Join internationally renowned fashion illustrator Megan Hess as she explores the timeless beauty and glamour of ten of France's best-loved designers in a stylish celebration of one of the world’s favourite fashion destinations.

From the courts of Versailles to the cobbled streets of Paris, French fashion has always been the epitome of elegance. Whether it's Dior's New Look, Yves Saint Laurent's Le Smoking jacket or Chanel's little black dress, the masters of French fashion understand that clothing is more than a craft: it’s an art form.

Megan Hess’s love for French style sparked her career in fashion illustration. In these pages, she unspools the threads of ten legendary designers – Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Givenchy, Chloé, Balmain, Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Celine – to discover the origins of haute couture, prêt-à-porter and everything chic.

Accompanied by Megan’s exquisite illustrations of current and archival collections, Elegance: The Beauty of French Fashion tells the story of how France’s iconic fashion houses have influenced the very fabric of design.

The creative process of those who make picture books come alive is explored in this collection of 30 interviews with children's book illustrators.

The interviewees (Allan and Janet Ahlberg, Molly Bang, Nicola Bayley, Gavin Bishop, Quentin Blake, Anthony Browne, Ashley Bryan, John Burningham, Babette Cole, Peter Collington, Roy Gerrard, M.B. Goffstein, Diane Goode, Shirley Hughes, Pat Hutchins, Ann Jonas, Errol Lloyd, Deborah Niland, Graham Oakley, Jan Ormerod, Helen Oxenbury, Ken Robbins, Tony Ross, Amy Schwartz, Peter Sis, Ralph Steadman, Ed Young, and Paul Zelinsky) discuss their craft, methods, and philosophies.

Graduating from Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s, Martin Margiela (and his contemporaries in the Antwerp Six) transformed global fashion with his aggressive restatement of traditional fashion design and a polemical approach to luxury trends. Working first with the house of Gaultier, Margiela absorbed the radical design of Japanese deconstruction, making it wholly his own with the founding of his own label in 1988. Margiela propounds a singular, enigmatic look, moving beyond the recognizable tropes of deconstruction--a monochromatic palette, outsized garments, non-traditional fabrics, exposed seams, or roughly appliqued details--to develop a fully considered worldview, one with elegance, mystery, and menace in equal measure. This book provides an inside look at the design process from a craftsman who creates pieces prized for their originality, delicacy, and daring. In the spirit of Margiela's garments, the book is a work of art in itself, designed exclusively by Margiela and complete with silver inks, ribbon markers, a variety of lush paper types, twelve booklets, and an embroidered white-linen cover. This book provides a window onto the intimate, handmade world of a unique designer.

Florence Knoll (1917-2019) was a leading force of modern design. She worked from 1945 to 1965 at Knoll Associates, first as business partner with her husband Hans Knoll, later as president after his death, and, finally, as design director. Her commissions became hallmarks of the modern era, including the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe, the Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia, and the Platner Collection by Warren Platner. A designer in her own right, she created classics like the Parallel Bar Collection, which is still in production today. Her biggest influence came through her groundbreaking interiors and the creation of the acclaimed "Knoll look." She invigorated the dry, rational modernist International Style through humanizing textiles, lighting, and accessories, inventing the visual language of the modern office that remains a standard for interior design today. Although Knoll's motto was "no compromise, ever," as a woman in a White, upper-middle-class, male-dominated environment, she often had to make accommodations to gain respect from her colleagues, clients, and collaborators. No Compromise looks at Knoll's extraordinary career in close-up, from her student days to her professional accomplishments.

The first monograph on the complete works of award-winning design studio Industrial Facility

Sam Hecht and Kim Colin's world-renowned, London-based studio is one of the most influential in industrial design, and their work has enjoyed a global cult following thanks to its combination of simplicity and intellectual rigor. This book presents a carefully crafted visual narrative interspersed with candid conversations among key collaborators, project notes, and a collection of essays. The book concludes with a catalogue raisonné, showcasing more than 200 projects that together reveal Industrial Facility's distinct clarity of vision.

