Rizzoli (RCS MediaGroup)

The first book to celebrate the timeless beauty and craftsmanship of Dior’s jewelry designs. Since launching Dior Fine Jewelry in 1998, Victoire de Castellane has been celebrated for having revolutionized the staid world of jewelry design. Her designs play with the barriers between natural and artificial. Renowned as one of the most creative and fearless jewelry designers in the world, she trailblazed the use of the semiprecious gemstones and lacquered gold in baroque, translucent colors. Her sources of inspiration include a global mix of pop culture, floral and natural motifs, and the visual excesses of Bollywood.

Mary McFadden helped define the look of the 1970s with original clothing designs created from textiles picked up on her travels around the globe. With tunics of hand-painted fabrics layered over floating silk pants and pleated Fortuny-like gowns with elaborate embroidery, McFadden created a sensation in the fashion world. This volume explores McFadden’s thirty-year career, from her debut in Vogue in 1972, launching her as a designer, to her subsequent status as a multimillion-dollar brand, famous for looks inspired by historical cultures as well as by her extensive art collection. McFadden was her own best model and was frequently photographed by legends such as Horst P. Horst, Richard Avedon, Sam Haskins, and Norman Parkinson, among others. Her passion and vision translated into wearable works of art that were as collectible as the antiquities that inspired them. This book features both her stunning portraits and singular designs, as well as the places and objects that inspired her. Unparalleled in her dual identities of fashion visionary and erudite art collector, this volume celebrates McFadden’s inspiration and breadth as an incredibly influential tastemaker.

George Barbier (1882-1932) is one of the great French illustrators of the early twentieth century. He is famous for his elegant art deco works that were heavily influenced by orientalism and Parisian couture. Born in Nantes, France in 1882, he skyrocketed to fame and notoriety after his first exhibition in 1911. Known as one of the knights of the bracelet for his luxurious and glamorous lifestyle and work, George Barbier also received renown for costumes and set designs he did for theater, film, and ballet. Even today, his modern and stylish illustrations are popular all over the world. With critical essays on such topics as coloration and composition, this volume is a complete compendium of Barbier's work. This valuable reference book is categorized by Barbier's major projects in fashion, book illustration, theater art, and editorial design and is perfect for illustrators and graphic designers as well as a beautiful gift for someone very special.

Selecting favorite rooms from more than fifty renowned designers such as Kelly Wearstler, Bunny Williams, Albert Hadley, Nate Berkus, and Mary McDonald — and shot by the world's top shelter photographers — Susanna Salk offers insightful advice on how to apply basic design principles to interiors. Organized into chapters on balance, color, mixing, accessorizing, arrangements, rule breaking, and whimsy, Salk walks through the process of great design, illustrating how the featured designers made the decisions they did to make these rooms look so great. The book's encouraging, conversational tone, practical tips and ideas, and quotes by the designers themselves explaining their philosophies empower the reader to create stylish, functional, and unique rooms of their very own. Covering a range of styles from traditional to modern, formal to whimsical, and showcasing some of the best work by the best designers of our age, Be Your Own Decorator is a rich resource for the aspiring decorator.

Showcasing one hundred years of innovation and environmental sensitivity, Handmade Houses celebrates some of the world's most idiosyncratic homes from Big Sur to Sardinia. Author Richard Olsen unveils the components used for their construction, including driftwood, boulders, and even old wine vats. The first study of the handmade-homes phenomenon since its inception in the late 1960s, Handmade Houses revisits the subject's roots and history, exploring how these homes and their owners paved the way for the architectural-salvage business and the reclaimed, industrial look ever-popular today. As fascinating as the structures are themselves, their owners — professionals and amateurs who personally designed and built each residence — offer their inspirations and stories behind the convention-defying homes. Design lessons are gleaned from each home — some examples of environmentally aware construction with applicable tips for use in more mainstream scenarios. Handmade Houses is an important and relevant volume to be appreciated by anyone interested in environmentally friendly design, craft, and the expression of personal style in the home.

World's fairs were the most important vehicles for debuting advancements in modern living. These renowned international expositions were showcases for design on a national and global level, and they democratized design unlike any previous forum. Inventing the Modern World is lavishly illustrated with two hundred examples of woodwork, metalwork, ceramics, glass, jewelry, and textiles from private and public collections, primarily in America and Europe, many never before published or seen outside of their respective collections. Incredibly diverse but all representing the pinnacle of scientific and artistic achievements of their time, these extraordinary creations range from a monumental 1850s Gothic Revival cabinet to a streamlined glass chair from 1939, to masterpieces of jewelry and objects in glass, silver, and porcelain by Baccarat, Tiffany, Gorham, Cartier, Sevres, and Herman Miller. This unprecedented volume, edited by Jason Busch and Catherine Futter, and with contributions by them and many other specialists and scholars, breaks new ground in the study of decorative arts.

