Books

Inside the World of Famed Design House Fornasetti

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Jan 6th 2011 at 4:05PM

With an incredible 3,000 photographs and illustrations, Rizzoli's massive new monograph on iconic Italian design house Fornasetti is a work of art in itself. Fornasetti: The Complete Universe details how the firm's founder Piero Fornasetti (1913–1988) achieved fame transforming everyday objects into works of art featuring idiosyncratic designs. His work is carried on today by his son Barnaba Fornasetti, who now runs the Fornasetti atelier and authored the impressive volume. Designed to be an "artist's book" that reflects Fornasetti's iconic overall approach to design, the slipcased $250 monograph is divided into two sections: the first half is dedicated to Piero Fornasetti as an artist and highlights his pictorial and graphic work and their artistic applications; the second half focuses on the 70-plus years of the atelier's production.

This includes furniture, sculptures and etchings, graphics, textiles, glass, screens, trays, ceramics, and more. The second section covers the activity of the atelier up to the present day as well. The book also addresses Barnaba's commitment to keeping the Fornasetti legacy alive by showing how Piero's ideas and models are "transformed, reworked, and contextualized." Today the Fornasetti atelier not only reissues historical pieces, but also "offers reinterpretations of themes and objects drawing inspiration from the vast repertory of the atelier's archive of lithographic plates, designs, notes, documents, and objects." Finally, the beautiful and comprehensive book includes a list of exhibitions and a register of the atelier's complete works.

Gallery: Fornasetti: The Complete Universe

Curved chest of drawers, Palladiana (Palladian Motif)

Piero Fornasetti with the Braccio con moneta (Arm with a Coin) tray

Plate 150 from Tema e Variazioni (Theme and Variations) series

Tags: books, coffee table books, decor, design, Fornasetti, furniture, Italy, photographs, Rizzoli

Ermenegildo Zegna Celebrates a Century of Style

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Jan 5th 2011 at 4:01PM

The subtitle of a lavish new book on Ermenegildo Zegna – An Enduring Passion for Fabrics, Innovation, Quality and Style – is an apt description of the Italian luxury men's fashion house's core values. Celebrating the famed firm's 100th anniversary, the book from Skira is divided into four chapters – Mind, Hand, Style and Environment – exploring the origins and values of the brand and the four generations of family members who have made it a success story while remaining committed to the concept of "ethical expansion". As evidence of the latter, Ermenegildo Zegna is donating 20% of the retail sales of the book to the children's educational charity Care & Share.

Each chapter is introduced by noted international writers and accompanied by images that retrace the history of the Zegna brand, from ad campaigns to previously unpublished images. "Today we celebrate one hundred years since the foundation of our Group and we look towards future global developments," notes the company's CEO Ermenegildo Zegna, "as it is our duty to continue to represent the values of excellence and Italian quality all around the world. This is the heritage that our grandfather left us: savoir faire in craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and loyalty to our ethical founding values." See the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: 100 Years of Ermenegildo Zegna

Tags: ad campaigns, books, coffee table books, Ermenegildo Zegna, fashion, Italian fashion, Italy, mens style, Zegna

Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley & More Go Nude at Necker Island

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Jan 4th 2011 at 3:00PM

The world's sexiest new supermodels pose sans clothes at Richard Branson's Necker Island paradise in a massive new monograph from famed photographer Russell James. V2 from uber-luxe publisher teNeues showcases the girls James believes will be the superstars of the new era, including Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Candice Swanepoel and Brooklyn Decker (on the cover, above). The Australian lensman, a connoisseur of the female form, has shot numerous ad campaigns for Victoria's Secret as well as sizzling spreads for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue. In V2 he presents the gifted goddesses in the natural splendor of Necker Island, Vrigin mogul Richard Branson's luxe tropical retreat. We're sure Branson was only too happy to play host to the bevy of naked beauties. See the gallery for an SFW preview (you'll have to buy the book to get the full treatment).

