Mornings are crisp and grey, often there is rain and lights on in the windows, and with my current sleep routine (early sleeping and early rising) I am often spending mornings sipping coffee and going through some books.
As I pass through my favourite book shop Lardanchet here in Paris (100 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré) and I see their myriad ideas in the window.
I remember being told that investing in coffee table books is one of the best things to do when decorating a new place, so I made a list of some of the books that are worth the investment―some are old favourites and some are not yet released, but all will be great additions to your collection.
An insider’s tour of the most creative and inspiring rooms belonging to tastemakers—artists, interior designers, craftspeople, collectors, and aristocrats—in Italy today. Italy has been a source of inspiration for generations of artists and lovers of beauty. In this book, Italians Oberto Gili and Marella Caracciolo Chia take us around the country and into the homes of some of its most stylish habitués. From rural estates in Tuscany and spectacular seaside villas to an eighteenth-century palace in Puglia and city residences in Turin, Milan, Venice, Rome, and Naples, the properties reveal the unique personal visions of the owners and the inescapable appeal of Italian style. The diversity of places echoes the wide range of geographical contexts. Each interior acts as a source of surprise and an impetus for creativity, reflecting the individual tastes and talents of those who live and have lived there—designer Carlo Mollino, couturier Stephan Janson, art and literary scholar Mario Praz, and artists Sandro Chia and Alessandro Twombly. In addition to the houses of artists and craftspeople, rooms of visionary interior designers, such as Camilla Guinness, Roberto Peregalli, and Laura Sartori Rimini, are also included. This book—an intimate glimpse into some of the most beautiful and inaccessible dwellings in Italy today—is perfect for aesthetically minded readers with an interest in interior design, Italy, and the art of fine living.
+ shop here
“Carine, and her vision of French Vogue, embodies all that the world likes to think of as Parisian style: a sense of chic that’s impeccable and sometimes idiosyncratic and which forever lives on a moonlit street as seen through the lens of Helmut Newton.”–Anna Wintour Karl Lagerfeld once said that if you close your eyes and imagine the ideal French woman, it would be Carine Roitfeld. She is a fashion visionary and a muse. Since the start of her career in the early 1990s, through her collaborations with the legendary photographer Mario Testino, Roitfeld has been credited with launching Tom Ford’s career at Gucci, as well as turning French Vogue into one of the industry’s most worshipped magazines.
This elegant volume is a visual history of Roitfeld’s fearless career. A daring instigator, she is known for pushing the limits with her subversive styling ideas. Featuring a selection of 250 magazine tear sheets and covers from pivotal editorial shoots and advertising campaigns, as well as intimate visual ephemera, this book gives an inside view into Roitfeld’s creative thought process and sensibility. A must-have for those interested in cutting-edge fashion and femininity, this book will empower women to follow Roitfeld’s lead and take risks with their personal style.
+ shop here
Joseph Dirand: Interior
Written by Joseph Dirand, Photographed by Adrien Dirand, Text by Sarah Medford and Yann Sillec
The first monograph on one of today’s most celebrated architects, renowned for designing interiors that combine minimalism with classic French style. When describing a space that intertwines both minimalism and elegance, the name Joseph Dirand immediately comes to mind.
The son of Jacques Dirand, one of the most renowned interior photographers of his time, Joseph Dirand is now one of the most sought-after architects. By incorporating a quintessentially French style into otherwise minimalist interiors, Dirand creates instantly recognizable spaces, known for their strong lines and meticulous precision. This book focuses primarily on Dirand’s residential interior design work in Paris and New York, while also featuring some of his acclaimed designs for the interiors of hotels, restaurants, and fashion houses worldwide. Lavishly illustrated with photography that captures the timelessness of his style, which touts impeccable proportions and breathtaking attention to detail, Joseph Dirand: Interior is a feast for the eyes and essential for anyone with an interest in interior design.
+ shop here
Tom Ford has become one of fashion’s great icons. He transformed Gucci from a moribund accessories label into one of the sexiest fashion brands in the world. His designs have increased sales at Gucci tenfold and have helped build the Gucci brand into the luxury goods conglomerate that it is today. Ford brought a hard-edged style synonymous with 21st century glamour to his clothes, and Hollywood sat up and took note. This book is a complete catalogue of Ford’s design work for both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent from 1994 to 2004. It chronicles not only Ford’s clothing and accessories designs for both houses, but also explores Ford’s grand vision for the complete design of a brand, including architecture, store design, and advertising. Tom Ford features more than 200 photographs by Richard Avedon, Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Terry Richardson, Craig McDean, Todd Eberle, and numerous other photographers including many previously unpublished images. Published to coincide with his departure from Gucci, this book has been created with Ford’s full cooperation and every page reflects his exceptional taste. It is Ford’s testament to a career of singular moments reinventing the boundaries of style and sensuality in clothing.
+ shop here
This lavish fourth volume in Abrams’ Slim Aarons collection revels in this photographer’s decades-long love affair with Italy. From breathtaking aerials of the Sicilian countryside to intimate portraits of celebrities and high society taken in magnificent villas, Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita captures the essence of “the good life.” Slim Aarons first visited Italy as a combat photographer during World War II and later moved to Rome to shoot for Life magazine, yet even after relocating to New York, he would return to Italy almost every year for the rest of his life.
The images collected here document the aristocracy, cultural elite, and beautiful people, such as Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Joan Fontaine, and Tyrone Power, who lived la dolce vita in Italy’s most fabulous places during the last 50 years. The introduction by Christopher Sweet shares stories from Aarons’s years in Italy and new insights about his life and career.
+ shop here
John Galliano’s creations for the House of Dior have entered fashion history and are widely recognized as some of the most breathtaking and imaginative collections ever created. John Galliano for Dior is dedicated to showcasing these unforgettable designs, which have become collectors’ items and formed a key chapter in the history of the House of Dior―“the greatest house in the world,” as Galliano stated when he was first placed at its helm. “I see myself as a guardian of [Christian Dior’s] spirit, a keeper of his dreams.” Opening with an essay on the designer’s work, the book unfolds chronologically, covering a decade of showstopping designs, from 1998 to 2010, and revealing previously unseen behind-the-scenes moments that capture models, hairdressers, stylists, makeup artists, and John Galliano himself at their most creative.
Robert Fairer’s stunning and high-energy photographs convey the drama, glamour, and wild imagination that defined Galliano’s Dior shows. They make this publication a must-have reference for fashion and photography lovers alike.
+ shop here
THE SECOND AND FINAL VOLUME OF THE COLLECTED BEST WORK OF VOGUE EDITOR AND INTERNATIONAL FASHION ICON GRACE CODDINGTON
This handsome slipcased edition showcases work of the last fifteen years by legendary Vogue editor Grace Coddington. The book celebrates seventeen of the master photographers with whom Coddington has collaborated – including Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Craig McDean, David Sims, Mario Testino, and Marcus Piggot and Mert Alas – in a sumptuous compilation of Coddington’s most beloved fashion stories.
+ shop here
This 3-volume set illustrates the history of the most famous brand in the world, written by ELLE contributor Francois Baudot. Titles are: Chanel, Chanel Fine Jewelry, and Chanel Perfume.
+ shop here