This fascinating publication presents the roles two men have played in turning a small workshop in nineteenth-century Paris into one of the most successful and recognized brands in the world. Known for both craftsmanship and must-have high design, Louis Vuitton the luxury house was started by its eponymous founder in 1854. The first half of this publication traces the innovations by Vuitton, who turned the little-known guild profession of emballeur (packer) into the foremost luxury trunk maker in Paris, with a clientele that included in his lifetime the French nobility as well as the elite of a prosperous empire. Prime and never-before-seen examples of Vuitton's craftsmanship, along with the fashion that went into them, are the highlights of these chapters. The second half of the book examines the role of Marc Jacobs as Louis Vuitton's creative director (since 1997), who took the Louis Vuitton house into a new era with a series of collaborations with artists and designers — such as Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, and Stephen Sprouse — as well as designing a line of highly successful and desired clothing for the company. By examining two divergent but often similar careers one hundred years apart, Louis Vuitton / Marc Jacobs is not only a layered study of the evolution of a luxury brand in the past 150 years but also a celebration of technical and design innovations in the new century.

Adored by celebrity patrons and admired by his peers in the industry, Scott Campbell is known not only for his amazing technique and vision as a tattoo artist, but also as a respected fine artist on the contemporary scene. Both Campbell's artwork and tattoo work are informed by timeless trends of new antiquarian style, nineteenth-century hand-lettering, kitsch, and classic tattoo flash. Campbell is considered the tattoo artist of both the trendsetter and the daring celebrity. However, though Campbell has tattooed celebrities from the late Heath Ledger to visionaries like Marc Jacobs, it is through his distinctive aesthetic that he has become a celebrity in his own right. Campbell renders fleeting trends into timeless masterpieces not only on canvas and in sculpture, but also on skin. This book captures both, exemplifying how his tattoo work informs his artwork and vice versa.

A love letter to the cinema from the House of Dior, featuring legendary screen actresses in signature Dior. Embraced by Hollywood and the iconic women who are its stars, the fashions of Christian Dior have been worn by the likes of Marlene Dietrich in Stage Fright, Lauren Bacall in How to Marry a Millionaire, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and, more recently, Charlize Theron, Penelope Cruz, and Nicole Kidman. Well before the successes that were to propel Dior to the forefront of the fashion world, the master couturier put his talent to work as a costume designer for the cinema, collaborating with renowned filmmakers and creating timeless ensembles for legendary actresses. Following the untimely death of the designer, the House of Dior's involvement with the cinema continued, from 1958 to the present, with more than fifty films featuring the stars of the silver screen dressed in signature Dior. Combining fashion photography and rarely seen and never before published behind-the-scenes photographs, this gorgeously produced volume showcases Dior's creations for film and the movie stars who brought them to life, and is a must for those who aspire to high style.

This superb volume takes the reader behind the fabulous facades of Venice to explore the greatest achievements of contemporary Venetian interior design and decoration. The residential interiors included here range from fabric designer Mirella Spinella's house, full of Asian influences and the blue-and-white harmonies of the Palazzo Pisani Rubelli, to the cutting-edge geometrics of London-based architect Michael Carapetian and the home of DJ Spiller, who combines high-tech electronics with frescoed ceilings and rocaille wood paneling in an ancient noble mansion. Featuring a lively anecdotal text and stunning color photographs of private interiors otherwise not open to the public, this beautifully illustrated volume is essential for anyone who has fantasized about living in one of the most romantic cities in Europe. This is an enchanting volume for browsers, armchair tourists, and anyone interested in interior design.

This accessible book is a visual guide to understanding and identifying architectural styles and engineering techniques of all types of bridges, from ancient Roman arch bridges and nineteenth-century truss bridges prevalent in the United States, to the latest high-design cantilever and suspension bridges of the moment. It explores the elegant and varied ways in which engineers and architects have designed ever longer yet less heavy bridges, devising new methods of construction along the way. Illustrated throughout with detailed line drawings and cross sections, including dramatic images of the world's iconic bridges, this charming guide still fits in a pocket or purse — perfect for anyone who likes to explore the dynamic bridges and built environment on foot.

Tomboys are confident, rebellious, and adventurous. They are bold, brazen, fierce — and sexy. They aren't known for following rules, they are known for doing — and wearing — whatever they want. Tomboy captures the tomboy's style, her je ne sais quoi, her wardrobe, and most importantly, her spirit. Throughout the twentieth century, the mass marketing of gender stereotypes meant tomboys cropped up against the odds, trends, and ads. As menswear-inspired fashions for women have exploded into the mainstream under the helm of designers and stylists ranging from J.Crew to Rag & Bone to Boy by Band of Outsiders, acceptance of both the word tomboy and the women associated with its edge has been set into play. But a tomboy is not just about style — tomboys are measured in equal parts wardrobe and spirit. A visual history that chronicles the past eighty years of women who blur the line between masculinity and femininity, Tomboy explores the evolution of the style and its icons. Vivid commentary illuminates the tomboy's history and captures a diversity of women who are bound together by their inherent ability to seamlessly blend a rugged sensibility with classic, understated elegance.

