Drag is transformation, communication, and, above all, exaggeration, where gender non-conformity is the plat du jour. This fearless book observes this increasingly complex world by exploring drag's journey - from the surprising, to the sophisticated, to the utterly bizarre - through the twentieth century and up to the present day. With witty text, dazzling photography, and corralled into thematic chapters, this is the first flamboyant and poignant survey of drag culture. Drag is not just for fabulous queens and drag enthusiasts, but for anyone interested in gender fluidity and the culture surrounding it.

Drag is transformation, communication, and, above all, exaggeration, where gender non-conformity is the plat du jour. This fearless book observes this increasingly complex world by exploring drag's journey – from the surprising, to the sophisticated, to the utterly bizarre – through the twentieth century and up to the present day.

With witty text, dazzling photography, and corralled into thematic chapters, this is the first flamboyant and poignant survey of drag culture. Drag is not just for fabulous queens and drag enthusiasts, but for anyone interested in gender fluidity and the culture surrounding it.

Simon Doonan is a former drag queen who impersonated Queen Elizabeth. A veteran in the fashion industry, he has won every fashion award on Earth including the CFDA Award. Today, Simon is the Creative Ambassador for Barneys New York and a judge on the NBC television show Making It, co-hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.

A decadent and extravagant celebration of interior style, featuring more than 220 maximalist residential interiors, from the 1600s to the present day This unique visual collection celebrates the very best contemporary Maximalist interior design as well as making the connection to a much longer historical tradition of excess. Maximalism is a style that has been with us, in one guise or another – for example in the castles, palazzi, chateaux, and historic homes of bygone ages – for more than 400 years. This richly illustrated volume, with metallic gold ink used throughout, features the most extraordinary Maximalist interiors from all over the globe, from centuries past and present, transcending both time and geography. An intense and thrilling journey through the magic and mayhem that is Maximalism – a book that is as much an experience as it is a book – its luxurious pages are layered, loud, and louche, chaotic, colorful, and controversial, but also romantic, joyous, and imbued with personality, history, and story telling Featured designers include: Jonathan Adler, Alidad, Sig Bergamin, Thomas Britt, Denning and Fourcade, Dorothy Draper, Tony Duquette, Ann Getty, Jacques Grange, India Mahdavi, Peter Marino, Juan Pablo Molyneux, Renzo Mongiardino, Alberto Pinto, Redd Kaihoi, and Elsie de Wolfe Historic interiors featured include: castles, country estates, and palaces in Austria, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the USA

Keith Haring was a revolutionary artist, who transformed the art world during his short but impactful life. Brought to life by Simon Doonan, Creative Director for Barneys New York, this new pocket-sized biography tells his inspirational story.

Revolutionary and renegade, Keith Haring was an artist for the people, creating an instantly recognisable repertoire of symbols - barking dogs, space-ships, crawling babies, clambering faceless people - which became synonymous with the volatile culture of 1980s. Like a careening, preening pinball, Keith Haring playfully slammed into all aspects of this decade - hip-hop, new-wave, graffiti, funk, art, style, gay culture - and brought them together.

Haring's fanatical drive propelled him into the orbit of the most interesting people of his time: Jean Michel Basquiat envied him; Warhol, William Boroughs and Grace Jones collaborated with him. Madonna and he shared the same tastes in men. Famous at 25, dead from AIDS at 31, Keith Haring is remembered as a Pied Piper, an unpretentious communicator who appeared happiest when mentoring a gang of kids, arming them with brushes and attacking the nearest wall.

A series of brief biographies of the great artists, Lives of the Artists takes as its inspiration Giorgio Vasari's five-hundred-year-old masterwork, updating it with modern takes on the lives of key artists past and present. Focusing on the life of the artist rather than examining their work, each book also includes key images illustrating the artist's life. Hardbound, but pocket-sized, the books each sport a specially-commissioned portrait of their subject on the half-jacket.

The neon, pastels, bows, and vibrant prints of Tokyo's fashion tribes are unmistakable, outrageous, and fun. Recognized around the world, with huge online followings, the city's style icons are photographed here against white backgrounds, revealing a new dimen-sion of personality and emotion in these remarkable individuals. Portraits include fashion icon Kumamiki--the vision behind the Party Baby movement and clothing brand--who has a growing global online following.