Gallery: Russell James: V2

Tags: books, Brooklyn Decker, Candice Swanepoel, coffee table books, Island, Miranda Kerr, models, Necker Island, nude, photography, Richard Branson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Russell James, supermodels, teNeues, Victorias Secret

The Classicist: Inside a Hundred Legendary Louis Vuitton Trunks

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Jan 3rd 2011 at 9:02AM

Since 1854, when Monsieur Louis Vuitton opened his first store in Paris, his name has been synonymous with the ultimate in luxurious luggage. His incredible trunks with their now iconic canvas coverings, introduced that same year, combined pragmatism and elegance and were "perfectly adapted to the current means of transport and changes in the lives of his clients." That's the basis of the best luxury book of the year, Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks, just published by Abrams, Illustrated with 600 images taken from the Louis Vuitton archives in France and new, specially-commissioned photographs. From trains and ocean liners to the earliest automobiles and even hot air balloons, on journeys to all corners of the globe, the Vuitton trunk has crossed time and borders and remains an icon of the golden age of travel, epitomizing the glamour and elegant decadence of an era when journeying to a foreign land involved adventure, romance and style.

The trunks featured in the incredible book are "extraordinary in every way, for a hundred reasons," writes Patrick-Louis Vuitton, the fifth-generation descendant of Monsieur Vuitton who is now in charge of bespoke orders for the firm, "as much for what they carried as for the work, the care, the inventiveness and the ingenuity required to make them." The 100 featured trunks are divided into five sections according to the people who owned them: Explorers & Adventurers, Crowned Heads & Aristocrats, Dandies & Fashionable Ladies, Artists & Scholars, and Hedonists & Eccentrics. Many a Maharaja, actors from Douglas Fairbanks to Sharon Stone, couturiers from Jeanne Lanvin to Karl Lagerfeld, as well as the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Leopold Stokowski, and Damien Hirst have all traveled with Louis Vuitton trunks, often customized in various ways.

Gallery: Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks

The Complete Wardrobe made for Sacha Guitry, 1913

The volume of a Louis Vuitton trunk can be defined by the nature of its contents, the means of transport, its handling, etc.

The Mail Trunk made for Paul Poiret 1911

Tags: Abrams, Aristocrats, bespoke, books, coffee table books, exotic leather, France, Louis Vuitton, luggage, luxury goods, luxury travel, LVMH, Maharaja, Paris, travel, trunks

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The Classicist: Celebrating a Century of Style Icons

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 27th 2010 at 9:01AM

Cary Grant, James Dean, Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Tom Ford and David Beckham have all had an undeniably important influence on the world of men's style – but what about Truman Capote, Che Guevara, the Sex Pistols and Jarvis Cocker? They all deserve credit as well, argues Simone Werle in a cool, lavishly illustrated new book called Fashionisto: A Century of Style Icons from Prestel. Werle names 50 figures from the last 100 years who have had an impact not only on the way men choose to adorn themselves but how they act and as well. She dubs them "fashionistos", the male equivalent of the famous fashionista. What makes a man a fashionisto? "Swagger, elegance, daring, perhaps a really well cut suit," the author notes, but not always – see Oscar Wilde, Johnny Depp and Kurt Cobain.

Each icon is featured in a double page spread with glossy full-color photographs and Werle's acute observations, anecdotes, and historical insight. While you may not have personally felt the sartorial influence of Boy George or Bootsy Collins, Werle makes a compelling case for their inclusion. She divides the book into sections according to the various styles or fashion phylum represented: The Gentlemen, The Rebels, The Dandies, The Rock Stars, The Classics, The Fashion Designers, The Beautiful People, The Bands and The Extraterrestrials.

"Fashionistos like fashionistas choose clothing that accentuates their best parts, not only of their bodies but also their personalities," Werle writes. "Both know when to follow the rules of style and when to break them. And both have the courage to stay who they are. But all the same, there is a huge difference. Men have a much easier time in fashion – and yet a much more difficult one." How so, you ask? "Classic men's fashion has very clear-cut rules; if you follow them, you can't go wrong. The man who doesn't look good in a custom-made suit of ﬁne fabric has yet to be born," she notes. "But to make a mark on the history of style, more is needed – and this is where it gets tricky. Men's fashion does not suffer rebels gladly. If you have the courage to rebel, you need self-conﬁdence – and more than that, a sense of style."

Gallery: Fashionisto: A Century of Style Icons

Tags: bespoke, books, Cary Grant, coffee table books, David Beckham, fashion, James Dean, Johnny Depp, male+style+icons, malestyleicons, mens style, Steve McQueen, style, suits, Tom Ford, Truman Capote

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The Classicist: Celebrating the Season in Style with Range Rover at Wheatleigh

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 20th 2010 at 9:02AM

Click above for high-res image gallery. Photos exclusive to Luxist.

