Fashion is a big bubble, and sometimes I feel like popping it.' Alexander McQueen, 2009 This definitive publication on Alexander McQueen (1969 - 2010) invites you into the creative mind and world of one of Britain's most brilliant, daring and provocative designers, and the many themes and references that shaped his visionary fashion collections. Accompanying the V&A's landmark exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, and taking the key themes of the exhibition of tailoring, gothic, primitivism, naturalism and futurism, this comprehensive catalogue features previously unseen material as well as groundbreaking essays and feature spreads by multiple authors and leading fashion commentators. This kaleidoscopic approach explores themes central to the designer's work and his collections, such as the psychology of fashion, natural history, the theatre and spectacle of his shows, and the key creative collaborators during McQueen's lifetime. Alexander McQueen also offers an encyclopaedic survey of McQueen's catwalk collections, illustrated with striking images by leading fashion photographers, and specially commissioned photographs that capture the breath-taking skill of his designs and awesome theatricality of his shows. Accompanies Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (14 March to 19 July 2015), developed and expanded from the 2011 blockbuster show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Tat* is a bit of a graphic designer's curse. Walk into any design studio and you will see tat pinned to the walls or placed with loving care on top of a computer screen. Even the purist will have a secret cache hidden away somewhere. Andy Altmann began collecting tat while he was on his Foundation course, getting ready for an interview at St Martins School of Art. He'd been asked to present a sketchbook, but worried that he couldn't draw very well, he decided to start a scrapbook: "I rummaged through the drawers at home and found some football cards from the late 1960s and early '70s (plenty of Georgie Best), an instruction leaflet from an old Hoover, Christmas cracker jokes, and so on. Then I started on the magazines, cutting out images of anything that interested me. And finally I took myself off to the college library, where I photocopied things from books before reaching for the scissors and glue." It was the beginning of a significant collecting habit. So what it is that makes a piece of graphic tat interesting? Is it the 'retro' thing - a fascination with a bygone age, the primitive printing techniques, the naivety of the design, or the use of colour? All of the above, of course, but it's not quite that simple. "Occasionally people offer me something they've found that they think I might like", says Andy. "But usually they're wrong - it doesn't excite me at all. The magic is missing." To a graphic designer, most the content of this book can safely be regarded as 'bad' design. But there is some magic in each and every piece that has made Andy either pick it up off the street, trail through online links, or enter some dodgy looking shop on the other side of the world just to snap it up. Here you'll find everything from sweet wrappers to flash cards, from soap powder boxes to speedway flyers, from wrestling programmes to bus tickets. More tat than you can shake a stick at. Taken together, it represents a lifetime of gleeful hunting and gathering. * tat (noun) - anything that looks cheap, is of low quality, or in bad condition; junk, rubbish, debris, detritus, crap, shite

Published to mark the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s greatest couture houses, this gorgeous book combines Christian Dior’s classics with the newest creations. Christian Dior achieved immortality with his first collection in 1947. His ‘New Look’ amazed the world as it emerged after wartime austerity, and reset the boundaries of modern elegance. Dior’s search for the perfect line and the ideal silhouette has been celebrated by couturiers of the first rank: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri have all made their distinctive contribution. This book honours Dior’s influence by celebrating the elements of style for every generation since 1947, through inspired pairings of classic and contemporary photographs. Six thematic chapters express outstanding Dior characteristics, including the silhouette, the evening gown and the eternal muse - in short, the aspects of the House that lend it unique distinction both then and now. The most beautiful fashion plates from Dior’s own time sit beside examples of the house’s creations through the decades. The resonance between classic archive photographs and the latest most up-to-date frames is clear and compelling.