Named one of the most romantic movies of the past twenty-five years by Entertainment Weekly, Dirty Dancing is a touchstone in the lives of generations of moviegoers. Now, for the first time, millions of fans have the opportunity to own the first-ever book celebrating the magic, music, and memories of the seminal film. With photographs, reminiscences from cast and crew, memorable quotes, trivia, and song lyrics, this gift-able package is a perfect and brand-new way to relive the film. Dirty Dancing is a timeless love story set in the summer of 1963 when Baby, an innocent seventeen-year-old, meets Johnny, a dashing hotel dance instructor at Kellerman's Catskills resort. Its passionate story line and alluring dance numbers made the film a box-office hit and pop-culture phenomenon. Though the film launched the careers of stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, and won an Academy Award (R), a Golden Globe (R), a Grammy Award (R), and an Independent Spirit Award (R), it is best known for being an undeniably loved, oft-quoted piece of American cinematic history. With the recent passing of Patrick Swayze, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the film takes on a new meaning and poignancy. This official celebration of the film, the stars, and the time is a must-have for any of the millions of people who love the film.

Photography collides with gravity-defying acts in this sensual and mesmerizing collection of photographs that capture the explosive energy and beauty of bodies. In this extraordinary suite of images by Acey Harper, the energy and beauty of nude female and male bodies-devoid of costumes, greasepaint, stage sets, and lighting-are photographed stripped bare (figuratively and literally), revealing the acrobats' art, craft, and emotions. The beautiful, well-trained, and highly flexible bodies are captured in settings from the natural (beaches in the Marin Headlands, forests in Vermont, the Black Rock Desert) to the gritty urban (a New Jersey steel mill, San Francisco streets, the New York subway). In three captivating essays, Harriet Heyman, well-schooled in trapeze arts, describes firsthand what it feels like to train as an acrobat and what motivates these dedicated artists.

A vibrant study of one of the iconic figures of twentieth-century design, whose Romantic, whimsical, and wholly original style influenced a generation of architects and decorators. Oliver Messel was one of England's foremost interior designers of the twentieth century, whose work also spanned the worlds of the stage design, film, and architecture. Born into a creative family of wealthy bankers, his career began in 1925 designing for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. He eventually became an internationally celebrated designer, branching out into drama, film, opera, interior design, textiles, and architecture. Romanticism and eccentricity were hallmarks of Messel's style. His sets were famed for their exquisite delicacy, impossible detail, subtlety of color, and inventive use of materials. From the 1930s to the postwar period, Messel explored the fields of interior design and architecture, eventually designing numerous houses built on the islands of Mustique and Barbados for the jet set of the 1960s and '70s, among them Antony Armstrong-Jones (Earl of Snowdon) and Princess Margaret. Oliver Messel is filled with previously unpublished images that chronicle a unique, eccentric, and, until now, largely overlooked oeuvre that reached across several mediums and continues to influence insiders from the worlds of interior design, architecture, and fashion. Edited by Thomas Messel with an introduction by Lord Snowdon, an epilogue by Anthony Powell and texts by Stephen Calloway, Keith Lodwick, Jeremy Musson, and Sarah Woodcock.

From internationally acclaimed photographer Deborah Turbeville comes the first book on her highly influential visionary avant-garde fashion photography. Celebrated for her poetic grace and cinematic vision, Deborah Turbeville has produced fashion tableaux that draw the viewer into her otherworldly environments. A romantic and modernist, Turbeville bridges the boundaries between commercial fashion and fine arts photography. In this remarkable presentation, Turbeville reveals her highly individualistic point of view of fashion photography and the stories behind her photographs.

An extraordinary monograph created by Christian Louboutin, renowned for his beautifully crafted handmade shoes, in particular his elegantly sexy stilettos. This stunning volume, with a fanciful and intricate pop-up, an elaborate foldout cover, and dramatic still-life photography, evokes the artistry and theatricality of Louboutin's shoe designs.