Winter can be a long, cold interlude verging on a test of endurance in the Northeast, and it's all too easy to get bogged down by the doldrums. Plenty of people either hibernate by their hearths or hit the beach until the mercury makes its ascent, but there are myriad ways to keep warm with style, verve and panache. We recently gathered some of our favorite accessories of the season at Wheatleigh, the majestic mansion-turned-luxury hotel in the heart of the Berkshires' winter wonderland. Getting us there in style and comfort through anything the weather cared to concoct was the 2011 Range Rover Sport, a luxurious way to see the landscape safe in the knowledge that the elements have met their match. The pedigreed SUV's smooth, refined, performance and rugged good looks mark it as a thoroughbred in all respects, a suitably stylish conveyance for arriving at a desirable destination like Wheatleigh. And we had the great new Olympus PEN E-PL1 compact, versatile digital camera on hand to record it all for your vicarious enjoyment.

Wheatleigh, located in Lenox, Mass. next door to Edith Wharton's famed country manor The Mount, is a grand estate based on a 16th century Florentine palazzo built in 1893 by New York financier Henry H. Cook for his daughter who married a Spanish count. Many of the materials and over 150 artisans were brought from Italy to produce intricate carvings and design flourishes for the grand interiors and facades. Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed Central Park in New York, was responsible for creating "Wheatleigh Park" on the land surrounding the palazzo. Following a four year multimillion dollar renovation it was transformed into one of the most unique luxurious small hotels in the world. The nineteen suites, guest rooms and baths artfully combine antiques and custom furnishings with original museum quality contemporary art. The baths are finished with English limestone, marble and hand-blown glass fixtures, and most rooms feature fireplaces and Bang & Olufsen TVs. Check out the gallery to see the perfect accoutrements for a stylish seasonal sojourn – from books to watches, champagne to cashmere sweaters, and boots to bags – no matter where your journey takes you.

Gallery: Range Rover at Wheatleigh Dec. 2010

Graf & Lantz wool felt Boat Bag, personalized Tumi Alpha wheeled case.

Tumi Alpha case; Dom Perignon Tribute to Andy Warhol edition; Private Stock jeans; Graf & Lantz Quiver wine carrier w/ Robert Mo

Tags: Bang Olufsen, Berkshires, Brooks Brothers, Central Park, champagne, Dom Perignon, Edith Wharton, estates, Frederick Law Olmsted, gardens, Holiday 2010, L.L. Bean, Lenox, luggage, luxury hote, mansion, Massachusetts, mens style, New England, Olympus, Olympus PEN E-PL1, palazzo, Persol, Ralph Lauren, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, spirits, stolichnaya, sunglasses, SUV, teNeues, The Mount, Tumi, vodka, Wheatleigh, winter

Holiday Shopping Guide: 8 Gifts for Book Lovers

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) — Dec 18th 2010 at 2:01PM

In a world that increasingly favors digital and paperless technology the experience of reading books is not the same as it used to be, but no matter if you prefer turning pages by pressing a button on an e-reader or by hand the old fashioned way there will always be something magical and mysterious about real paper books. A new Kindle and a boatload of e-books is great for some reads (like working through the current New York Times best-seller list) but when it comes to true reading luxury and timeless, endearing gifts for the book lovers on your holiday shopping list we say go for good old-fashioned hardcovers and beautiful, well-made accessories.

Bee & Butterfly Bookmarks, $30
As pretty as antique jewelry these Bee and Butterfly bookmarks are handmade in the USA of brass and plated metal with colored Swarovski crystal accents, beautiful floral patterns, and long colorful tassels. Perfect for a gardener or nature-loving reader, unwrapping them will be easy but hiding them away in a book won't be!

Tags: books, holiday gifts, holiday shopping

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An Aristocrat's View of Ireland's Great Country Houses

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 14th 2010 at 2:01PM

The country houses of Ireland are not as well known and celebrated as those of England, yet no serious student of the form can afford to miss what are undoubtedly some of the most stunning examples on the Emerald Isle. Ten exquisite Irish country estates are given lavish treatment in The Irish Country House, a beautiful new book by Irish aristocrat the Knight of Glin – whose own castle is among the finest – and James Peill from the Vendome Press. All of the historical houses and castles featured in the book are still owned and lived in by the original families, an increasing rarity, and many have never been published before. Specially commissioned photographs by James Fennell show grand but inviting living rooms, hallways lined with hunting prints, well-trampled mudrooms and richly-furnished libraries. The decor of the houses has "evolved over generations, furnished with heirlooms and cherished hand-me-downs, exuding the mossy scent of peat fires", full of telling details capturing the distinctive personalities of the colorful inhabitants whose stories are recounted in the text.