The definitive overview of one of the world's most experimental and distinctive graphic-design studios. Originally established in 1992 by Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak as a graphic design studio, M/M (Paris) have since defied categorisation, becoming one of the most radical creative practices of today through their influential work across the contemporary cultural sphere. By collaborating with fashion designers and brands such as Alexander McQueen, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Miuccia Prada, Jonathan Anderson, Nicolas Ghesquiere and Yohji Yamamoto; musicians Bjoerk, Etienne Daho, Kanye West, Lou Doillon, Madonna and Vanessa Paradis; contemporary artists including Francois Curlet, Philippe Parreno, Pierre Huyghe and Sarah Morris; and rethinking the iconic titles Interview magazine, Purple Fashion and Vogue Paris, M/M have been building a visual atlas of the creative landscape since the early 1990s. In this illustrated A to Z, beginning and ending with the letter M, interviews with Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak frame over 850 images of their projects. A series of conversations with rarely heard luminaries - designers Peter Saville, Experimental Jetset, Cornel Windlin and Katsumi Asaba; fashion designers Miuccia Prada and Jonathan Anderson; artist Francesco Vezzoli; cinematographer Darius Khondji; chef Jean-Francois Piege; theatre director Arthur Nauzyciel and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist - are interspersed, providing a thought-provoking insight into the minds of one of the world's most distinctive creative duos. A foreword by Donatien Grau and an afterword by Eric Troncy bookend contributions by Emanuele Coccia, Jo-Ann Furniss, Alison M. Gingeras, Etienne Hervy, Emily King, Philippe Rouyer and Akira Takamiya. Edited by Grace Johnston, volume two of M to M of M/M (Paris) completes the first volume of M/M's monograph published in 2012, and now republished by Thames & Hudson.

Designers come in all shapes and sizes and apply their talents to an enormous range of things, from books to refrigerators to clothes to stage scenery. Can such a motley crew be grouped together under one head; and do their diverse passions have common roots? Becoming a Designer traces the early development of talent in a range of designers to explore the possibility that a unique combination of personality characteristics along with a visualising sensitivity makes design success predictable from an early age.

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.

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 collection of essential quotations from the renowned fashion designer, DJ, and stylist Abloh-isms is a collection of essential quotations from American fashion designer, DJ, and stylist Virgil Abloh, who was a major creative figure in the worlds of pop culture and art. Abloh began his career as Kanye West's creative director before founding the luxury streetwear label Off-White and becoming artistic director for Louis Vuitton, making Abloh the first American of African descent to hold that title at a French fashion house. Defying categorization, Abloh's work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at museums and galleries, most notably in a major retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Gathered from interviews and other sources, this selection of compelling and memorable quotations from the designer reveals his thoughts on a wide range of subjects, including creativity, passion, innovation, race, and what it means to be an artist of his generation. Lively and thought-provoking, these quotes reflect Abloh's unique perspective as a trailblazer in his fields. Select quotations from the book: "I believe that coincidence is key, but coincidence is energies coming towards each other. You have to be moving to meet it." "Life is collaboration. Where I think art can be sort of misguided is that it propagates this idea of itself as a solo love affair-one person, one idea, no one else involved." "Black influence has created a new ecosystem, which can grow and support different types of life that we couldn't before."

Considered the founder of industrial design and pioneer of a design approach that rigorously put people first, Henry Dreyfuss shares insightful lessons from his legendary career. From the first answering machine ("the electronic brain") and the Hoover vacuum cleaner to the SS Independence and the Bell telephone that are depicted here, Dreyfuss's creations have shaped the cultural landscape of the 20th century like few other designers before or after him. Designed from the master's own hand, the book offers an inviting mix of professional advice, case studies and design history along with historical black-and-white photos and the author's whimsical drawings. Key chapters include a brief history of industrial design and the concepts behind "Joe and Josephine", the author's famous anthropometrical models; classic design principles, such as the importance of testing and the "Five-Point Formula" for good design; and the role of the designer as a business person, from knowing when to accept a commission to budgeting questions and cultivating client relationships. Written in a robust, fresh style, the book offers inspiration to both designers and design-interested laymen. In addition, the author's uncompromising commitment to public service, ethics and design responsibility make his book a timely read for any designer seeking to define his or her role in today's industrial design community.

Douglas Burrage Snelling (1916-85) was one of Britain's significant emigre architects and designers. Born in Kent and educated in New Zealand, he became one of Australia's leading mid-century architects, of luxury residences and commercial buildings, and a trend-setting designer of furniture, interiors and landscapes. This is the first comprehensive study of Snelling's pan-Pacific life, works and trans-disciplinary significance. It provides a critical examination of this controversial modernist, revealing him to be a colourful and talented protagonist who led antipodean interpretations of American, especially Wrightian and southern Californian, architecture, design and lifestyle innovations.

