“Versace. The very name conjures up images of outrageous glamour and bold sexuality, opulence and daring. All of course true, but only half the story. Versace is also the legacy of a great creative genius from a poor, backward part of southern Italy who transformed the fashion world through his intuitive understanding of both women and how a changing culture influenced the way they wanted to dress. The first book in English about the legendary designer, House of Versace shows how Gianni Versace, with his flamboyant sister Donatella at his side, combined his virtuosic talent and extraordinary ambition to almost single-handedly create the celebrity culture we take for granted today. 

Gianni Versace was at the height of his creative powers when he was murdered in Miami Beach. The story was front page news around the world and the manhunt for his killer a media obsession. His beloved sister Donatella demanded no less than a funeral befitting an assassinated head-of-state to be held in Milan’s magnificent cathedral. In what was the ultimate fashion show, the world’s rich and beautiful – Princess Dianna, Elton John, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Anna Wintour and others – gathered to mourn a man already considered one of fashion’s great pioneers.   

Deborah Ball, a long-time Milan correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, conducted hundreds of interviews with Versace family members, Gianni Versace’s lovers and business rivals, models such as Naomi Campbell whom he helped shoot to international stardom and fashion industry icons, including Anna Wintour, the legendary editor ofVogue.

Deborah Ball vividly recounts the behind-the scenes struggles – both creative and business – of Donatella as she stepped out of her brother’s long shadow and took control of the House of Versace. The book offers the first inside look at the enormous challenges Donatella faced in living up to Gianni’s genius, her struggle with a  drug habit,  her battles with her bother Santo and the mystery of why Gianni left control of his house to Donatella’s young daughter, Allegra. House of Versace is a compelling, highly readable tale of rise from obscurity, a painful fall and ultimate redemption as the Versace empire returned to health – for now. 

Bringing together fashion, celebrity, business drama, jet-set lifestyles, and a notorious crime, House of Versace is an old-fashioned page-turner about a subject of enduring fascination.”

Ou lala .. visit RandomHouse.com to purchase.

“Antonio Lopez is the Picasso of fashion illustration.

An unparalleled virtuoso, he captured the pulse of style from the 1960s to the 1980s, and is still revered as the most inspiring illustrator by today’s practitioners. Recording and predicting contemporary style trends, Antonio also used his immense versatility to adopt a broad range of art movements, from Pop Art to Surrealism.

The man himself, his life and friendships, particularly with Juan Ramos, his constant collaborator, define his oeuvre. For Antonio, life – bestial and sublime – surpassed any fiction. His illustrations and photographs capture the beautiful people who are part of celebrity folklore, and who were more often than not his friends: Jerry Hall (to whom he was engaged), Grace Jones, Mick Jagger, Audrey Hepburn, Andy Warhol (with whom he worked on Interview magazine), Paloma Picasso and Marlene Dietrich.

Packed with previously unpublished material, this is a thrilling retrospective about an artist who is represented in major collections from the Metropolitan to the Louvre. Even posthumously, Antonio has not relinquished his grip on the fashion world: his style and quest for beauty live on.

Paul Caranicas met Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos in 1971. They became best friends and lived together in Paris and New York. A widely exhibited artist himself, Caranicas currently lives and works in New York City. Laird Borrelli is the Senior Fashion Editor at Style.com in New York City. A fashion historian and writer, she is author of Fashion Illustration Now and Net Mode.”

RDuJour has just found this book so no personal review can be offered yet, but it looks yummy so I wanted to share! You can order a copy HERE and then we shall discuss at a later date! 

Elizabeth Hawes published Fashion is Spinach in 1938. Born in New Jersey, Hawes attended Vassar College before transferring to Parsons School of Design and began working as an assistant at Bergdorf Goodman. She went on to become a successful fashion designer and author. 

Tokyo based designer Keit Maruyama began his namesake collection in 1994. His autumn/winter 2009 collection has a rustic vintage glamour feel that RDuJour loves (particularly the leopard coat and green tights look in the gallery below!). Maruyama is also the author of a charming book called Flowerworks. Continue reading for additional collection photos.

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Preeminent fashion historian Janet Arnold authored this series of books Patterns of Fashion that rage in period (overall) from 1660-1940, as well as other editions that focus on specific topics such as The Cut and Construction of Linen Shirts, Smocks, Neckwear, Headwear and Accessories for Men and Women C. 1540-1660.The books are great because of the way the garments are sketched out on grids, described in detail by Arnold, and compared to other visuals, not to mention the actual period patterns included! All are available for purchase from Amazon.com.

Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) was one of the leading fashion designers of the 1920s and 1930s with a flair for the unusual. The first to use shoulder pads, animal print and the inventor of shocking pink, Schiaparelli collaborated with artists including Jean Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti and Salvador Dali, to create extraordinary garments such as the Dali Lobster Dress. 

Schiaparelli had an affluent clientele, from Katherine Hepburn to Marlene Dietrich, who embrace her outrageous but elegant designs. She designed aviator Amy Johnson’s wardrobe for her solo flight to Cape Town in 1936, the culottes for the tennis champion Lily d’Alvarez that outraged the lawn tennis establishment, and her clothes appeared in more than 30 films including, “Every Day’s a Holiday” with May West and “Moulin Rouge”. Schiaparelli’s fascinating autobiography charts her rise from the resident of a rat-infested apartment to designer to the stars. Shocking Life, Available for purchase from Alibris.com. 

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RDuJour is looking forward to the release of The Overnight Socialite by Birdie Clark, which is being dubbed as a modern day My Fair Lady set in New York. 

Clark (Because She Can) moves the Pygmalion myth to Manhattan, adds a dash of Thelma and Louise and proves what goes around, comes around to those born to the manor or trailer park. Professor Higgins is recast as suave bachelor Wyatt Hayes IV, the sleekest lion in the pride, who picks down-on-her-luck fashion designer wannabe Lucy Jo Ellis to make over into the toast of the town. (continue reading for full review). 

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 Conde Nast (1873-1942), the publisher of gogue, Vanity Fair, and House & Garden, is remembered for his genius at marketing high-toned magazines and for his fabulous parties; to the women he pursued, he was a lovable roue. But credit for the magazines themselves has largely gone to Vogue editor Edna Woolman Chase and Vanity Fair’s legendary Frank Crowninshield. Seebohm, a writer for Conde Nast (and other) publications, does succeed in demonstrating that Nast had a lot to do with the makeup of Vogue, in particular. RDuJour readers will particularly enjoy the opening chapter dedicated to the lavish parties Nast threw in this penthouse at 1040 Park Avenue.  The Man Who Was Vogue: The Life and Times of Conde Nast by Caroline Seebhom, Available for purchase from Alibris.com. 

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The nearly 100-year-old Italian fashion house has just released this catalogue raisonné titled “Prada”. The 708 page long book was complied by Michael Rock and Sung Joong Kim of the New York firm 2×4 and includes sections on the brand’s past, inside the company, production, creative output, and more. The book is available from Prada.com.

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100 Years of Menswear by Cally Blackman, fashion historian and author of the fabulous 100 Years of Fashion Illustration, was published just a few weeks ago by Laurence King Publishers and celebrated with a launch party at the Margaret Howell shop in London earlier this week. Filled with rare photos and illustration the book chronicles the last century of menswear, including insights into Savile Row tailoring, Hollywood style icons, art personalities of the 1930s, and the impact of designers such as Pierre Cardin, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, it is a must read for all fashion lovers!  You can buy the book HERE from Laurence King. 

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