A wickedly funny memoir with echoes of David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs, "Beautiful People" (originally published in hardcover as "Nasty") is now a BBC comedy hit series from the producer of "Ab Fab" and "The Office."
Proclaimed "the most brilliant, brash thing in type" by Liz Smith, Simon Doonan's saucy prose has established him as an emerging star among literary humorists. In this break-through memoir, reminiscent of both Sedaris and Burroughs, he revisits the landscape of his youth, and displays the irresistible charm that earned him his dedicated audience.
Long before he became a celebrity in his own right--as the author of best-selling books, as the style arbiter of VH1 and "America's Top Model," and the marketing genius behind Barney's New York--Simon Doonan was a "scabby knee'd troll" in Reading, England. In "Beautiful People," Doonan returns to the working-class neighborhood of his youth, and chronicles the misadventures of the Doonan clan in all their wacky glory. Readers meet his mother Betty, whose gravity-defying, peroxide hairdo signified her natural glamour; his father Terry, an amateur vintner who turned parsnips into the legendary Chateau Doonan; his grandfather D.C., a hard-drinking betting man who plotted to win his fortune by turning Simon into a jockey; and his demented grandma Narg and schizophrenic Uncle Ken, both of whom lived upstairs.
Fearing he would fall victim to the insanity that runs in his family, or, worse, the banality of suburban life, Doonan decamps with his flamboyant best-friend Biddie to London, where they hope to find the Beautiful People, that elusive clan who luxuriate on floor pillows and amuse each other with bon mots. Throughout the memoir--in essays about family holidays, the tart who lived next door, his first job--Doonan continues his bumbling pursuit of the fabulous life, only to learn, in the end, that perhaps the Beautiful People were the ones he left behind.

To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about. If someone vomits watching one of my films, it's like getting a standing ovation. Thus begins John Waters's autobiography. And what a story it is. Opening with his upbringing in Baltimore ("Charm City" as dubbed by the tourist board; the "hairdo capital of the world" as dubbed by Waters), it covers his friendship with his muse and leading lady, Divine, detailed accounts of how Waters made his first movies, stories of the circle of friends/actors he used in these films, and finally the "sort-of fame" he achieves in America. Complementing the text are dozens of fabulous old photographs of Waters and crew. Here is a true love letter from a legendary filmmaker to his friends, family, and fans.

In this funny and poignant memoir and cultural history, the television personality, columnist, and author of Drag pays homage to Lou Reed's groundbreaking album Transformer on its fiftieth anniversary and recalls its influence on his coming of age and coming out through glam rock. In November 1972, Lou Reed released his album, Transformer because he thought it was "dreary for gay people to have to listen to straight people's love songs." That groundbreaking idea echoed with the times. That same year, Sweden was the first country to legalize gender-affirming surgery, and San Francisco struck down employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Sometimes an artistic creation perfectly aligns with a broader social and political history, and Transformer-with the songs "Walk on the Wild Side," "Perfect Day," and "Vicious"-perfectly captured its time. "Walk on the Wild Side" was banned on radio across the country but became a massive hit when young people threatened to boycott stations that would not play it. The album's cover featured a high-contrast image of Lou, flaunting a new mascara'd glamrock incarnation, shot by legend Mick Rock, thereby underscoring his intention to create "a gay album." In Transformer, Doonan tells the story of how Lou Reed came to make the album with the help of David Bowie, and places its creation within the course of Reed's life. Doonan offers first-hand testimony of the album's impact on the LGBTQ+ community, recalling how it transformed his own life as a 20-year-old working class kid from Reading, England, who had just discovered the joys of London Glam Rock and was sparked by the artistic freedom of Warhol's The Factory. Transformer was a revelation-hearing Reed's songs, Doonan understood how the world was changing for him and his friends. A poignant, personal addition to modern music and LGBTQ+ history, Transformer captures a pivotal moment when those long silenced were finally given a voice. As transgender icon Candy Darling, highlighted in his lyrics, told Reed, "It's so nice to hear ourselves." Transformer includes approximatively 16 pages of black-and-white and color photos.

A wickedly funny memoir with echoes of David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs, "Beautiful People" (originally published in hardcover as "Nasty") is now a BBC comedy hit series from the producer of "Ab Fab" and "The Office."

Proclaimed "the most brilliant, brash thing in type" by Liz Smith, Simon Doonan's saucy prose has established him as an emerging star among literary humorists. In this break-through memoir, reminiscent of both Sedaris and Burroughs, he revisits the landscape of his youth, and displays the irresistible charm that earned him his dedicated audience.

Long before he became a celebrity in his own right--as the author of best-selling books, as the style arbiter of VH1 and "America's Top Model," and the marketing genius behind Barney's New York--Simon Doonan was a "scabby knee'd troll" in Reading, England. In "Beautiful People," Doonan returns to the working-class neighborhood of his youth, and chronicles the misadventures of the Doonan clan in all their wacky glory. Readers meet his mother Betty, whose gravity-defying, peroxide hairdo signified her natural glamour; his father Terry, an amateur vintner who turned parsnips into the legendary Chateau Doonan; his grandfather D.C., a hard-drinking betting man who plotted to win his fortune by turning Simon into a jockey; and his demented grandma Narg and schizophrenic Uncle Ken, both of whom lived upstairs.

Fearing he would fall victim to the insanity that runs in his family, or, worse, the banality of suburban life, Doonan decamps with his flamboyant best-friend Biddie to London, where they hope to find the Beautiful People, that elusive clan who luxuriate on floor pillows and amuse each other with bon mots. Throughout the memoir--in essays about family holidays, the tart who lived next door, his first job--Doonan continues his bumbling pursuit of the fabulous life, only to learn, in the end, that perhaps the Beautiful People were the ones he left behind.

