Diane, A Shaded View on Fashion

Kris Van Assche Amor o muerte by Barbara Polla

Dear Shaded Viewers,

I went to the presentation of the book Kris Van Assche, Amor o muerte by Barbara Polla with illustrations by the artist Andrea Mastrovito, Frank Perrin was the creative director, Paul Ardenne, art historian and Vladimir Dimitrijevic, the editor of l'Age d'Homme. 

 Barbara Polla with  the artist Andrea Mastrovito

Later,

Diane

Young Genius @ Soho Grand - Saturday 16 May 2009

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Kate Lennard reads from her series of childrens books from 2-4pm Saturday 16 May at the SOHO Grand Hotel. If you have children between 5-9 years it would be fun for them and their parents. 

Later,

Diane

Style File: The World's Most Elegantly Dressed by IkÉ UdÉ

Dear Shaded Viewers,

With a forward by the Director of the FIT Museum, Dr. Valerie Steele, and an introduction by the curator of the Metropolitan Museum, Harold Koda, you could say that IkÉ UdÉ, the author of Style File is very well surrounded. In addition to authoring Style FIle, IkÉ UdÉ is the publisher and editor of aRude magazine.

More than 55 of the world's most stylish are profiled and photographed . All subjects were asked the same questions, one that was a bit out of the box was "What attire would you rather be caught dead in? Francesco Clemente said 'cargo pants' while his beautiful wife Alba would not comment on that question. Mr. Pearl said an 18 inch black silk satin corset lined in lilac silk satin, straight front. S-bend Viennease type. Ruben Toledo a very simple and perfectly tailored black suit and his wife Isabelle would rather not be caught.

Amechi Ihenacho photo by Kit Oates

In addition to the profiles Style File includes editorial features on subjects like The Belle Epoque ALbum, Lady Sings the Blues, The Devious Affluence of Motown Fashion and a lovely tribute to Isabella Blow by the iconic photographer, Roxanne Lowit. The author, Iké Udé also offers up his favorite things.

Isabella Blow photo by Roxanne Lowit

If you were wondering what IkÉ UdÉ would like to be caught dead in, it is a 'most mercilessly exquisite , sumptuous floor length nightgown of oxblood and periwinkle tattersall.

Self portrait, Iké Udé, courtesy of Stux Gallery, New York

NVU with Iké Udé:

DP: It is an interesting selection of subjects, how did you arrive at the people that you profiled in your book and what makes them the most
influential style arbiters and why?

IU: Iké: Style is a terrible beast to define in an exact manner. So the various personages that I chose for the book symbolizes style in all its indeterminate shades of practice, discipline, romanticism and redoubtable distinction from fashion. Having established this framework and principle, I then broadcasted my intentions and objective for the book to the sincerely stylish persons that I have known for a while. I asked them for their recommendations, suggestions and constructive criticisms on my book’s concept. This process enabled me to flesh out all kinks, arrive to clarity and achieve an accelerated execution. It could easily have taken more than two years to realize a book of this scholarship, fine content and visual integrity, but I did it in a few concentrated months.

Those whom I chose for the book, each boast a commendable stylistic quotient and moreover, redoubtable integrity on style. They are not your typical, insufferable fashionista or trendy types that always clamor for the latest thing. And these stylish elect, as it were, reinforced my profound aversion for trendy, fashion-infected majority who parade around “designer labels” with little or no embarrassment.

DP: You have Andre but where is Anna Wintour?…..
IU: I’m very impressed by André’s vast knowledge of costume history and French literature, sartorial bravery, among other things. Vogue-wise, I also included Hamish Bowles for his fine faculty and sartorial constancy. And I verily trust that would delight Anna Wintour to know that two of her boys, as it were, are in the book.

DP: How long was the journey from seed of idea to published book?

IU: Technically speaking, it took some couple of intense months. But essentially, the journey—to borrow your phrase—began in 1995 when I first established “Style File” and “Elements of Style” departments in aRUDE magazine.

DP: How did growing up in Lagos effect your sense of style and do you feel attached at all to your roots?