Coffee and photography are children of our age. Both generate energy and both are fastly enjoyed. Neither needs to be decoded. For twenty years Lavazza has been producing calendars with the exclusive involvement of master photographers who have made history. Photographers who have contributed to the Lavazza calendar over the years have included Helmut Newton, Ellen Von Unwerth, Ferdinando Scianna, Elliott Erwitt, David La Chapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Finlay MacKay, Miles Aldridge, Mark Seliger and many others. For the first time collected together in a book, these photographs are a depiction of seduction and taste, of beauty and pleasure. Designed as an imaginary voyage of the senses in which the female figure becomes an icon and guide to a parallel world of pleasure and beauty, this remarkable package also features original drawings by one of Italy's best known masters of erotic graphic novels and comics, Milo Manara, paired with a narrative by one of Italy's leading screenwriters, Vincent Cerami. As a special feature, the book also includes the 2012 calendar in which Lavazza continues to celebrate the intimate connection between photography and espresso, pleasure and sensuality.

Unlike most flower-arrangement books, which rely on expensive and often nonseasonal flowers from florists, this book presents an alternative that is in line with the back to nature movement. This is the first volume to showcase how to be inspired by nature's seasonal bounty and bring that nature into the home through floral arrangements. From the well-known lifestyle photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo and Nicolette Owen of Brooklyn's Little Flower School, Bringing Nature Home presents a portfolio of unique and original floral arrangements directly inspired by the seasons and the local environment, with sources ranging from farmers' market offerings to the backyard garden. Presented through lush photography that also showcases the beautiful interiors the arrangements are created for, this is as much a decorating tome as it is a floral-arrangement guide. A how-to section offers advice on the selection, trimming, and care of the arrangements and on repurposed and unique containers, making this book practical as well as inspiring.

The glamour and excitement of the world of haute jewelry is beautifully explored in Jewelry International Volume 4 with a special display on the design traditions in South Asia.

The most comprehensive book devoted to the incomparable and iconic work of Yayoi Kusama. Yayoi Kusama, now in her eighties, has become a vital force in contemporary art and an influence on generations of artists. Arriving in New York City in 1958 from her native Japan, she embarked on a series of works that forged a new visual vocabulary — the Net paintings, which were composed of scores of small, thickly painted loops spanning large canvases. Her singular approach to art making continued in other extraordinary bodies of work, including the phallic soft sculptures which she later incorporated into full-scale environments. In 1973 she returned to Japan, where she lives and works today. Since then, she has created dazzling walk-in mirror rooms and her now-famous pumpkin sculptures, as well as writing poetry and novels.In this book — created in close collaboration with Kusama and her Tokyo studio — the breadth and import of this watershed artist's career are considered in depth. In addition to studies of the development of her artistic vocabularies across different media, the book includes ephemera, sketches, and photographs from the artist's extensive archive that have never been seen before. The publication is timed to coincide with the artist's major touring retrospective, which makes its American debut at the Whitney Museum in New York in summer 2012, as well as with the much-anticipated collaboration with powerhouse fashion brand Louis Vuitton.

The first major monograph on Poltrona Frau, Italy's leading furniture designer and manufacturer, on the eve of its hundredth anniversary. Poltrona Frau is one of the leading furniture designers and manufacturers in Italy. Founded in 1912, Poltrona Frau has been refining its sophisticated expertise in handcrafted workmanship for more than a century. This prestigious illustrated monograph highlights the entire corpus of design work by this iconic brand, including all types of seating (armchairs, sofas, chairs), interior furnishings, and seating for public spaces as well as interiors for cars, yachts, and airplanes. The defining ethos and sensibility of Poltrona Frau is a story of comfort, taste, and handmade products that combine tradition with innovation. It is a journey through time via classic and iconic pieces such as the Vanity Fair armchair or the Chester couch. Included are projects by Renzo Piano, Frank O. Gehry, Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Jean Nouvel, Richard Meier, Lella and Massimo Vignelli, Jean-Marie Massaud, and many others who have collaborated with Poltrona Frau in creating unique pieces that rely on Poltrona Frau's knowledge of materials and techniques.

For readers of Frances Mayes's bestselling phenomenon Under the Tuscan Sun comes The Tuscan Sun Cookbook, in which Mayes and her husband Ed celebrate the ease of the Tuscan kitchen and the joys of the table with more than 125 recipes, stunning food and lifestyle photography, and Frances and Ed's delicious stories.

The first volume in the bestselling One Hundred & One series devoted to the United States, this book is a unique photographic tour of the most charming towns along the American littoral, from ancient New England fishing towns and the wide strands of Florida's beach towns to the rugged West Coast. Stephen Brewer's inviting text not only draws attention to aesthetic, natural, and architectural points of interest in every region, but also brings to life the special history of each place, from William Randolph Hearst's castle on California's central coast to Newport's grand nineteenth-century cottages. Every stretch of the U.S. coast is included — Maine's bracing fishing coves, Louisiana bayous, and undiscovered gems like California's Eureka, a charming Victorian town just beyond the Lost Coast in the state's far north. An appendix provides details about hotels, restaurants, shops, and nearby points of interest for each town. This tour of the hidden treasures and charming sights of America's seaside is perfect inspiration for the armchair traveler or anyone considering a vacation closer to home.