30s Magazine

During the weekend I caught up on my reading and watching DVDs. The following three books and one documentary are real must-haves if you are a fashion forward gal.

The Eye has to Travel

The documentary The Eye has to Travel depicts the life and legacy of the iconic Diana Vreeland. This lively portrait of one of the most influential women of the 20th century shows how she changed the face of fashion, publications, art and culture forever. The bubbley yet very demanding and eccentric personality of the fashion icon is very palpable in this 86 minutes documentary. Once the editor-in-chief of Harpers Bazaar and Vogue she managed to lift both magazines to pieces of art. She discovered super models like Twiggy and promoted celebrities like Mick Jagger, Cher and Barbara Streisand in her magazine.

The documentary is a mix of old footage of personal interviews with Vreeland herself, and newly shot interviews with her children and internationally renowned people who have worked with her like e.g. Diane von Fürstenberg, Lauren Huton and Calvin Klein. Anecdotes are shared, and we get to know this intriguing lady as a visionary who wasn’t afraid to push boundaries and mix reality and fiction to create a world of art and glamour. An inspiring woman! Watch the trailer:

Kate Spade Things We Love

Things We Love is a stunning coffee table book. It’s a look book or anthology if you like, boasting with beautiful things in vivid and vivacious colours. The book was created in celebration of Kate Spade’s 20th anniversary. Each chapter is packed with inspiration, intriguing tidbits and curiosities. The visual compilation of Kate Spade products and lifestyle captures the spirit of the brand: fashion is fun. The book consists of twenty chapters with fun themes like the cha-cha, cocktails, and the colour red. Each themed chapter is built up with iconic fashion photographs, moodboards, collages and bold typography. It’s a colourful festive peek behind the curtain of an international renowned brand.

Little Black Dress

The coffee table book Little Black Dress by Andre Leon Talley is one book in a long line of other books paying homage to the timeless fashion piece every woman has in her closet. What makes this 208 pages book different is the contemporary approach to the dress. The entirely black-and-white book was created as an accompaniment to Talley’s exhibit of the same name at Savannah College of Art and Design’s SCAD Museum of Art. The book, which took just two months to compile, features Chanel’s “Ford” dress that kicked off the little black dress craze, Audrey Hepburn eating her breakfast at Tiffany’s dolled up in her Givenchy dress, Marc Jacobs in his lacy sheer Comme des Garçons man dress, plus a range of other luxurious gowns from the minds at Yves Saint Laurent, Carolina Herrera, Joseph Altuzarra, Oscar de la Renta, and more. There is also a chapter on the red carpet.

Fashion House

Fashion House by Australian fashion and editorial illustrator Megan Hess is a collection of beautifully illustrated interiors depicting inspirational interior design and how these can be achieved. It will inspire and delight anyone with a love of fashion, and appreciation for beautiful illustration. The book gives tips ranging from using patterns and fabrics on wallpaper and upholstery to the benefits of the eclectic chair. It’s 225 pages and a beautiful addition to spruce up your coffee table. Read more about Megan Hess in my blog post ‘When Art meets Fashion‘.