Books about Italian Fashion, Alta Moda and Style 

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Italian Chic
by SUSAN SOMMERS
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From the Inside Flap
A top New York-based fashion journalist shows cost-conscious women how to capture the understated elegance of Italian style. Line drawings and halftones enhance the user-friendliness of Italian Chic--every woman's passport to the height of fashion.

From Library Journal
These two volumes contain 24 essays by a wide range of Italian fashion experts and cover virtually every aspect of the last 37 years of Italian couture. Film, fashion photography, and Italian knitwear are but a few of the subjects treated. Although many of the plates are rich with light and color, the overall design is not the best; pages of texts are somewhat awkwardly chopped by mediocre illustrations. And the book is, regrettably, terribly overpriced for its genre. Still, for collections concentrating heavily in 20th-century fashion design, it is a fine reference work. Sally R. Sims, Univ. of Maryland Lib., College Park
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Italian Fashion

Giorgio Armani
by Germano Celant, Harold Koda, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Museo Guggenheim Bilbao
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Amazon.com
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the future began. The future of fashion, that is. Of course, it wasn't quite so long ago (it was the 1970s), and it wasn't quite so far away (it was Milan, Italy). Right there and then, the world witnessed the birth of the sports coat. This one jacket... Read more

Giorgio Armani
by Patricia Whiteside, Nicola White
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Language Notes
Text: Italian

Product Description:
Run by a husband and wife team, the house of Missoni is an exception to many of the trends of the fashion world. The fact that the Missonis ignored advice that one can't make swimwear out of knitted textiles, that they have remained together as a married couple, and their longevity all attest to their ability to resist trends. The company was founded by Ottavio (Tai) and Rosita Missoni in the late fifties and quickly became known as one of the great textile innovators. The Missoni's production of their unique style of soft knitwear, usually from natural fibers and in muted colors has oft been copied but never reproduced. In the new release from Gingko Press the path of the House of Missoni is traced from their early experiments with knitting looms to the newest lines of clothes in their trademark "space-dyed" knitwear. As Tai and Rosita pass the stewardship of the company over to their children there continues the trend of remaining an exception.

Editorial Reviews
A tribute to Roberto Capucci, one of Italy's most famous fashion designers. Considered one of the fathers of Italian fashion, Capucci represents the excellence of Italian creativity combined with a unique taste for colour that is flanked by the ability to choose the rarest of fabrics, some produced expressly for him.This book illustrates the original creativity, the great versatility and the absolute contemporaneity of the Capucci universe, the only fashion designer invited to exhibit clothes that have become part of the history of international art in the world's leading museums.

Editorial Reviews
Vogue, Australia, 3/99
A loving portrait, sumptuously illustrated, of the life and work of Valentino, Valentino's Magic is a coffee table book that would be at home on the most elegant ormolu coffee tables of the world.

Editorial Reviews

Rock and Royalty
by Gianni Versace, Princes of Wales Diana, Elton John, Gianni Versace, Madonna, Sting, Tina Turner, Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Bruce Weber
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Amazon.com
The title of fashion designer Gianni Versace's new book references his diverse clientele, who not only wear his clothing but also impact his designs: rock & roll queens Tina Turner and Madonna, fashion princesses Kate and Naomi, design lords Lagerfeld and Armani, and even the real deal, Diana,... Read more

Vanitas
by Gianni Versace, Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti
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Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian

Versace (Universe of Fashion)
by RICHARD MARTIN
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Out of Print--Limited Availability

From Library Journal
These small (61/4 " x 81/4") books, the first in a new series, offer capsule introductions to the achievements of three of the most important designers of this century. Berge, Saint Laurent's partner since the couturier's sensational 1962 debut, writes a brief seven-page homage to Saint Laurent's... Read more

Editorial Reviews
Product Description:
Celebrating the Italian Genius in fashion and design, each volume is devoted to a prestigious leader of Italian Creativity in couture, their design philosophy, style and products. The names that have become synonymous with glamour, celebrity, and star quality from the fifties to this day are the subjects of this collection

Italian Chic
by SUSAN SOMMERS
Average Customer Review:

From the Inside Flap
A top New York-based fashion journalist shows cost-conscious women how to capture the understated elegance of Italian style. Line drawings and halftones enhance the user-friendliness of Italian Chic--every woman's passport to the height of fashion.

Editorial Reviews
The end of World War II saw a dramatic change in the geography of men's fashion--staid, conservative British gave way to Italy's light, supple, colorful and daring styles. In 1952, when the rite of the runway was still exclusively for women, Brioni presented the first men's fashion show. Since then, Brioni has dressed many of the world's most recognizable men, from Gable to Wayne, Pacino to Baldwin, and Bond.

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From Library Journal
Throughout his rags-to-riches career, Ferragamo was patronized by movie stars, socialites, diplomats, and royalty. Known in 1920s Hollywood as "shoemaker to the stars," he eventually returned to Italy to create shoes that were both comfortable and highly innovative. This gorgeous catalog, which accompanies a Los Angeles County Museum of Art exhibition, features over 200 examples of his work in full-color photographs so crisp that every stitch and crease is visible. 

Fashion is rarely seen as a forum for communication. However, Italian fashion designer Franco Moschino has long used it as his soapbox. Moschino, a collaboration with graphic designer Luca Stoppini, presents his shop window, rather than his clothing, as the vessel for communication.