Trina Turk celebrates the 25th anniversary of the colorful, mid-century-inspired fashion and lifestyle brand by designer Trina Turk. This first-ever monograph on the Trina Turk aesthetic celebrates her distinctive patterns and sensibility. Explore the inspiration behind her clothing designs for women, the Mr. Turk menswear collection, swimwear, and home goods. * Features Turk's distinctly designed retail stores * Celebrates the architecturally significant homes she has restored * Includes many of her signature bold and colorful textile patterns Essays by Booth Moore, Barbara Bestor, and Simon Doonan each provide insight on a specific aspect of Trina Turk-the designer, and her eponymous brand. This stunning monograph makes a great gift for mid-century architecture, design, and lifestyle fans. * Cloth wrapped in her vibrant and colorful 25th anniversary patterned fabric and brimming with gorgeous photography * Perfect for fans of Trina Turk, as well as those who love Palm Springs design, vintage clothing, interior design, and more * Gorgeous on display on the coffee table

Glamorous eccentrics are irresistible people. They are irreverent, occasionally impertinent, a tad mysterious, charming, often self-invented, good at applying eyeliner, and above all nonconformist. They are a fabulous confection of style, self-empowerment, and black patent sling backs. Everyone wants to be one, but how? Ubiquitous style guru Simon Doonan has the answer.
By no means a typical how-to manual, "Eccentric Glamour" is a mixture of cultural commentary and personal disclosure, generously seasoned with gushings of wildly dictatorial, provocative, and reckless style advice. Through cautionary tales and inspirational examples, Doonan shows how to develop your own brand of eccentric glamour -- by magnifying everything that is already unique and idiosyncratic about you.
In these comic essays, interspersed with one-on-one interviews with some of the world's most glamorous eccentrics (including Iman, Lucy Liu, Tilda Swinton, Malcolm Gladwell, and many more), Simon Doonan offers the women of America an alternative to the cheapness and tackiness that currently pass for personal style. "Eccentric Glamour" is intended as an antidote to the epidemic of slutty dressing and porno-chic that has taken over since the arrival of Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith (may she rest in peace). While the typical TV boobs 'n' Botox makeovers force every woman to look the same, the transformations this book strives to inspire are the very opposite. Dressing like a ho is not just bad taste but boring In Simon Doonan's book, conformity is the only crime and dressing down the only faux pas.
Eccentric Glamour is every woman's birthright. SO SAY NO TO HO ...and yes to ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR

Wacky chicks are women who turn heads, get people talking and start trends. They dare to wear the outrageous and live life any way they see fit. And now New York Observer columnist and savvy social commentator Simon Doonan trains his most discerning eye on sixteen of these exceptional creatures, and shows how a fiercely embraced sense of individuality can be an inspiration to us all. Doonan interviews wacky chicks like Amy Sedaris, host of Comedy Central's hit show, Strangers with Candy; Suzanne Bartsch, the woman who taught Madonna how to vogue; and lower profile wacky chicks like hip hypnotist Jessica Porter and Isabel Garrett, a freestyle fashion designer working out of a trailer in a Florida nudist colony. As different as they are outrageous, these women share a powerful nonconformist bent, and in these pages offer their priceless guidance on beauty, business, fashion, love, motherhood and unleashing your feminist wacky chick without losing your femininity. Whether Doonan is profiling a celebrity gossip columnist or a park ranger with a menagerie of reptiles, he consistently delivers his own brand of distinctively sophisticated, razor sharp wit. Truly original, WACKY CHICKS is as much a whimsical self-help book as it is a hilarious and heartfelt tribute to these avatars of style and rebellion.

Simon Doonan knows that when it comes to style, the gays are the chosen people. A second anthropological truth comes to him midway through a turkey burger with no bun, at an otherwise hetero barbecue: Do the straight people have any idea how many calories are in the guacamole? In this hilarious discourse on and guide to the well-lived life, Doonan goes far beyond the secrets to eating like the French--he proves that gay men really are French women, from their delight in fashion, to their brilliant choices in accessories and decor, to their awe-inspiring ability to limit calorie intake. A Gucci-wearing Margaret Mead at heart, Doonan offers his own inimitable life experiences and uncanny insights into makes gay people driven to live every day feeling their best, and proves that they have just as much--and possibly better--wisdom, advice, and inspiration beyond the same old diet and exercise tips.

So put down that bag of Pirate's Booty and pick up this fierce and fabulous book. From slimming jaunts through Capri in the evening to an intrepid "Bear" hunt (if you have to ask, you have to read this book and find out for yourself), "Gay Men Don't Get Fat" is the ultimate approach to a glamorous lifestyle--plus, you are guaranteed to laugh away the pounds