Synopses & Reviews
In the early 20th century, Lucile, Lady Duff Gordon (1863-1935), was an international fashion sensation. She created some of the most lavish, provocative, and controversial fashions of the Edwardian era, lingerie, tea-gowns and evening-wear that attracted famous beauties like Lillie Langtry and Mary Pickford. A flamboyant and eccentric character who survived the sinking of the Titanic, wrote a column for Hearst newspapers, and designed costumes for the Ziegfeld Follies, Lucile also trained the first professional fashion models, staged the first runway shows, and introduced revolutionary elements to women's dress such as lower necklines, slit skirts, and less-restrictive corsets.
This fascinating and long-overdue study of Lucile's work includes a remarkable facsimile of her Fall 1905 fashion album, printed on special paper, and featuring over 60 watercolor illustrations and reproductions of luxurious fabric samples and trimmings. The book also draws on Lucile's own autobiography, Discretions and Indiscretions, a captivating window into the rarefied world of high Edwardian society and the extraordinary mind of one its most notable characters.
Synopsis
The stunning designs of Worth, Paquin, Poiret, Fortuny, and more are showcased in this look at the glamorous world of Art Nouveau fashion. Providing an introduction to the style, which overlaps with late Arts and Crafts in the 1890s and early Modernism in the 1910s, the book focuses on these important designers before discussing Art Nouveau jewelry and accessories, advertising, the influence of exotic Eastern cultures, and artists, among them Beardsley, Klimt, and Mackintosh. New color photographs of garments from the V&A’s collection are accompanied by period images of such style icons as Lily Langtry, Loïe Fuller, and Consuelo Vanderbilt, many previously unpublished. Striking and seductive, Art Nouveau styles were revived by the counterculture in the late 1960s and continue to resonate today.
About the Author
Valerie D. Mendes is a fashion and textiles historian who became Chief Curator of the former Textiles and Dress Department at the VandA. She has curated numerous exhibitions and published widely on 20th century dress and textiles.
Amy de la Haye is Reader of Fashion Curation and Material Culture, and joint Director of the M.A. in Fashion Curation at London College of Fashion. She also works as a writer and creative consultant and was formerly Curator of 20th Century Fashion at the VandA.