READ THIS: CAFÉ SOCIETY Socialites, Patrons, and Artists 1920 to 1960 Thierry Coudert

What is Cafe Society you might ask?

"In its brilliance, its creative vitality, its provocative originality, and its unambiguous relationship with money, cafe society gave rise a posteriori to the image of a golden age, a paradise lost, in which nothing had more point than the pointless, nothing was more profound than the superficial, and elegance and a certain art de vivre took precedence above all else, for the pleasure of a few and the happiness of all." (page 183)

After all, Peachy Deegan always says the best things in life are the things you don't actually need...they're the things you want!

To understand what Manhattan Society is today, you have to understand the historical context from which it has been derived, and Cafe Society, far ahead of the time of most of our audience, addresses that in great detail from extended biographies that you wish you'd meet in person today, to lovely illustrations and priceless photos that even Patrick McMullan would envy.  This set the social precedent for decades to come and is of interest in every way.    What is particularly interesting is the layers of relationships that are uncovered from bio to bio that relate to each other.  Society is not as surface-level as you might think...

Cafe Society is what the jet set was before there were jets, and if we could pick one party from this book to attend (before we were born of course!) it would have to be the one depicted on page 115: Charles de Beistegui at the Palazzo Labia in Venice.  Read the book and see how much you would have liked to have been there!  As transport made travel easier, Paris lost its social center to New York...sorry Paris, but we love it here.  

The photographs are fantastic; just look at the collage on page 125.  And we cannot emphasize enough how much we love the Jazz Age, and Peachy always has since she did a term paper on The Great Gatsby junior year at Miss Porter's with Mover and Shaker Rennie McQuilkin...there are all kinds of tidbits in this book: if you thought Train Bleu was only a restaurant at Bloomingdale's you'd better read page 158 where we were pleased to see our pal F. Scott finally mentioned though we cannot believe it took over 100 pages.

The painting on page 175 of Venice is simply superb.  We love such books like this where the pictures are equally outstanding to the verbiage.  The best photo is on page 216: Verdura and Chanel.  Flammarion is just fabulous.

Whom You Know Highly Recommends Cafe Society!

Someday we would like to see what is written about events today in decades to come!  Rizzoli has hit another out of the park.

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CAFÉ SOCIETY Socialites, Patrons, and Artists 1920 to 1960 Thierry Coudert October 2010 / $75.00 US / ISBN: 978-2-08-030157-4 Hardcover / 320 pages / 250 color & b/w photographs / 9½” x 12¼” 

“In its brilliance, its creative vitality, its eccentricity, its desire to shock, and its untroubled affinity with money, café society created a posthumous image of itself as a golden age, a paradise lost, in which nothing had more point than the pointless, nothing was more profound than the superficial, and elegance and an inimitable art de vivre took precedence over everything, for the pleasure of a few and the happiness of all.” ~ Thierry Coudert from the Conclusion 

The members of café society were the trend setters, artistic patrons, and idolized celebrities of the early twentieth century. An unofficial club of socialites, aristocracy, and artists, they lived large and thought nothing of traveling the world over in order to attend the most over-the-top, extravagant parties and happenings. Café society was just as defined by who was invited to these exclusive events as who was not – an exclusivity that extended beyond matters of rank or birth. The rest of the public looked up with rapt attention to members of this posh social circle for confirmation of what was chic in fashion, the arts, and travel destinations. They were the original style arbiters, whose patronage determined which artists, designers, and musicians were in vogue.  

CAFÉ SOCIETY is an exclusive look into the world these socialites inhabited, detailing how the social group spent their time and money and, for added spice, includes juicy tidbits about their glamorous personal lives. The histories of the various members are included to illustrate how café society decided who would be included, and how they, as a group, influenced society, as well as the art forms they encouraged. Some bold-faced names featured include Mona Bismarck, Barbara Hutton, Henry “Chips” Channon, The Duke and Duchess of Kent, Cole Porter, Yves Saint Laurent, and many more. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Thierry Coudert co-authored the exhibition catalog for Cartier 1899–1949 at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2007. A close friend of café society ringleader Alexis de Redé and a collector of Art Deco, Coudert has an extensive personal archive of period publications and ephemera on café society

CAFÉ SOCIETY: Socialites, Patrons, and Artists in Paris 1920 to 1960 Thierry Coudert Flammarion, distributed by Rizzoli New York Hardcover / 320 pages / 250 color & b/w photographs / 9½” x 12¼” PRICE: $75.00 US / $88.00 CAN ISBN: 978-2-08-030157-4 PUBLICATION DATE: October 2010 www.rizzoliusa.com