The creative duo Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Kaiser Eames (1912-1988) transformed the visual character of America. Though best known for their furniture, the husband and wife team were also forerunners in architecture, textile design, photography, and film. The Eameses' work defined a new, multifunctional modernity, exemplary for its integration of craft and design, as well as for the use of modern materials, notably plywood and plastics. The Eames Lounge Chair Wood, designed with molded plywood technology, became a defining furniture piece of the 20th century, while the couple's contribution to the Case Study Houses project not only made inventive use of industrial materials but also developed an adaptable floor plan of multipurpose spaces which would become a hallmark of postwar modern architecture. From the couple's earliest furniture experiments to their seminal short film Powers of Ten, this book covers all the aspects of the illustrious Eames repertoire and its revolutionary impact on middle-class American living. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Architecture series features: an introduction to the life and work of the architect the major works in chronological order information about the clients, architectural preconditions as well as construction problems and resolutions a list of all the selected works and a map indicating the locations of the best and most famous buildings approximately 120 illustrations (photographs, sketches, drafts, and plans)

'Miss Caroline Charles, aged 22 - youngest of the English designers whose fashions have captured New York - returns there to show her Spring collection. She is dark, beautiful and frail, with a small voice. But she is deceptive; she is made of iron; her energy is matched only by her persistence. Nothing will stop her. She is at the top now, and might stay there for 50 years.' John Gale, Observer Oct 25th 1964 Caroline Charles is one of London's most respected womenswear designers. She has developed her business over the past five decades and the label is sold and marketed throughout the world. Caroline Charles began in the world of fashion art school followed by a couture apprenticeship and a stint as a photographer's assistant; she then worked for Mary Quant and was inspired by couturiers as well as being a leading designer in the '60s youthquake and swinging London. Her first collections were kooky and fresh and included a white cotton dress made from a bedspread! Caroline Charles was one of the original designers to join what was later to become British Fashion Week. Caroline opened a shop in Beverly Hills in the '70s and in the '90s had many successes with shops and shows in Japan. Her clothes were quickly snapped up by celebrities, which over the years have ranged from Lulu, Marianne Faithful and Cilla Black as well as special suits being made for Mick Jagger and Ringo Star. Princess Diana became a regular client as did Emma Thompson who wore a Caroline Charles design to receive an Oscar. Caroline Charles has been invited over the years to be a design consultant to major brands such as Burberry and Marks and Spencer as well as having design collaborations with major accessories and textile companies. In the '90s Caroline Charles designed the official scarf to mark the 40th anniversary of the accession of the Queen. As she celebrated her own 40th anniversary, Caroline Charles was awarded an OBE for services to the British Fashion Industry. Celebrations followed at the Victoria & Albert Museum with another award from the British Fashion Council.

Mark Brazier-Jones is a unique force in the world of design, whose wonderfully eccentric works literally defined the term 'Creative Salvage' in the mid-1980s. Today, his work is increasingly recognised as forging a new and more artistically compelling way forward. As a veritable 'designer-laureate of metal', his metalwork possesses a poetic sensibility and an engaging quirkiness that is suffused with symbolic meaning rarely found in contemporary design. A sumptuously illustrated tome, Mark Brazier-Jones assesses his approach to design and making, and is an important catalogue raisonne of his work. By playfully subverting our notions of art, craft and design Brazier-Jones' surprisingly ecletic work offers an alternative definition of modern design - one that is about quality of craftsmanship and individuality of expression that is intended to last generations.

Munnu: Vision & Passion traces the creativity and vivacity of the late Munnu Kasliwal. Kasliwal’s magical designs put The Gem Palace, his family’s jewellery house, and India on the fashion map of the jewellery world. The book follows the design journey of Munnu Kasliwal of The Gem Palace Jaipur, a jewellery house synonymous with luxury, sophisticated style, striking statement pieces, and exquisite craftsmanship. Munnu: Vision & Passion chronicles the metamorphosis of The Gem Palace from a local jewellery firm to an international jewellery house, an evolution synchronous with Munnu’s life. From the creation of the ‘T-shirt’ necklace to dreaming up settings that fused gemstone and metal in unique ways, Munnu produced a new genre of jewels that bridged the historical past with an uber-stylish present. While Munnu loved and admired traditional Indian opulence and grandeur, he brought a unique vision and passion, a rare sensibility and elegance to all his designs, establishing his unique style. To Munnu, a piece of jewellery was a beautiful creation, to be liberated from the confines of the conventional. Published as a tribute to Munnu, this book documents his design journey for more than two decades.