IU: Growing up in Nigerian cities such as Lagos, Enugu and Port Harcourt, formed the foundation of my sartorial sympathies and discipline. A small group of us not only compared notes, offered severe critiques, reveled or frowned on the merits of one’s sartorial result, but also found an immense refuge, a profound consolation, even something akin to a spiritual catharsis in style. To be sure, our boarding school uniforms—the ones worn for classes or after-classes and the tennis, cricket, badminton outfits informed me as well. And my father’s sartorial eloquence had a superb influence on me. His suits, shirts, socks, shoes, belt, handkerchief, eyewear, and underwear—all had superb craftsmanship and integrity. Sometimes, he had me polish his shoes and iron a few shirts in order, for me, to better comprehend and appreciate the make, the material use, construction, texture and overall quality of what I’m handling.

DP: What made you come up with that somewhat jarring question of how you wanted to be caught dead?

IU: The death of a body—once alive—is the ultimate humility and morbid degradation that awaits each of us, sooner or later. Thus, in anticipation of death—wherever, however, whenever it arrives—the best option is to be hopefully dress to one’s stylish best in order to temper the morbidity of a lifeless body, thereby making it easier and even beautiful for those left alive to clean up. Nonetheless, Manet’s painting, The Dead Toreador (1863-64), magnificently and visually articulates my point.

DP: Were you surprised by some of the answers to your questions? Which ones in particular?

IU: I was more delighted than surprised by some of the answers.

On shoplifting, Galliano had this to say, “Never say never—but I love to window shop and to visually plunder the markets and vintage shops and stores for ideas and inspiration, to understand and see new cuts, then go away and try to create homage or run even further with an idea. I don’t want to encourage people to rob me, but I hope that my clothes drive you crazy with desire you want to steal them! To design objects of desire is the object of the game!” As far as I’m concerned, John wove and wrought the most utterly nuanced answer on shoplifting.

DP: Which were the most interesting characters for you to interview for the book?

IU: Overall, I’m pleased, well, almost pleased with all the characters that I interviewed in the book. That said, I admire the unmitigated frankness of John Galliano, Sebastian Horsley, Francesco Clemente and Iris Apfel. On the visual component of the book, your portrait, that of Amechi Ihenacho, Kenny Kenny, Iris Apfel, Amy Fine Collins, Abba Clemente, to name a few, carries.

DP: If you had to choose your 5 favorite interviews, who would they be?

IU: There are obviously some exceptional interviews in the book but the poetry resides not in my favorite interviews but pockets of revelations that one unexpectedly finds in each interview—which is why I included them, in the first place.

DP: Same question, to expand on your own, can you give me 5 names, living or dead, that you consider have the most style?

IU: Dead: I love Beau Brummell’s employment of style as both an aesthetic discipline and socio-political currency; Charles Baudelaire employment of style as a distillation of his intellectual and poetic sympathies; Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor employment of style to register his varying moods, charming mistakes, vagaries, nobility; Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges employment of sartorial splendor to mark his varied accomplishments as a composer, violinist, conductor, fencer, colonel and dandy. Alive: I admire David Bowie’s impish sense of style; John Malkovich prodigal disposition with haberdashery; Diane von Furstenberg’s fluency with chic, Carolina Herrera’s deftness in elegance and Galliano’s promiscuous appetite for varying, informed styles.

DP: What was you biggest joy with this project and what were the biggest challenges in getting this project off the ground?

IU: Frankly and seriously speaking, I generally don’t like to work or exert myself, unless it is necessary or absolutely required. When I do, however, I prefer to work smart, not hard. The book demanded that I work harder than is usual for me. So you can imagine how relieved I was when my editor finally approved and released me from duty.
On the other hand, I suppose, that the biggest challenge that I faced and squarely dealt with was having to write a biographical portrait for each and every individual that I interviewed for the book. It was especially challenging because I know some of the individuals much more than others; secondly, even some of the people I know more or less didn’t have enough professional weight to counterbalance with their style quotients. Yet, my editor demanded that I somehow justify the inclusion of each person that I interviewed with sound biographical portraits that I wrote. I succeeded in doing so and for that I’m thankful to her and pleased with the result. Moreover, I’m a born aphorist, therefore I especially love the collection of aphorisms, “Style and Sympathy” that I wrote for the book. Unfortunately many and some of my favorite aphorisms weren’t included due space limitations.