Gallery: The Irish Country House

Tags: aristocrat, books, castles, coffee table books, country house, English country house, estates, historic houses, Ireland, UK

Great Art in Great Books of 2010

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) — Dec 13th 2010 at 2:01PM

Asian Art Now by Melissa Chiu and Benjamin Genocchio (Monacelli Press, $60)
Chiu is the Museum Director of Asia Society in New York. Genocchio is an art critic for the New York Times. Together they have written an up-to-the-second survey of contemporary Asian art. Throughout this lavishly illustrated book, the authors reflect on the conflicted responses of artists, both established and emerging, to the super-fast changes in their lives. The book is fascinating primarily because the Asian landscape is changing so rapidly. This forces artists to confront these changes and examine the impact on their social, economic, and urban culture and environment. The front cover is just one example of the dynamic work the two authors examine. It is an illustration of Ah Xian's China, China ---Bust 14, a cast porcelain with traditional Chinese ceramic designs and motifs.

Tags: American nudes, art books, billy baldwin, coffee table books, Fornasetti, henri matisse, Hokusai, Indonesian textiles, Jung, Matisse

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Luxist Giveaway: Living Jewels Book

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Dec 13th 2010 at 10:01AM

Today's giveaway is a little gift for jewelry lovers, especially those who like the unusual. Living Jewels: Masterpieces from Nature by Ruth Peltason is a new lavishly illustrated book just published by The Vendome Press. The book gives due homage to organic materials used in jewelry. The book is full of images of jewelry crafted from pearls, shells, amber, coral, wood, horn and more. The book covers both historical pieces from top jewelry designers including Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Tiffany, Fabergé, Bulgari as well as the work of newer artists such as Mesi Jilly and Christine Brandt, all displayed in beautiful images on rich, glossy paper. Peltason is a jewelry writer who was the editor of Elizabeth Taylor's book on her famous diamonds, Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry and her words convey a genuine enthusiasm and interest in the world of jewelry and the role it plays in our shared cultural history.

Kate Spade said of this book: "For those of us who consider jewelry part of enduring style, Living Jewels is a must. Here's a book that is welcoming and inspiring, and a tribute to the artists who have made these exquisite pieces. Living Jewels is a book I'll treasure."

The book sells for $50 and we are giving away one copy to a reader chosen at random.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before December 20, 2010 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive a copy of Living Jewels: Masterpieces from Nature by Ruth Peltason, which has a retail price of $50.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete giveaway rules here.

This contest is now closed. Thank you for your participation.

Tags: art books, coffee table book, coffee table books, jewelry, jewelry designers, JewelryDesigners, luxist giveaway

Jamee Gregory's New York Parties: Private Views

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) — Dec 10th 2010 at 9:30AM

Jamee Gregory's newly released book, New York Parties: Private Views (Rizzoli New York, 2010) takes the reader on a spectacular journey to affairs hosted by the entertaining expert's closest friends, which include some of New York's leading arbiters of style from the worlds of fashion, design, food, society and philanthropy. The 208-page book is filled with 300 spectacular color photographs taken by Eric Striffler and ably provides a wealth of information for anyone wanting to host their own glamorous affair.

"I've been very lucky in New York to have such terrific and interesting friends," the elegant and statuesque Gregory told Luxist at the book party thrown in her honor by Jay McLaughlin at his J. McLaughlin boutique on Madison Avenue in New York on December 8. "It seemed to me that they put so much of themselves into the entertaining, that every party was like a theatrical performance and they were the producer."

Tags: books, Campion Platt, Evelyn Lauder, Fernanda Kellogg, Jamee Gregory, Jamie Drake, Kirk Henckels, New York Parties, Rizzoli, Rizzoli New York, Tory Burch

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World's Most Expensive Book Sells For $11.5 Million

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Dec 8th 2010 at 4:01AM

One of the most monumental printed books ever produced, John James Audubon's Birds of America, sold at Sotheby's London this week for £7,321,250 ($11,542,683) setting a new world record for any printed book ever sold at auction. There are only around 100 copies of this book which contains 435 hand-colored prints and is more than three feet tall. A different copy sold for $8.8 million in 2000.