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.

For anyone interested in interiors, there is so much inspiration available online and in magazines these days of carefully curated spaces and contemporary homes. But what sort of spaces do interior designers themselves live in? British Designers at Home is for anyone curious to find out more about designers, and glean ideas and practical information for their own homes. This engaging and visually enticing book profiles over 20 of the most important names in British design and decoration in their own personal spaces. Names include: Alidad; Edward Bulmer; Emma Burns; Nina Campbell; Jane Churchill; Octavia Dickinson; Mike Fisher; Veere Grenney; Beata Heuman; Gavin Houghton; Roger Jones; Kit Kemp; Robert Kime; Rita Konig; Penny Morrison; Paolo Moschino; Wendy Nicholls; Guy Oliver; Colin Orchard; Carlos Sanchez-Garcia; Daniel Slowik; Justin van Breda; Sarah Vanrenen and Philip Vergeylen. Each designer has been profiled and photographed at home - alongside details of their working life and the story of how they became interested in design, they talk at length about the house itself and the thinking behind its design and decoration. From the unexpected to that classic British look, this is an exciting look at modern British interiors.

The Films of Charles and Ray Eames traces the history of the Eameses' work, examining their evolution away from the design of mass-produced goods and toward projects created as educational experiences. Closely examining how the Eameses described their work reveals how the films and exhibitions they generated were completely at odds with the earlier objectives exemplified in their furniture designs. Shifting away from promoting the consumer-culture, they turned their attention to the presentation of complex sets of scientific, artistic, and philosophical ideas. During a critical period from the late 1950s to the early 1960s there was a moment of introspective self-reflection in the West stemming from the events of the Cold War. This moment of uncertainty was crucial, for it provided the incentive to question the values and concerns of society as a whole. In turn, designers began to question their own sense of purpose, temporarily expanding the purview of design to a broader field of inquiry. In the case of the Eameses, they identified an overriding problem related to consumerism and excess in America and sought to resolve the issue by creating a network of communication between universities, governments, institutions, and corporations. The solution of promoting greater education experiences as an alternative to consumerism in America required that different sectors of society functioned in unison to address political, social, economic, and educational concerns. The Films of Charles and Ray Eames reconsiders how design intersects with humanity, culture, and the sciences.

With photographs spanning Sam McKnight s entire career, this book is a dramatic anthology of looks from retro to androgynous, romantic to sexy, red to platinum all from the master hairstylist's deft hand. Featured are some of the most iconic images in popular culture Princess Diana s short, slicked- back style, Madonna s Bedtime Stories cover, Tilda Swinton channeling David Bowie, both Lady Gaga and her male alter-ego, Jo Calderone, plus countless editorial stories featuring the ultimate model for everywoman, Kate Moss, in myriad demonstrations of hairstyles. McKnight has won numerous awards and has worked with some of the top names in fashion Patrick Demarchelier, Nick Knight, and Mario Testino to name just a few. From ingenues to tomboys, from the girl next door to the Hollywood siren, the book is organized by theme and includes McKnight s informative commentary throughout. Richly illustrated, it features photo- graphs by leading fashion photographers and styles commissioned by Vivienne Westwood, Balmain, Chanel, and many others. A unique reference book that is at once a glamorous look through the past forty years of some of fashion s most memorable looks and a style bible for glorious locks.