DP: What made you choose Harold Koda and Valerie Steele, aside from the fact that they are both recognized experts in their fields?

IU: Harold Koda and Valerie Steele are very excellent friends of mine. Our friendship has, honor, integrity, reciprocal candor and courtesy. I love their intellectual faculties, their linguistic verve, grasp of history and their pleasure in sharing it with me. These are abiding qualities that I crave, need, demand and love. I prefer and respect their intellectual comprehension of fashion/costume from a historical perspective. This fact interests me far, far more than quotidian journalists, characterized by their daily or monthly disposable fashion journalism which is corrupt, insincere, vile, tedious, boring, vulgar and shrill. There are of course, exceptional journalists in the field and tragically, only a handful of them.

DP: Can you tell me something about your dance/fashion film? You know I curate a fashion film festival that was launched in September at the Jeu de Paume?

IU: First and foremost, Je Te Veux is a poetic confluence of dance, music, fashion, photography and fine arts all in one. I began and directed all of this film, in 1996. Essentially, I’m investigating and reconciling how music informs a dancer, and conversely what the dancer brings to bear as a result. The title and soundtrack, Jet Te Veux, derives from Erik Satie’s piquant piece. Satie’s music serves as a constant thread unifying the various esteemed choreographers: Bill T. Jones, Stephen Petronio, Desmond Richardson, Molissa Fenley, John Kelly. In addition, each of the choreographers wore select pieces by Comme des Garcon, Yoji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela, Rive Gauche/YSL, etc.

The whole film was shot here in New York; thus, I wasn’t able to include Pina Bausch at the time. But now that I’m relatively comfortable with flying, I intend to include Pina Bausch, if feasible and even if I’m obliged to fly to German for the shoot. Besides, I particularly admire what is going on in Berlin. The city has the artistic soul and integrity that New York City once had in the 1980s. If I find some sponsors in Germany, I would actually love to do a special Berlin Issue for aRUDE magazine. It would make for a splendid survey of the city and also feel its exact pulse. I intend to finish post-production editing of Jet Te Veux, in the spring of 2009 and release afterwards.

Style File: The World's Most Elegantly Dressed
By Ike Ude
Hardcover $65.00 ISBN 978-0-06-146420-1
On Sale : November 4, 2008
Collins Design, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

www.arudemag.com

Later,

Diane

Geoffrey Beene by Kim Hastreiter

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Geoffrey Beene is a legend and one of the most respected American designers, adored by all with the exception of WWD.

Kim Hastreiter and Geoffrey Beene

Kim Hastreiter, Paper Magazine has written a book on the fiercely independent, radial, subversive designers who was equally loved by the ladies that lunch as the underground scenesters.

The book is published by Assouline and titled Geoffrey Beene, An American Fashion Rebel. I was invited by Diane von Furstenberg and Tom Hutton, the President of Geoffrey Beene and the Trustee of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation via Kim to celebrate her book launch . Alas, I will be in Paris and not New York on the 13th of October.

photos by Jack Deutsch

Congratulations Kim.

Later,

Diane

Angela Buttolph on her new book: Kate Moss Style

Dear Shaded Viewers,

I had the pleasure of meeting Angela Buttolph on my last trip to London. She offered me her new book and I've enjoyed reading every page of it. I wanted more....

DP: What gave you the idea to write this? Was their any particular instant that a light bulb went off and told you that this is what you were meant to be doing?

AB: This was always my dream book to write. I think it is so surprising that it hasn’t been done sooner. I’ve written about fashion since 1994 and was always writing about Kate’s personal style. If you’re a fashion writer, Kate is so fascinating because it feels as if she has been raised by the fashion industry, she’s the personification of the modern fashion world. Kate Moss IS fashion.

DP: Was it hard to find a publisher, I kind of doubt that it was with a subject like Kate Moss?

AB: My editor, Charlotte Haycock at Random House, was so brilliant because she immediately got that this book should be a celebration of Kate and her style, and not the usual scandalous tabloid-style biographies of Kate – it felt like everyone was so busy looking at the skeletons in her closet, they had forgotten to notice the clothes in there too.

DP: You’ve been a fashion writer, a tv and radio presenter, written treatments for shows, how different was it to embark upon writing a book?

