Synopses & Reviews
Since its origins in the 1970s, punk has had an explosive influence on fashion. With its eclectic mixing of stylistic references, punk effectively introduced the postmodern concept of bricolage to the elevated precincts of haute couture and directional ready-to-wear. As a style, punk is about chaos, anarchy, and rebellion. Drawing onand#160;provocative sexual and political imagery, punks made fashion overtly hostile and threatening. This aesthetic of violence andndash; even of cruelty andndash; was intrinsic to the clothes themselves, which were often customized with rips, tears, and slashes, as well asand#160;studs, spikes,and#160;zippers, D-Rings,and#160;safety pins, and razor blades, among other things.
This extraordinaryand#160;publication examines the impact of punkandrsquo;s aesthetic of brutality on high fashion, focusingand#160;on its do-it-yourself, rip-it-to-shreds ethos, the antithesis of coutureandrsquo;s made-to-measure exactitude. Indeed, punkandrsquo;s democracy stands in opposition to fashionandrsquo;s autocracy. Yet, as this book reveals, even haute couture has readily appropriated the visual and symbolic language of punk, replacing beads with studs, paillettes with safety pins, and feathers with razor blades in an attempt to capture the styleandrsquo;s rebellious energy. Focusing on high fashionandrsquo;s embrace of punkandrsquo;s aesthetic vocabulary, this bookand#160;reveals how designers have looked to the quintessential anti-establishment style to originate new ideals of beauty and fashionability.
Review
and#8220;at once enlightening and fascinating.and#8221; and#8212;Womenand#8217;s Wear Daily
Review
and#8220;This striking catalogue, published to accompany the Metropolitan Museum of Artand#8217;s Costume Institute show of the same name, claims that and#8220;no other countercultural movement has had a greater or more enduring influence on high fashion.and#8221; Curator Bolton (Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty) defines punk as the and#8220;questioning of traditional representations. . . through its ethos of do-it-yourself.and#8221;and#8212;andnbsp;Publishers Weekly
Review
and#8220;Curator Andrew Bolton shows great calm and patience in the scope of his research into punkand#8217;s frenetic effects. His underlying aim is to prove that punk was more than just the clichand#233; of mohicans and bad skin, but was a swirling, chaotic period of great experimentation in style. No linear study, the book offers a wide-ranging overview of the persistence of punkand#8217;s influence . . . The big coup of the book is its introductory essay by both Richard Hell and John Lydon, he who previously went by the name of Johnny Rotton."and#8212;Charlie Porter, VandA Magazine
Review
and#8220;McQueenand#8217;s brilliance is celebrated in this sumptuous tome that accompanies the Costume Instituteand#8217;s spring retrospective. The hologram cover makes it a collectorand#8217;s item.and#8221;and#8212;Harperand#8217;s Bazaar
Review
and#8220;and#8230;.the definitive reference of Lee Alexander McQueen.and#8221;and#8212;Dean Mayo Davies, I-D Magazine
Review
and#8220;Many books will come dedicated to his genius, but Savage Beauty will remain a beacon.and#8221;and#8212;Janice Breen Burns, Sydney Morning Herald
Review
and#8220;This book and#8230; helps illuminate McQueen's artistic process. Recommended for readers with an interest in contemporary fashion.and#8221; and#8212;Library Journal
Review
and#8220;Excellent catalogueand#8221; and#8212;The Huffington Post
Review
and#8220;For those still wanting to view McQueen's fashion creations, the book shines on.and#8221; and#8212;Lonny Magazine
Review
and#8220; The catalogand#8212;with its gorgeous images places alongside provocative, incisive, and often puzzling conversational quotes from the designer himselfand#8212;makes for an interesting way to get a peek at the show for those of us who wonand#8217;t be lucky enough to make it to New York this summer.and#8221;and#8212;Creative Loafing
Review
"[T]his book itself is a showstopper."and#8212;C. Donaldson, Choice
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and#8220;An authoritative and moving insight into the legacy of the British designer.and#8221;and#8212;Carola Long, The Financial Times (Christmas Books)
Review
Winner of the Awards for Excellence in 2011, as givenand#160;by the Association of Art Museum
Review
Finalist for the 2011 ForeWord Book of the Year Award in the Art category
Synopsis
The provocative punk aesthetic and its incendiary influence on high fashion
Synopsis
A lavish exploration of the evocative and complex fashions inspired by Chinese culture
For centuries, China's export arts--jade, silks, porcelains, and, more recently, cinema--have fueled Western fantasies of an exotic East and served as enduring sources of inspiration for fashion. This stunning publication, which accompanied one of the most successful exhibitions in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's history, explores the influence of Chinese aesthetics on designers, including Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent. Drawing upon Chinese decorative arts, cinema, and costume--notably imperial court robes, the close-fitting cheongsam, and the unisex Mao suit--their designs are fantastical pastiches of anachronistic motifs. As in the game of "telephone," the process of cultural translation transforms the source material into ingeniously original fashions that are products solely of the designers' imaginations.