Four collectors bid on the phones and in the room, driving the price above the estimates of $6.3 million to $9.5 million. The book was purchased by London dealer Michael Tollemache, who was bidding in the room and who described the work after the sale as "priceless." The Audubon was part of the sale of Magnificent Books, Manuscripts and Drawings from the Collection of Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh that brought in a total of £14,971,950 ($23,604,776 ) sailing over the high estimate of approximately $18.6 million and setting a record as the highest price ever achieved for a single-session sale of Books and Manuscripts ever held in London.

The sale also featured a first folio of Shakespeare's plays dating back to 1623, one of the most important books in English Literature. It sold for £1,497,250, right around the high estimate of £1.5 million and was purchased by Stephan Loewentheil. Forty letters relating to the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots, including four letters signed by Queen Elizabeth I, sold for £349,250 ($550,628) (estimated at £150,000-200,000), a record for a group of Elizabethan manuscripts at auction.

Tags: audubon, birds of america, john james audubon, most expensive, sothebys, worlds most expensive, worlds most expensive book

An Inside Look at Paris' Famed Flea Markets

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 6th 2010 at 2:02PM

Forget the Louvre and the Champs Elysées – compulsive collectors, experienced bargain hunters, bewildered tourists, timid first-timers, specialists in the one-of-a-kind item, treasure seekers, Japanese fashionistas, incognito celebrities and couturiers from countries around the globe all travel to Paris' famed flea markets of St. Ouen for inspiration and fabulous finds. Antiquaires: Paris Flea Markets by Laure Verchere with gorgeous photographs by Laziz Hamani, new from Assouline, showcases highlights from the hundreds of diverse dealers there that make up the largest marketplace of secondhand furniture, clothing, books, housewares, curiosities, antiques and art objects in the world. The stalls outside the city's Porte de Clignancourt which once played host to farmers and ragpickers today house highly curated collections and attract up to 150,000 visitors each weekend. Check out the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: Antiquaires: Paris Flea Markets

Tags: antiques, Assouline, books, coffee table books, Decor, France, furniture, Interior design, Louvre, Paris, photography, travel

The Classicist: Paradise Lost - 40 Years of Cafe Society

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 6th 2010 at 9:01AM

In the 1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s the so-called Café Society in Europe drew together aristocrats, millionaires, artists, authors, couturiers, choreographers and musicians in a "glittering world of fashion and frivolity, opulence and ostentation", notes Thierry Coudert in his ultra-stylish new book, Café Society: Socialites, Patrons and Artists 1920 to 1960 from Flammarion. Those decades were the "apotheosis of an era that was to have a profound influence on the history of taste" Coudert writes, with the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Lady Diana Cooper, Diana Vreeland, Cole Porter, Noel Coward and Cecil Beaton setting the tone and deciding which artists, designers, and musicians were in vogue. The cover of the book (above) depicts heiress Barbara Hutton, then the Countess von Reventlow, at a tennis match in 1940, while Yves Saint Laurent, Orson Welles, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau and many more make cameos in the impressive volume.

Gallery: Cafe Society

Tags: Aristocrats, art, artists, books, Café Society, Cafe Society, coffee table books, Diana Vreeland, Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Duke of Windsor, Europe, fashion, France, Noel Coward, socialites, society, style, wealth, Yves Saint Laurent

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Great Gardens of the Hudson River Valley

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) — Dec 3rd 2010 at 10:01AM

Winter may be fast approaching but verdant greenery abounds in Gardens of the Hudson Valley, a new photographic portrait of the region's lush private landscapes. The luxurious volume chronicles 25 gardens chosen to give "a sense of place and convey the romance of the landscape" abutting the majestic Hudson River in New York state. Photographers Steve Gross and Susan Daley selected gardens from Yonkers up the river to the town of Hudson, including famous formal estate gardens like Kykuit, Boscobel, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and Olana, along with smaller, more naturalistic plots that combine sweeping views and lush plantings. Each of the gardens tells a story about the people who made them, and collectively they evoke "the grace and grandeur of the Hudson River landscape" underscoring the central role the Hudson Valley played in the birth of an American garden tradition.

Tags: books, coffee table books, estates, garden, gardens, Hudson Valley, New York, photography, river, Vanderbilt Mansion

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