AB: It felt very luxurious to be able to spend so long thinking about just one person; to explore this unique journey of how her personal style had gradually evolved and been influenced so many amazingly stylish people over the years.

It was very much like detective-work. I wanted to crack Kate’s fashion formula. My flat was plastered with images of Kate; we had files and files of photos from each year of her life. But even after seeing thousands of images, I never got bored of her face; I think that’s kind of extraordinary.

DP: How long did it take and what were the biggest hurdles that you had to overcome?

AB: The book was completed in just under a year! But I was working around the clock. I was woman obsessed. I really wanted it to be the book that I would have loved to read; all the secret stories about the clothes, all the tiny little details that are so fascinating.

The biggest hurdles to overcome were probably the fact that sometimes designers were quite keen to take credit for clothes that Kate had worn, that weren’t actually theirs! So we had a few false starts.

DP: If you had to make a list of qualifications for what makes a style icon, what would they be?

1. Have interests outside of fashion that make you aware of a different kind of cool; e.g. music, art, cinema etc.
2. Surround yourself with brilliant, creative people at the top of their game; artists, photographers, musicians.
3. Study iconic photographs, to broaden your visual language.
4. Try on thousands and thousands of clothes; clothes that you don’t think you will like, or that you think won’t suit you, until you develop a ‘third eye’ for style that releases you from conventional thinking about how to put clothes together.
5. Learn to appreciate any garment purely on its own value, not on whether it is fashionable now.
6. Educate yourself about the work of vintage designers; learn to appreciate a quality of fabric and cut that is no longer available.
7. Go the other way –wear a tuxedo and leather trousers to the Metropolitan Ball when everyone is in long gowns, or wear a sweet Fifties prom dress and swept back hair to the NME music awards.
8. Innovate. Mix things that shouldn’t go together; a lace Victorian mourning cape with pvc jeans, punk boots with a sequined dress.
9. Never look like you are trying too hard.
10. When in doubt, buy diamonds.

DP: One of the ideas behind the book was to get into Kate’s head and see how she thinks, a little like playing Being John Malkovich, the 1999 Spike Jonze film , how did you manage to get into her head and what did you find out while you were in there?

AB: Early on I decided that I didn’t want to do a “Get The Celebrity Look” kind of book; i.e. ‘how to do Kate’s festival look’, ‘how to do the Kate Moss red carpet look’.

I wanted to get a crash course in the lessons she had learned from working with the best names in the fashion industry from such a young age. I was determined to get past the usual clichés “Kate was born cool” “she just has an innate sense of style”, and to force people into a deeper examination of how Kate thinks about clothes, and how and why her style changed so radically from one short period of time to the next.

Also, I was very lucky to have the chance to interview fashion designer Liza Bruce. I think Liza’s comments are the true spirit of the book; her insights into Kate’s fashion ‘education’ in the early Nineties were a revelation, quite extraordinary.

I think the biggest surprise was realizing that Kate is an amazingly accomplished woman; well-informed and cultured and interested in many different areas of the arts; from poetry to art and dance. She has an appetite for learning that had been completely overshadowed by her party girl image.

Everybody LOVES Kate. And you can tell when people are just afraid of a powerful or successful person. But everyone is extremely protective of her. And no one has a bad word to say about her; they all say she is a very sweet and funny girl. And they always say ‘girl’.

DP: How easy was it to interview Kate and all the people around her?

AB: This book is almost like a love-letter from the fashion industry to Kate, and I think that the people we contacted could see this would be a fitting and respectful tribute. When Alber Elbaz called he said that he wanted to take part as a thank you to Kate for the part she had played in making Lanvin cool and putting the label back in the spotlight, when she wore his bejeweled silk cocktail dress in 2003.

DP: Did you have someone else setting these this up for you?

AB: I am completely indebted to my brilliant editorial assistant, Alex Butt. He made literally hundreds of phone calls and sent hundreds of emails to track down vintage dealers and movie stars and stylists and photographers and designers. Alex is a legend. And he made me laugh every day.

DP: Who was the most fun to interview?

AB: All those crazy vintage dealers! I learnt so much about vintage fashion during my researc, which I tried to pass on in the book.