In a similar way, contemporary Chinese film directors render fanciful, highly stylized evocations of various epochs in China's history--demonstrating that China's imagery is equally seductive to artists in the East and further inspiring today's designers. Juxtaposing modern fashions and film stills with their forebears in fine and decorative arts and historical dress, this book reveals the rich and ongoing creative dialogue between East and West, past and present.
Synopsis
"I never conformed to any sort of fashion ideal. My idea was always to show reality, even though I started at Savile Row and ended up at Givenchy in Paris; to depict the times I live in." and#8212;Alexander McQueen, Harper's Bazaar, September 2008
Synopsis
Arguably the most influential, imaginative, and provocative designer of his generation, Alexander McQueen both challenged and expanded fashion conventions to express ideas about race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty examines the full breadth of the designerand#8217;s career, from the start of his fledgling label to the triumphs of his own world-renowned London house. It features his most iconic and radical designs, revealing how McQueen adapted and combined the fundamentals of Savile Row tailoring, the specialized techniques of haute couture, and technological innovation to achieve his distinctive aesthetic. It also focuses on the highly sophisticated narrative structures underpinning his collections and extravagant runway presentations, with their echoes of avant-garde installation and performance art.
Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sand#248;lve Sundsband#248;; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty celebrates the astounding creativity and originality of a designer who relentlessly questioned and confronted the requisites of fashion.
Synopsis
A lavish exploration of the evocative and complex fashions inspired by Chinese culture.
Synopsis
For centuries, Chinaandrsquo;s export artsandmdash;jade, silks, porcelains, and, more recently, cinemaandmdash;have fueled Western fantasies of an exotic East and served as enduring sources of inspiration for fashion. This stunning publication explores the influence of Chinese aesthetics on designers, including Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent. Drawing upon Chinese decorative arts, cinema, and costumeandmdash;notably imperial court robes, the close-fitting cheongsam, and the unisex Mao suitandmdash;their designs are fantastical pastiches of anachronistic motifs. As in the game of andldquo;telephone,andrdquo; the process of cultural translation transforms the source material into ingeniously original fashions that are products solely of the designersandrsquo; imaginations.
and#160;
In a similar way, contemporary Chinese film directors render fanciful, highly stylized evocations of various epochs in Chinaandrsquo;s historyandmdash;demonstrating that Chinaandrsquo;s imagery is equally seductive to artists in the East and further inspiring todayandrsquo;s designers. Juxtaposing modern fashions and film stills with their forebears in fine and decorative arts and historical dress, this book reveals the rich and ongoing creative dialogue between East and West, past and present.
About the Author
Designers featured in theand#160;book include Haider Ackermann, Miguel Adrover, Azzedine Alaandiuml;a, Christopher Bailey (Burberry), Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby (Boudicca), Thom Browne, Hussein Chalayan, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Christophe Decarnin (Balmain), Ann Demeulemeester, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (Dolce and Gabbana), Shelley Fox, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Nicolas Ghesquiandegrave;re (Balenciaga), Andrew Groves, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren (Viktor (and) Rolf), Marc Jacobs, Christopher Kane, Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garandccedil;ons), Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel), Helmut Lang, Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Franco Moschino, Thierry Mugler, Kate and Laura Mulleavy (Rodarte), Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, Zandra Rhodes, Russell Sage, Jeremy Scott, Stephen Sprouse, Anna Sui, Jun Takahashi (Undercover), Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi (Preen), Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy), An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx (A.F. Vandevorst), Gianni Versace, Alexander Wang, Junya Watanabe, Yohji Yamamoto, and Vivienne Westwood.