A serious scholarly look at the work of R. Buckminster Fuller is long overdue. While Fuller himself wrote and published many volumes, and several biographies were written about him, there is little research that contributes to a critical understanding of his work and its historical significance. The 1,300-plus linear feet of material contained in the Fuller Archive at Stanford, including papers, photographs, audio and video recordings, and models, has been recently organized and described by the Department of Special Collections, and is ready to be explored by a new generation of scholars.
Fuller's work has often suffered from lopsided treatment. Some laud him as a planetary prophet whose design science work foretold sustainable architecture and nanotechnology; others dismiss him as a "delirious technician" with a talent for linguistic obfuscation. Between adulation and disdain must lie a balanced picture of Fuller's life and his work.
This volume paints that picture by taking a broader historical view, discussing Fuller and his work in the context of larger social and cultural patterns. Fuller is a common thread in a critical cultural history that will show him to be both a participant in and a product of his times. By placing Fuller and his work in a historical framework, we will arrive at a much richer understanding of both this self-made polymath and his times. This fresh, contextual look at Fuller's work from leading scholars in different fields is an important step toward filling the void of serious scholarship on Fuller.

A serious scholarly look at the work of R. Buckminster Fuller is long overdue. While Fuller himself wrote and published many volumes, and several biographies were written about him, there is little research that contributes to a critical understanding of his work and its historical significance. The 1,300-plus linear feet of material contained in the Fuller Archive at Stanford, including papers, photographs, audio and video recordings, and models, has been recently organized and described by the Department of Special Collections, and is ready to be explored by a new generation of scholars.
Fuller's work has often suffered from lopsided treatment. Some laud him as a planetary prophet whose design science work foretold sustainable architecture and nanotechnology; others dismiss him as a "delirious technician" with a talent for linguistic obfuscation. Between adulation and disdain must lie a balanced picture of Fuller's life and his work.
This volume paints that picture by taking a broader historical view, discussing Fuller and his work in the context of larger social and cultural patterns. Fuller is a common thread in a critical cultural history that will show him to be both a participant in and a product of his times. By placing Fuller and his work in a historical framework, we will arrive at a much richer understanding of both this self-made polymath and his times. This fresh, contextual look at Fuller's work from leading scholars in different fields is an important step toward filling the void of serious scholarship on Fuller.

The Dutch designer and polymath Jurriaan Schrofer (1926-1990) was one of the defining figures in European graphic design in the 1950s-70s. Working across all genres, from public relations brochures to interior design, and from magazines to advertising and alphabets, Schrofer is particularly regarded as a pioneer in the field of photo books and experimental typography. During the 1970s, he also became involved with government art policy and environmental art, and was an especially active force at the Association of Graphic Designers. The design historian Frederike Huygen describes his work as "research into perception, visual effects and the optical illusion of perspective: or the interplay of letterform, pattern and meaning." This monograph tracks Schrofer's career through a set of thematic chapters: his public relations brochures for various corporations; the photo book designs; his work as a cultural ambassador; advertising design; interior design; art policy and education; typographic experiments; and his art works. This monograph provides a full survey of Schrofer's career.

Rolf Nesch (1893-1975) is recognized as the inventor of the so-called metal print technique. His career spanned more than fifty years, with a body of work that comprises 860 prints--a number of which have not previously been accessible to the public. The publication of this catalogue will allow everyone to see the quality of his entire graphic work and it will reveal its historical importance, for much of the printmaking of the 1950s emerged directly from the technical experimentation that Nesch had carried out earlier in the 1930s and 1940s. This catalogue raisonne is the result of years of extensive research carried out by Sidsel Helliesen and Bodil Sorensen of the National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design in Oslo. They worked in close collaboration with the artist's family whose large collection, in addition to the museum's, constitutes a major source. The attention to detail and the comprehensive text will make this book a standard reference work for many years to come.

An exclusive homage to - and retrospective of - the iconic fashion designer's couture accessories.'One can never overstate the importance of accessories. They are what turns a dress into something else. I like dresses to be sober and accessories to be wild', Yves Saint Laurent, 1977.Yves Saint Laurent Accessories is the first book to date to shed light on the breathtaking accessories created by one of the most influential fashion designers of all time. From his first collection in 1962 to his acclaimed final presentation in 2002, Yves Saint Laurent created exquisite jewellery, hats, shoes, and handbags to complement and enhance each of his couture creations. Beautifully designed, in a small format evocative of a jewellery box, the book offers an unprecedented glimpse into the highly confidential archives of The Yves Saint Laurent Foundation in Paris, which is home to over 20,000 remarkable accessories. The book features specially commissioned photography of the accessories alongside a treasure trove of rare materials including preparatory sketches, intimate portraits of Saint Laurent at work, behind-the-scenes snapshots of models, catwalk photographs, and advertising campaigns. Yves Saint Laurent Accessories introduces readers to a prominent yet rarely seen side of Saint Laurent's art, leading them backstage and through the history of a house that helped to shape the course of fashion.