My favourite interviewee was Tracy Tolkien (of vintage dealers Steinberg & Tolkien) who has the same passion for vintage clothes that Kate does, which proved very insightful - three quarters of Kate’s wardrobe is vintage, so to understand her style, you have to understand that love for vintage fashion.

DP: Did anyone refuse to be interviewed?
AB: Yes. But we got the majority of the biggest names in fashion. Our contributors include Marc Jacobs, Alber Elbaz, Dolce & Gabbana, Karl Lagerfeld, to name but a few, so I am very happy. Tom Ford gave a brilliant behind-the-scenes anecdote about Kate getting ready at Stella McCartney’s wedding.

And actually, it was more important to me to get great stories and first-hand accounts of her shopping habits and styling quirks, rather than just getting big names. Fran Cutler had some brilliant memories of Kate getting dressed at Glastonbury festival.

And I am very proud that every comment in the book is credited. There are no quotes “from a close personal friend”.

DP: How would you describe the way you dress and after all this research, has the book effected how you put your self together now?

AB: Totally! I am very much less focused on trends now; and I really try and appreciate each garment on its own merits, not on whether it’s ‘in’ right now, or the label. And of course, now I know all of the world’s best vintage stores!

I actually find that I am buying far fewer clothes, but spending a lot more money. I have lost my appetite for the high street. I just bought some Marc Jacobs high heel biker boots, a deep purple Acne silk cocktail dress.

Also the ‘tight to the torso’ silhouette that is Kate’s signature has been my biggest light bulb moment.

DP: What was the funniest thing that happened while writing this book?

AB: We had a tip off that a beautiful vintage beaded silver flapper dress, that Kate wore on the red carpet with Johnny Depp in 1994, was previously owned by the ex-wife of Hollywood movie star Errol Flynn.

Eventually we got hold of a contact number for Flynn’s ex-wife in Jamaica. We finally got her on the phone, and down this crackly long distance line was this brilliantly deep Bette Davies voice and she rasped “I know the dress you mean, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in it”.

And of course, we realized, we had contacted the wrong ex-wife.

DP: What inspired you the most during your research?

AB: I just had this hunger to find out about why Kate chooses the clothes she does. And because Kate is such an enigma, even the tiniest details about her choices and tastes are fascinating. I’ve written about Kate for so long and suddenly finding out so many new things about her was incredibly exciting.

DP: What was the most stressful thing that you had to do?

AB: It was sort of stressful editing down the pictures because there were so many incredible outfits and we couldn’t include everything. So I was a little heart broken about a couple of photographs.

DP: If you had to choose 5 of your favorite Kate Moss looks, which ones would they be?
The navy sequin dress for her 30th birthday, the grey shift dress she wore at Cannes, the tiger mini dress she wore carrying Lila, the pvc jeans and black lace cape at Glastonbury, and the Ginsberg is God cashmere jumper and miniskirt she wore to tea at Claridges. When I first saw each of these outfits I recall thinking ‘oh, you are just a total genius’.

Style-wise, I loved the Johnny Depp Hollywood red carpet years, and the Pete Doherty years; all those festival outfits.

DP: How do you feel about the upcoming exhibition based on Kate at the Museum of Art Decorative? I’m sure you are going to sell even more books.

AB: The wonderful thing about that exhibition is that it perfectly complements my book! My book is focused on the clothes that Kate chooses to wear, not the clothes she is paid to wear. The Museum of Art Decorative is focusing on her career, so my book will answer all the questions that are left hanging. I would love to be involved in the exhibition, somehow, or perhaps give a talk there. Also, I can’t wait to see it, I know it will be beautifully done.

DP: What kind of distribution plans do you have? Will the book be translated into many languages, I imagine that it will.

AB: Already I know that the book is being translated into Japanese, which is so exciting. And we are exploring more foreign language translations. The English language edition is being sold worldwide on Amazon and all good book stores!

DP: Do you have a book signing tour coming up? Where will it take you?

AB: We’re still trying to work out book signing dates. I am very keen to go to Tokyo. I want to give a few talks, too: ‘Ten Lessons We Can All Learn From Kate Moss’s Wardrobe’ that kind of thing…

On the day my book is published I’ve got a huge fund-raising party for Breast Cancer Care at a beautiful club called Amika in London, with Henry Holland djing and lots of fashiony friends, so it should be fun.

