Kirjahaku

All knowledge, the cosmos arranged on shelves, in cupboards, or hanging from the ceiling, ‘infinite riches in a little room’ – such were the cabinets of curiosities of the 17th century. This survey, now available in a compact edition, traces the amazing history of cabinets of curiosities, from their first appearance in the inventories and engravings commissioned by Renaissance nobles such as the Medici or the Hapsburgs, via those of the Dane Ole Wurm and the Italian polymath Athanasius Kircher, to the serious 17th- and 18th-century scientists Elias Ashmole and Levinas Vincent.

The first substantial book on the French Neo-Romantics, a cosmopolitan group working in 1920s Paris who turned against modernist abstraction in favour of a new form of figurative painting. In 1926, the Galerie Druet in Paris made waves presenting a group of young painters who had spurned modernist abstraction and returned to a form of figurative painting. For most of them this was the first time they had exhibited, but their impact was considerable. Art critic Waldemar George baptized them the ‘Neo-Romantics’ or the ‘Neo-Humanists’. They were influenced by Picasso, in particular his Blue and Rose periods, but went beyond him to forge new ways of painting. These were artists who liked to play with forgotten references and obsolete visual devices such as trompe l’oeil. They produced work for secondary art forms including the theatre, set design and ballet. In some ways they were the first post-modernists in the history of art, yet until now there has only ever been one book about them, After Picasso, published ten years after their exhibition. Only more recently has their influence on contemporary artists and thinkers including Max Jacob, George Hugnet and Gertrude Stein been recognized. Though friends, these painters never formed a formal group or movement. The Second World War sent them on different paths, with the Berman brothers and Tchelitchev moving to the United States. Before their departure, however, their activities attracted the attention and admiration of a cosmopolitan group of characters, including Gertrude Stein, Alfred Barr, Lincoln Kirstein, George Balanchine and many others including leading fashion figures of the day, Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli.

Goossens is one of the most prestigious names in haute couture jewelry of the last half century. Robert Goossens worked with Coco Chanel in the 1950s, and went on to design jewelry for the world’s foremost fashion houses, pursuing notable collaborations with Balenciaga, Grès, and Yves Saint Laurent. As well as the emblematic rock crystal jewelry, baroque pearl brooches, and Byzantine cuffs famously associated with Chanel, Maison Goossens’ designs combine real and faux gemstones, making fashion jewelry both precious and bold at once. Robert’s son, Patrick, has reimagined many original Goossens styles, for Dior, Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton among others. Martine, his daughter, collaborates regularly with architect Peter Marino to decorate the interiors of the most famous couture houses in the world. Maison Goossens is now part of the stable of exceptional craft practitioners owned by Chanel’s Paraffection subsidiary.

‘This ad is gender neutral’, proclaimed a 2016 poster for the fashion brand Diesel; ‘I resist definitions’, announced a Calvin Klein ad in the same year, while a Louis Vuitton shoot featured Jaden Smith, son of actor Will Smith, wearing a skirt like a natural. Fashion magazines have printed countless features on the blurring of gender barriers, while brands including Yves Saint-Laurent, Gucci, Burberry, Givenchy and Dolce & Gabbana have all interpreted the concept ‘girls will be boys and boys will be girls’ in their own individual style. The previous turn of the century was as obsessed with androgyny as this one, as seen in the art of Edward Burne-Jones and Gustave Moreau, and the writings of Oscar Wilde and the mystic Joséphin Péladan. From the late 19th to the early 21st century, the genders have blended: from Berlin in the 1920s to Hollywood of the 1930s with Garbo to Dietrich; from the 1940s Bright Young Things to the androgynous pop stars of the 1970s, and beyond. What do these variations on a theme have in common? What has caused the dizzying rise of androgyny? Why has this concept, a staple of ancient myth that was first discussed in Plato’s Symposium, been revived today? Accompanied by a striking selection of contemporary photographs, Patrick Mauriès presents a condensed cultural history of androgyny, drawing on the worlds of art and literature to give us a deeper understanding of the strange but timeless human drive to escape from defined categories.

An exclusive homage to – and retrospective of – the iconic fashion designer's couture accessories. ‘One can never overstate the importance of accessories. They are what turns a dress into something else. I like dresses to be sober and accessories to be wild’ – Yves Saint Laurent, 1977. Yves Saint Laurent Accessories is the first book to date to shed light on the breathtaking accessories created by one of the most influential fashion designers of all time. From his first collection in 1962 to his acclaimed final presentation in 2002, Yves Saint Laurent created exquisite jewellery, hats, shoes, and handbags to complement and enhance each of his couture creations. Beautifully designed, in a small format evocative of a jewellery box, the book offers an unprecedented glimpse into the highly confidential archives of The Yves Saint Laurent Foundation in Paris, which is home to over 20,000 remarkable accessories. The book features specially commissioned photography of the accessories alongside a treasure trove of rare materials including preparatory sketches, intimate portraits of Saint Laurent at work, behind-the-scenes snapshots of models, catwalk photographs, and advertising campaigns. Yves Saint Laurent Accessories introduces readers to a prominent yet rarely seen side of Saint Laurent's art, leading them backstage and through the history of a house that helped to shape the course of fashion.

A spectacular celebration of Karl Lagerfeld and the house of Chanel, this is a deluxe gift edition with an iconic new cover design.​ Chanel: The Karl Lagerfeld Campaigns is the first complete collection of Karl Lagerfeld's Haute Couture and Ready-to-Wear campaigns for Chanel, featuring more than 600 photographs shot by the designer from 1987 onward. When Karl Lagerfeld was appointed to the helm of the then-sleepy fashion house Chanel in 1983, he set out to radically reinvent its image--not only through bold collections, but also by shooting the house's campaigns himself, a move unprecedented at the time. Lagerfeld's photographs breathed life into the brand. His campaigns spanned the house's collections--luxurious haute couture, ready-to-wear, cruise, accessories--and established Lagerfeld as a sought-after fashion photographer. Organized chronologically, Chanel: The Karl Lagerfeld Campaigns includes a carefully curated selection of photographs that showcase hundreds of spectacular clothes worn by the top fashion models and personalities of each era. The campaigns feature iconic women including Ines de La Fressange, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Kristen Stewart, and Lily Rose Depp, photographed in glamorous locations such as Coco Chanel's Paris apartment, the French Riviera, and Rodeo Drive. Filled with more than 600 photographs, plus an essay by fashion writer Patrick Mauri s, the book offers an unrivaled overview of the house of Chanel as seen through the eyes--and lens--of Karl Lagerfeld himself.