A protagonist of the Milanese cultural scene of the 1960s, Italian designer Nanda Vigo (Milan, 1936) began producing her Cronotopi in 1963, in the spirit of ZERO, the transnational group of German, Dutch, French, Belgian, Swiss and Italian artists. Participating in the avant-garde movements and groups of the early sixties, the artist developed her own thoughts on the light, transparency and immateriality that were to constitute her work as well as on the spaces inhabited by human beings. This book showcases the multifaceted activity of Nanda Vigo in the fields of art, architecture and design, analysed by curator Marco Meneguzzo. Text in English and Italian.

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.

John McConnell's list of collaborators includes many household names - Boots, Faber & Faber, Halfords, Clarks, John Lewis. The man behind the Biba logo (for which he won the D&AD Silver in 1969), the logo of the National Grid and the covers of a Penguin student textbook series from the early '70s has exerted a quiet influence over British design since the sixties. His awards alone speak to his prowess: the Prince Philip Designers' Prize (2002) and the title of RDI (Royal Designer of Industry, 1987) among them. Part biography, part showcase for some of McConnell's most celebrated designs, this book gathers McConnell's exclusive redesign for Faber & Faber - a revolutionary new approach to book covers from the early 1980s.

Magnificently illustrated with some of McQueen s most riveting designs, this book illuminates the struggles of a man who dared to defy accepted fashion norms and give the world a new sense of grandeur From conflicted gay teenager and aggressive and remote young man, through to his lonely suicide, this book charts Alexander McQueen s ascent to couturier par excellence, highlighting his spectacular shows and showing how his confrontational, streetwise manner was simply a shield that protected and masked a very shy, sensitive, and insecure man who hailed from the wrong side of the high fashion tracks. McQueen s talent is now globally acknowledged to have been unmatched in contemporary haute couture, and this book distills from the lavish sweep of his colors, designs, fabrics, and forward-driving concepts the essence of a man on a quest for beauty and his own contentment. In casting the spotlight on the stark contrast between catwalk glamour and his upbringing and personal demons, the book shows how his talent both nourished and destroyed him. It takes us from the vicious glare of the walkway where he was feted by the wealthy and famous as an innovative artist to behind the glamour. There, defiance delineated a life that was hurled into inescapable depression by the deaths, first of his great friend and supporter Isabella Blow and then by his mother."

A unique monograph of over 50 collections created by the fashion designer Marc Jacobs in the past 25 years and illustrated by Grace Coddington

In 2016, internationally acclaimed designer Marc Jacobs commissioned his friend and talented illustrator Grace Coddington to select and draw her personal selection from his collections dating back to 1992, the year he presented his now-infamous grunge-inspired collection. Sofia Coppola contributes an introduction and the illustrations are punctuated with Jacobs's written commentary about the collections. Personal and insightful, this is the first look back on Jacobs's groundbreaking career.

For decades, anyone who cared about product design looked to the Braun label when choosing their appliances, radios, and other consumer items. Dieter Rams, the guiding force behind the Braun look, breaks down his design principles and processes in this elegant new paperback edition. Enumerating each of his ten principles such as good design is innovative; good design is aesthetic; good design is useful, etc., this book presents one hundred items that embody these guidelines. Readers will find items that are familiar such as the ubiquitous coffee grinder but also those that are more unusual such as shelving systems and cigarette lighters. A fascinating essay places Dieter Rams in the context of modern design, from Bauhaus to Philip Johnson. Archival materials include photos of Rams' design team and excerpts from his publications and speeches.

Denim is a symbol of cultural globalisation. Democratic, versatile, resistant to the passing of time and to changing tastes and styles, it embodies rebellion and standardisation at the same time. Stefano Chassai, an established designer on the international scene, searches for new variations of the iconic blue fabric in the sphere of men's wardrobe: mixed with other materials and ennobled with unusual techniques, between craftsmanship and new technologies, denim leaves the casual universe to enter the field of tailoring, as the raw material for a new concept of elegance. The result is Blue Tailoring, the story of an ideal collection, a creative laboratory and manifesto of the stylist's poetics. With the collaboration of over 30 Italian companies, Stefano Chiassai tells his original interpretation of the most widespread fabric on the planet. The book is divided into 10 chapters in which the designer tackles different design methods and combinations of materials, exploring new concepts of form. It also includes an interview by Claudio Marenco Mores and critical texts by Paola Maddaluno, Bruno Casini, Antonio Mancinelli and Claudio Marenco Mores. Text in English and Italian.

