Wednesday 14 August 2013

books: American Fashion - two volumes in a slip case

The Assouline publishing house has a new arrival: American Fashion in a slip case. The two books aren't new, American Fashion Designers at Home by Rima Suqi was published in 2010 and American Fashion by Charlie Scheips in 2007, but now they are available as a set, in this patriotic-looking slip case. It is fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg who writes the introduction. Combined the two volumes include 575 illustrations on 600 pages, a visual feast for the reader.


The publishing is a collaboration with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and provides an "in-depth view of the many facets of the kaleidoscope of American fashion." The books celebrate the history of American fashion design and provide an "exclusive behind-the-runway glimpses into the private lives of the most acclaimed American designers."


American Fashion Designers at Home by Rima Suqi takes readers into the private homes of more than 100 members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Among these homes is the "classic elegance of Carolina Herrera’s Louis XV–influenced 1850s town house to the pink-mirrored, flower-filled flat of Betsey Johnson." And there is Ralph Lauren and the Brazilian Carlos Miele, to name some of the male fashion designers.

Author Rima Suqi describes the book as "the ultimate voyeuristic journey."

American Fashion by Charlie Scheips was commissioned by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). The book celebrates more than eight decades of American fashion and the work of more than 100 fashion designers, which makes it "the ultimate volume on the history of fashion" in America. Or with the words of the author: "In all its originality and individuality, American fashion is a mirror of our own national image and its history—a heritage that bears repeating."

The Assouline publishing house describes the book as a "visual journey through iconic and fresh images by the century’s greatest photographers and illustrators, accompanied by essays defining nearly a century of fascinating history." And it continues:
Beginning with the New York and Hollywood-based designers of the 1930s, the book illuminates the work of emerging patriotic talent during the war years. This creative crescendo continues with the evolution of the major names in American fashion during 1960s and 1970s and goes on to explore the achievements of our country’s marquee stars of the 1980s and 1990s. [The volume] culminates with a look at contemporary talents who export their individual visions internationally. Chronicling the designers, icons, publications, and events that shaped fashion for more than 70 years, this is the essential compendium of the rich and vivid story that is American fashion.

Author Charlie Scheips is a cultural historian, journalist, curator, and the founding director of the Condé Nast Archive. Rima Suqi is a contributing writer for Alef and Organic Spa magazines, she writes "Best Bets" for New York Magazine’s online edition, and has authored three books on style and regularly writes for national magazines.

photo credit:
Assouline

3 comments:

  1. Only this morning I was adding new coffee table books to my wish list and now you introduce me to this... I'm such a great supporter of American fashion designers and I've been eyeing the American Fashion book for a long time, and I must say, it looks even more appealing in a set with American Fashion Designers at Home.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Only this morning I was adding new coffee table books to my wish list and now you introduce me to this... I'm such a great supporter of American fashion designers and I've been eyeing the American Fashion book for a long time, and I must say, it looks even more appealing in a set with American Fashion Designers at Home.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh wow looks like a great book.
    thanks for sharing.
    xx
    Pris

    ReplyDelete

Your comment appears on the blog after approval. Comments with commercial links are reported as spam.