Claud Lovat Fraser - universally known as Lovat - is one of the great unsung heroes of twentieth-century British design. During his short life of just thirty-one years, five of which were disrupted by the Great War, he achieved an astonishing amount of work as draughtsman, watercolourist, caricaturist, publisher, illustrator, designer of stage-sets, toys and fabrics: he also designed silks for Liberty's, cretonnes for Foxton's, advertising material for Eno's, MacFisheries, Gurr Johns and Atkinson's, and book-jackets for Heinemann and Nelson, among others. His inimitable style and psychedelic palette became the hallmark of both the Curwen Press and the Poetry Bookshop, but he is best remembered today, by those who are aware of him at all, for his poster, costume and set-designs for Nigel Playfair's 1920 production of 'The Beggar's Opera' at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.

Finnish for ‘Mary’s dress’, Marimekko was founded in 1951 by Armi Ratia. Going against the restrictive fashion of the period, it produced flowing dresses in abstract patterns and vibrant colours, which remain the house’s signature to this day. Over the last eight decades, Marimekko's artists have created some 3,500 designs, which have graced clothing, bags, accessories, ceramics, bedding, fabric, and more.

Blending archival photographs and advertisements with modern campaign imagery as well as newly commissioned photography, Marimekko: The Art of Printmaking tells the story of the house’s most iconic designs. Four distinct sections guide the reader through the Marimekko philosophy and lifestyle, via its factory in Herttoniemi, where fabrics have been created from the very beginning, on to a rich sourcebook of pattern and finally to the brand’s ultra-sustainable, super-creative future.

In ‘Art of Printmaking’, follow the making of the iconic Unikko (poppy) print, its multiple variants and colourways, and discover how an initial idea evolves from sketch to dress, through colour trials and printing table. Learn Marimekko’s unique ‘Language of Pattern’, through in-depth explorations of its iconic patterns, interspersed with the themes – floral, minimalistic, architectural – that make up Marimekko’s vivid lexicon. In ‘Making Marimekko’ and ‘Marimekko Next’, discover the past, present, and future of this creative powerhouse, in the voices of its own creative talents. Dive into the exhilarating tale of Marimekko’s success and an unstoppable whirlwind of breath-taking imagery.

The Films of Charles and Ray Eames traces the history of the Eameses work, examining their evolution away from the design of mass-produced goods and toward projects created as educational experiences. Closely examining how the Eameses described their work reveals how the films and exhibitions they generated were completely at odds with the earlier objectives exemplified in their furniture designs. Shifting away from promoting the consumer-culture, they turned their attention to the presentation of complex sets of scientific, artistic, and philosophical ideas.

During a critical period from the late 1950s to the early 1960s there was a moment of introspective self-reflection in the West stemming from the events of the Cold War. This moment of uncertainty was crucial, for it provided the incentive to question the values and concerns of society as a whole. In turn, designers began to question their own sense of purpose, temporarily expanding the purview of design to a broader field of inquiry. In the case of the Eameses, they identified an overriding problem related to consumerism and excess in America and sought to resolve the issue by creating a network of communication between universities, governments, institutions, and corporations. The solution of promoting greater education experiences as an alternative to consumerism in America required that different sectors of society functioned in unison to address political, social, economic, and educational concerns. "The Films of Charles and Ray Eames" reconsiders how design intersects with humanity, culture, and the sciences.

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With remarkable panache and discernment, Iris Apfel combines styles, colors, textures, and patterns without regard to period, provenance, or aesthetic conventions. She is a unique style icon. Over ninety sumptuous color plates, photographed by Eric Boman, show off a selection of Apfel's extraordinary outfits on wittily posed mannequins, some sporting her trademark outsized spectacles. The originality of her style is typically revealed in her mixing of Dior haute couture with flea-market finds, Dolce & Gabbana lizard trousers with nineteenth-century ecclesiastical vestments, pink Lanvin worn with ropes of Navajo turquoise. Apfel's eclectic pieces might come from a Parisian couture house, an American thrift shop, or a North African souk, or they may have been made to her own design in a tiny studio. Detailed captions describe every aspect of the outfits, including names and dates of designers, plus full information on fabrics and accessories. A selection of audacious accessories also comes under the spotlight: a giant necklace made of bear claws, a turn-of-the-century Indian horse ornament worn as a necklace, a parrot's-head brooch in colored glass and rhinestones. The book includes an introduction by Harold Koda, director of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and an essay by Apfel herself, describing her lifelong love affair with style and illustrated with vintage photographs from her personal collection.