Dressed To Kill

Arts & Photography

COLIN MCDOWELL

Fashion

Hutchinson

Colin McDowell is recognised as one of the most authoritative fashion commentators in the world. The author of sixteen books, he is Senior Fashion Writer for The Sunday Times Style section and is Chairman of The Costume Society of Great Britain. His book, McDowell's Directory of Twentieth Century Fashion has become so much the standard work on modern fashion designers that it is referred to as 'The Bible' within the fashion industry. As the New York Times said, "fashion addicts probably can't live one minute more without McDowell's Directory."

McDowell's Directory of Twentieth Century Fashion

PRENTICE/HALL

MANOLO BLAHNIK /ANGLAIS

Biographies & Memoirs

Cassell

, 203 pages, photography throughout in colour

Ralph Lauren and the Spirit of America

Graphic Design

Cassell illustrated, London

Jean Paul Gaultier

Cassell & Co.

"Of picture books about the Royal Family there is no end. They have become a considerable industry, and press photographers have grown rich by servicing it. These books clearly fulfil a demand: like modern icons, they fuel the faith of the royal worshippers. This book aims to get behind the hagiography. It has been written on the assumption that many readers who are interested in modern royalty and its appearance would like their interest fed with something more substantial. Although it includes photographs and drawings, these are carefully designed to illustrated and compliment the text. In a sense it is a complete reversal of the normal approach. The Queen and the rest of the Royal Family would be as remote as the portraits in Hampton Court were it not for their public appearances and what we see of their way of life - in short their style - which gives us glimpses of who they are and what they stand for. As the title indicates, the subject is style: that is, an attitude of mind which affects clothes and appearance but which is also an approach to life. Style involves things other than dress and one of the most characteristic aspects of royal style is its smoothness of operation. The book examines how this is achieved. The discussion of royal style is confined to crowned heads, but it includes Mrs. Simpson, later Duchess of Windsor, who quite possibly might have become Queen and, in a special chapter, the Princess of Wales, the Queen of the future. The fact that other princesses, royal duchesses and the male members of the Royal Family are not included is not to suggest that they lack style but rather that they do not represent royal style in the same distinct and all-embracing way as do those we have concentrated upon. The following brief biographical details are included to show the changes of title involved in 'promotion' up the royal ladder towards monarchy passing through hierarchical positions on the royal chess board. The Duchess of...." [from introduction]

HUNDRED YEARS OF ROYAL S

History

Europe

Muller, Blond & White

Mcdowell's Directory of Twentieth Century Fashion

Frederick Muller, Ltd.

This is an account of how ordinary people in Britain looked during and after World War II. It was a world of clothes rationing, "make do and mend", the Utility Scheme, uniforms for both sexes, the WI, homemade cosmetics and women's magazines lending circles. It was a time of factory girls in boiler suits and headscarves, and of clothes made from patchwork, flags, blackout fabric, mosquito netting, parachute silk and anything that came to hand. But, it was also a time when great efforts were made to keep high fashion alive, in the face of attempts by the Germans to move the Paris couture houses to Berlin, because looking good was seen as important to morale. Towards the end of the war, New York, with a strong influence from Hollywood, became the temporary fashion capital of the world. This, in turn, led to the emergence of the post-war New Look. Illustrated with numerous photographs, advertisements and fashion drawings, this book provides comprehensive coverage of 40s fashion, from a dress sewn from a torn German parachute to Queen Elizabeth's, now the Queen Mother, ball gowns.

Forties fashion and the new look

Decorative Arts & Design

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

His trademark is romance - the romance of unfettered fantasy, of quixotic garments spun out of fragments of the past. Galliano is immersed in the originality of English art, in the power of the Spanish visual tradition, and the eclecticism of French cultural history - his first show, inspired by the French Revolution, was called 'Les Incroyables'. Fairytales and fables provide a rich source, too - his first collection for Givenchy was an interpretation of 'The Princess and the Pea'. All this is grounded in realism, however, and he is celebrated as much for the sheer virtuosity of his technique, and for his knowledge of what can and cannot be achieved with fabric and line, as for his extravagant flair and imagination. This uniquely personal book not only showcases Galliano's designs for couture clothing, but reveals his inspirations and influences, his home, haunts, travels, and friends, and his own inimitable, often outrageous personal style. Over 250 illustrations - including previously unpublished sketches - show his trademark historic-romantic look.

Galliano: Romantic, Realist and Revolutionary

Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated

For many years Manolo Blahnik was the open secret of the fashion world, his shoes de rigueur for any stylish woman. Then, with Absolutely Fabulous and Sex in the City, he became world-famous to millions. In this fully authorized book, Colin McDowell uncovers the man behind the label. Blahnik claims that his decision to be a shoemaker was 'one of those accidents of life. I could just as well have been a milliner or a fashion designer'. His choices were wide but he chose shoemaking and started his highly successful business in 1972. From the beginning Blahnik's shoes reflected his style, wit and flair. He draws shoes with a verve that is uniquely his own, capturing their spirit and mood in a few deft lines. As a total perfectionist, Manolo Blahnik controls every process in the production of his shoes and still makes the last of every shoe in a collection with his own hands. He has made shoes for everyone from Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall and Diana Ross to Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Victoria Beckham. His designs have been described by Madonna as 'wonderful - they last longer than sex'. He also creates shoes for many designers including John Galliano at Christian Dior and Oscar de la Renta. It is therefore of no surprise that the word 'Manolos' has become synonymous with the finest footwear in the world. Through his informative text Colin McDowell takes us into Blahnik's factory and homes to show us his life and his work and, combined with a stunning selection of photographs reveals this ultimate fashion icon as never seen before.

Manolo Blahnik

Orion Publishing

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Books by COLIN MCDOWELL