The most gifted textile designer of her generation, Shirley Craven won a string of awards during the 1960s. This book celebrates her remarkable achievements at Hull Traders and documents her arresting hand screen-printed furnishing fabrics in full. Big bold abstracts were her speciality, striking in colour and breathtakingly original in style. A visionary small company with high ideals, Hull Traders made its mark initially with designs by artists Eduardo Paolozzi, Nigel Henderson and Ivon Hitchens. Under Craven's direction Hull Traders issued a string of ground-breaking textiles during the 1960s by forty artist-designers, recorded here in their entirety for the first time. Contributors included Althea McNish, John Drummond, Peter McCulloch, Doreen Dyall, Roger Limbrick, Cliff Holden, Richard Allen and Dorothy Carr. In 1966 Hull Traders branched out into furniture with the launch of Bernard Holdaway's revolutionary tom-tom range made of painted cardboard tubes - an icon of the Swinging Sixties, based entirely on circular forms, sold all over the world. Drawing on pioneering new research by leading post-war design historian Lesley Jackson, this book traces the fascinating, hitherto untold story of Hull Traders and its unique creative alliance with Shirley Craven and Bernard Holdaway. Featuring stunning new photography and rare archive photographs, it captures the explosion of creativity during the 1960s and provides a visual feast of inspirational post-war pattern and form. This work accompanies a major touring exhibition curated by Lesley Jackson, opening at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull, 3 October 2009 - 3 January 2010.

Brand by Hand documents the work, career, and artistic inspiration of graphic designer extraordinaire Jon Contino. Jon is a born-and-bred New Yorker. He talks like one, he acts like one, and most importantly, he designs like one. He is the founder and creative director of Jon Contino Studio, and over the past two decades, he has built a massive collection of award-winning graphic-design work for high-profile clients such as Nike, 20th Century Fox, and Sports Illustrated. Throughout all of this, he has gone to design hell and back, facing obstacles like fear, self-doubt, and bad luck. Brand by Hand documents the work and career of Jon Contino, exploring his lifelong devotion to the guts and grime of New York and cementing his biggest artistic inspirations, from hardcore music to America's favorite pastime. A graphic-design retrospective showcasing his minimalist illustrations and unmistakable hand-lettering, Brand by Hand shares how Contino has taken a passion for pen and ink and turned it into an expanding empire of clients, merchandise, and artwork.

On the overlap between art and nature in the creations of Venezuelan designer Oscar Carvallo

Venezuelan haute couture fashion designer Oscar Carvallo, who maintains ateliers in Paris and Miami, is perhaps best known for his work with Carlos Cruz-Diez, a key op artist and color theorist. Carvallo worked with Cruz-Diez to create a series of fabrics that became the backbone of Carvallo’s dizzying “Kinetic Journey” collections of 2008 and 2014. Carvallo’s passion for art is linked to his longstanding love of nature. Born in Caracas, near the sea and among its lush landscapes, the designer brings those influences into his work, transforming the female silhouette into natural forms like flowers, feathers and fish. Fashion, Art & Nature chez Oscar Carvallo, Carvallo’s first monograph, explores the designer’s career from its beginnings in the early 2000s through the lens of his parallel interests in art and nature.

Bentu is an award-winning, cutting-edge Chinese design company founded in 2011. It is known for innovative and engaged product and lighting design and manufacturing, with an emphasis on day-to-day functionality and attention to raw materials. The design teams have experimented extensively with the detritus of industry, including concrete, ceramic, metal and plastic pipes, and terrazzo. In this beautifully photographed book, the evolution of a product is shown, more than told. A stunning series of photos of raw materials and work sites follows the process from beginning to end, creating a visual storyline of environmental impact, innovative design, sustainability, reusability, local sourcing, and usage.

The book contains writings by Seamus Heaney, Frances Ruane, Carlos Garcia-Monzon, Eva Bourke, Frankie Gavin, Rosemarie Noone, James McKenna, Desmond Egan, Patrick Murphy & Frank McGuinness. It is lavishly illustrated & surveys the entire career of this distinguished artist.