Sofia Coppola

'Marie Antoinette' - the very name conjures up a vibrant pastel-coloured world of excess, filled with satin shoes, rustling silks, gravity-defying hairstyles, decadent macarons, delicious intrigue and then, of course, bloody Revolution.This ground-breaking volume first reconstructs the life and style of the captivating yet tragic Marie Antoinette - married at 14, queen at 18 and guillotined at 37 - from the intimate apartments she lived in to the scent she wore, the trends she led and the complexities of French court life. The authors draw on contemporary accounts, interiors, letters, portraits and the tantalisingly few personal possessions that remain, her shoes and fans, and fragments of cloth from her dresses. But Marie Antoinette has remained influential long beyond her death in 1793. The book uncovers how the ill-fated Queen of France has provided a constant source of inspiration to the worlds of design, fashion, film and decorative arts - from nineteenth-century fancy dress balls, to Art Deco illustration, to the couture of John Galliano for Dior and the sumptuous movie by Sofia Coppola. It considers afresh the legacy of a complex and mis-understood figure whose style, youth and notoriety have contributed to her timeless appeal.

Wharton's sly and delicious novel about the ambitious social ascent of Undine Spragg, with a foreword bySofia CoppolaConsidered by many to be her masterpiece, Edith Wharton's second full-length work is a scathing yet personal examination of the exploits and follies of the modern upper class. As she unfolds the journey of Undine Spragg from New York to Europe, Wharton affords us a detailed glimpse of the America's interior and its nouveau riche fringes. Through a heroine who is as vain, spoiled and selfish as she is irresistibly fascinating, and through the intricate plot of Undine's marriages and affairs, Wharton conveys a vision of a social class that is both supremely informed and supremely disenchanted.

The Parisian dinner party is the ideal of entertaining chic: the style of the host, the quality of the food and wine, and the beauty of the setting. With this charming and invaluable book, Laurent Buttazzoni renowned French architect, gourmand, and celebrated host of delightful dinner parties in Paris reveals how effortless true Parisian entertaining can be. Dispelling the myths of expense and complexity that can intimidate hosts, Diner a la Maison is a guide to shopping, cooking, and entertaining the Parisian way. Led by charming photographs made in the author s home, the book covers the essentials of the Parisian kitchen, from indispensable cooking utensils to fundamental ingredients for the pantry, followed by a guide to pairing menus and decor, with 30 recipes and table settings for parties to suit every occasion. From weekday hits to weekend entertaining, seasonal events, and holiday parties, each recipe is accompanied by ideas for a decoration theme. With candid guides to shopping for everything from good-quality groceries to eclectic tableware, as well as creative tips on the details that make any dinner party a success (pop your champagne in the freezer before guests arrive!) and with an introduction by style icon Sofia Coppola this book is an essential tool for chefs, hosts, and displaced Parisians everywhere.