published in 1957, it is now recognized as an American classic. With On the Road, Kerouac discovered his voice and his true subject—the search for a place as an outsider in America. On the Road swings to the rhythms of fifties underground America, jazz, sex, generosity, chill dawns, and drugs, with Sal Paradise and his hero Dean Moriarty, traveler and mystic, the living epitome of Beat. “Life is great, and few can put the zest and wonder and sadness and humor of it on paper more interestingly than Kerouac.” – Luther Nichols, San Francisco Examiner “Just as, more than any other novel of the Twenties, The Sun Also Rises came to be regarded as the testament of the Lost Generation, so it seems certain that On the Road will come to be known as that of the Beat Generation.” – Gilbert Millstein, The New York Times

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FASHION

Mario Testino – In your face

October 31, 2013

Experience a world of glamour through Mario Testino’s boundless talent with a camera must be maddening for other photographers working in a highly competitive field, but he remains one of the most revered stars in his profession. Often imitated and never equalled, Testino is graced with a natural ability to float effortlessly from studio to backstage to after-party, producing stunning shots in any kind of situation. His generosity as an artist, coupled with his striking vision, infuses his work with a warmth and intensity that invites, rather than intimidates, the viewer. From royals to mega-celebrities, Testino has shot some of the world’s most inaccessible subjects, always with an ease that betrays the complexity of the task. When Testino gets “in your face” he captures you at your best–and that is what makes him the best. This unorthodox collection of various images chosen by Testino from the span of his 30-year career reflects the diversity of his work, ranging from fashion and advertising shots to sexually-charged images and autobiographical photos. Full of color, life, and humor, this selection is a testament to the sheer brilliance of a tireless chronicler of fabulousness.

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FASHION

In Vogue: The illustrated History of the World’s Most Famous Fashion Magazine

October 17, 2013

In Vogue is a fascinating look at the history of the world’s most influential magazine. The complete compendium is illustrated with hundreds of covers and archival interiors of past Vogue editions, featuring the work of some of the twentieth century’s most respected artists, cover illustrators, and photographers—from Edward Steichen, Toni Frissell, and Erwin Blumenfeld to Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Steven Klein, Bruce Webber, and Herb Ritts. In 1909, an entrepreneurial New Yorker named Condé Nast took charge of a struggling society journal and transformed it into the most glamorous fashion magazine of the twentieth century. In Vogue traces the history, development and influence of this media colossus—from its beginning as a social gazette in the late nineteenth century, to the exploration of modern fashion photography and new visuals in the mid-twentieth century, to its status as the top style magazine today. The book explains the makings of the magazine—from runways, to editorial meetings, to the pages of Vogue. The thoroughly researched story incorporates first-person accounts, interviews with editors and photographers, and excerpts from stories written in the magazine by many world-renowned writers, including Truman Capote, Aldous Huxley, Richard Burton, Federico Fellini, and…

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Interior Design

Miller’s Mid Century Modern

October 10, 2013

For lovers of mid-century interior design looking into adding the style to their homes, Judith Miller’s Mid-Century Modern: Living with Mid-Century Modern Design is an excellent guide. The book, which was published in November 2012, is a comprehensive guide to the style that has stood the test of time and still inspires modern decorators. For those who sigh over the clean lines of an Eames chair or the rounded swoops of Georg Jensen silver, this is a book to treasure. The book covers the most iconic designs and designers from the 1940s to 1960s providing information on the development of different innovations in design, production methods, and materials. This era was particularly rich in change as more and more designers pressed the limits of what was possible. Furniture, ceramics, glass, metalware, interiors and textiles from the period are some of the most desirable collectibles on the market today. Miller’s guide has stand-alone feature pages highlighting the careers and influence of groundbreaking designers, including Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, Robin and Licienne Day, Georg Jensen, Arne Jacobsen and many others. The book contains 500-plus photographs making it a must-have for collectors, designers and others looking for photo references. Miller began…

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Art

Veranda, the Art of Outdoor Living

October 1, 2013

Take a private tour of magnificent homes, with their lush gardens, elegant courtyards, and inviting pools set amid breathtaking landscapes. This lavish new book from Veranda magazine offers a wealth of ideas for exceptional outdoor rooms and spaces, all created by the world’s best designers. Broken down into classic, modern, romantic, and exotic styles, these are among the most spectacular environments ever featured in Veranda. Meet the Author Lisa Newsom founded Veranda in 1987 as a showcase for exceptional design, and from the first issue it distinguished itself with lush visual presentations, as well as substance behind the beauty. Respected by the design community, applauded by a discerning readership, and honored with numerous awards, Lisa, who began her storied career as cofounder of Southern Accents in 1977, has always focused on the best. Lisa divides her time between Atlanta, GA and Cashiers, NC.

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