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Baby it's cold outside! Time to spend quality time inside in your closet, or perhaps if you are a lucky one, closets. It's a great time to reflect on the fashion items you absolutely cannot live without, and the highly talented Federico Rocca draws our attention to twenty classics that you should a) shop for b) arrange by color in your closet and most importantly c) read about inbetween these pages! Everyone has their own favorites of course and if you read the twelve hundred plus posts we've published in Fashion Alert, you know ours!
Not everything that is fashion passes-though some items go in and they go out, undoubtedly sometime they will be in again (hence the fact that Peachy's closets are physically unable to close) and the fashion items we love best are undoubtedly the classics. These twenty items chosen intelligently by Rocca all share the common denominator of being created for practical rather than aesthetic reasons, and each has an iconic history.
As you might have guessed, this history commences with jeans. For the record, Peachy's favorite jeans of her lifetime have been by either Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein. One pair of Calvins we have is quite ripped and almost the age of Peachy herself-they used to be her dad's.
Did you know Levi Strauss made his fortune with miners? Laborers, Farmers, Cowboys-they all wore Levis. You'll learn about the great train robbery in 1903. And did you know Mick Jagger married Bianca wearing Converse? There is beaucoup de cocktail party conversation to be found in between these two covers and you'll be overflowing with curious fashion information at your next soiree, hopefully just like the bubbles of the champagne glass you'll inevitably be holding.
During WW II women working wore jeans...
We do not yet own Louis Vuitton luggage with drawers (p. 38), and you'll be enlightened by that as well. Imagine the shoes you could bring on your travels! The ads included are just brilliant as well and we like Keith Richards for Louis V, Andy Warhol for Chanel No. 5 and we like how Burberry is suitable for every war zone! Anecdotes like your mother telling you that you should be a hatmaker so you'll always remember you have a head (p.58-read this to find out who) are hilarious, as well as the fact that the French Tennis Federation initially considered the polo shirt to be indecent.
We totally agree with the Wayfarers as Peachy saved her babysitting money sophomore year at Miss Porter's to splurge on a pair of Ray Bans which we still wear...especially because of Don Henley's song too which should warm you up in this lovely polar vortex. You've got your hair slicked back and those wayfarers on....and who can get enough of the LBD=Little Black Dress! We cannot tell you just how many Peachy has - it is more then ten and fewer than one hundred.
The graphics are just gorgeous throughout this masterpiece, and we like the size:
10 x 11½ which is great for capturing the phenomenal photography that is just as much a part of the story as the words. The visuals will truly blow you away, so tie yourself down with this book and something warm to sip while you contemplate your fashion arsenal!
Whom You Know Highly Recommends
A Matter of Fashion: 20 Iconic Items that Changed the History of Style By Federico Rocca!
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Most people tend to think of fashion as something that is always changing, with clothing going in and out of style as quickly as a child growing in and out of clothing. With each season comes new outerwear, and with each year comes new trends. But fashion, while constantly being modernized to fit the ever-changing times, has a deep and detailed history, with classic looks that fundamentally changed the future of fashion.
A Matter of Fashion will take readers into that rich history, exploring the different articles that made fashion what it is today. From the founding of jeans by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss in 1873 to the birth of the Chanel handbag in the 1920s, this comprehensive guide introduces readers to the foundation of modern fashion, using vibrant photography and illustrations dating as far back as the 1800s to make the evolution of fashion come to life. This stunning book is an essential component of any fashionista’s coffee table collection.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Federico Rocca graduated from the University of Bologna with a degree in history, and his thesis on Peter Del Monte was considered for the Premio Sacchi award. He worked as a screenwriter, first for Telepiù, and then for Sky, after which he entered the fashion world. As editor and author, he published Embroidery - Italian Fashion (Damiani), Silvana Mangano (L'Epos), Contemporary Indian Fashion (Damiani), and edited Hermès, l'avventura del lusso (Lindau). Today he is a professional journalist and fashion editor for style.it, the fashion and lifestyle portal of Condé Nast.
A Matter of Fashion
By Federico Rocca
White Star Publishers
Publication date: November 2013
10 x 11½ • 9788854406506
