Published to accompany the major exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, this book is destined to become a must-have work of reference for all fashion lovers. The couturiere Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) was a key figure in Paris fashion between the two World Wars. Following in the footsteps of her mentor Paul Poiret, she designed her first knitwear collection in January 1927. Decorated with trompe-l'oeil motifs in black and white, her sweaters were an immediate success in both France and the USA. In 1935, the Maison Schiaparelli opened in the Place Vendome in Paris, selling collections designed for sports, city and evening wear. Like her arch-rival Gabrielle Chanel, Schiaparelli also worked closely with artists, including Man Ray, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dali, with whom she created a lobster dress. Taking a cue from Surrealism, her creations were hugely imaginative and made use of innovative new materials. The 'Schiap' style continued to develop through the 1930s. Her most famous collections had themes including the circus (summer 1938) and astrology (winter 1938-39). In 1937, Schiaparelli launched the fragrance Shocking, named after shocking pink, which had become her signature colour. Alongside vintage photographs, sketches and contemporary features from Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, this volume presents specially photographed masterpieces from the collection of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. All 120 garments and accessories from the Schiaparelli archive are illustrated, along with a selection of her drawings dating from 1933 to 1953.

Valerie Belin constantly explores matter, the body and the living, absence and their representations; she brilliantly develops her research on light, detail and texture. After a first volume released in 2007, Damiani now presents her subsequent work, with series produced between 2007 and 2016: Fruit Baskets , Lido , Ballroom Dancers , Vintage Cars , Crowned heads , Black-eyed Susan , Settings , Brides , Bob , Interiors and Still Life as well as her most recent and original series, All Star . The volume also comprises exhibition views and photographs taken during her performance at the Centre Pompidou in 2014. An immersion into a rare and unusual body of work that brilliantly questions matter and the living through the photographic medium. Photography of confusion and absence.