DP: Is this your first book? What comes next.

AB: I previously co-authored Phaidon’s Fashion Book, and I have ghost-written two Top Ten bestselling fashion books. But this is finally the first book with my name on the cover.

I would love to write the biography of a fashion designer or perhaps a fashion stylist next. I would also love to write another ‘style biography’. But, y’know, it’s hard to find a subject as perfect as Kate.

DP: No doubt about that, congratulations. The book will be launched October 2nd.

Later,

Diane

Angela Buttolph's book KATE MOSS: STYLE

Dear Shaded Viewers,

The other night I had the pleasure of meeting Angela Buttolph and was delighted to hear that she is a devoted Shaded Viewer. An interview will follow but for now, here is the cover of her new book which will be released on October 2nd and no doubt will be a huge success.

Everybody wants to know what Kate Moss wears, Angela Buttolph unravels the secret of her fashion formula by uncovering the stories behind her most iconic outfits; from the infamous sheer silver slip dress, to the much-coveted lemon yellow prom dress, and the leopard print coat. With contributions from fashion designers, stylists, photographers, and vintage dealers, the biggest names in the fashion industry reveal how Kate chooses what she wears and why. The idea is that as you read the book you will be able to unravel the secret of Kate Moss’s fashion formula for yourself…

• Contributors to the book include Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, Manolo Blahnik, Donna Karan, Domenico Dolce Stefano Gabbana (Dolce & Gabbana), Matthew Williamson, Kelly Osbourne, Britt Ekland, Katie Grand and Marc Jacobs to name but a few

Angela Buttolph lives and works in London. A graduate of the London College of Fashion, she has written for every major fashion magazine, from Vogue to i-D, and is the co-author of Phaidon’s Fashion Book. She is now a contributing editor for Grazia. An experienced broadcaster, she has also presented a number of fashion shows, from ITV1’s Hollywood Star Treatment to BBC2’s A Week of Dressing Dangerously, and is currently Radio 1’s Fashion Expert, giving style advice to the 4 million listeners of Jo Whiley’s Morning Show. Her website is www.AngelaButtolph.com.

More to come,

Diane

100 New Fashion Designers by Hywel Davies

Dear Shaded Viewers,

You've been no doubt watching the videos of FUTURE TENSE on SHOWstudio, now here is the book:

SAVE THE DATE

Thursday 18th September 2008
19:00 - 21:00

100 NEW FASHION DESIGNERS, A new book by Hywel Davies
Published by Laurence King

&

FUTURE TENSE, Fashion films by SHOWstudio

Supported by DIESEL

28 - 32 Britannia Street
London
WC1X 9JP

Love & Deth by Michael James O'Brien

Michael James O'Brien

Surrender to the Spectacle!

Join Bruce Benderson &
the University of Wisconsin Press at the official book launch for

Sex & ISolatIon
and other essays

Reading/Booksigning/Reception

thursday, november 15 at 6:00 PM

at the Fales library of new York University
elmer Holmes Bobst library, third Floor
70 Washington Square South, nY, nY
tel: 212-998-2596

novelist, cultural critic, and memoirist Bruce Benderson is the author of nine books, including the Romanian: Story of an obsession, User, James Bidgood, and Pretending to Say no.

Sex and
Isolation is the first american volume of Benderson’s collected essays,
featuring both new work and some of his best-known writings,
including his famous essay “toward the new Degeneracy.”


the University of Wisconsin Press
1930 Monroe Street, 3rd Floor
Madison, WI 53711-2059
www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress

Beautiful Fall - book review by Beniamino Marini

Dear Shaded Viewers,

Beniamino just finished reading “The Beautiful Fall: fashion, genius and glorious excess in 1970s Paris” by Alicia Drake (Bloomsbury, 2006), below is his review.

"I read it - of course - because I heard of the big quarrel between Karl Lagerfeld and the author: next january (the15th) they will have their first meeting at the tribunal because Karl has sued her. He says that what she writes about Karl’s german past is not true.

But I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about the book.
It tells the parallel story of two fashion icons: Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, re-constructing facts, encounters, situations, parties and fashion moments through interviews (around 100 people were interviewed over the last 5 years), research in past articles and press reviews, books, aoutobiographies of people that were surrounding the two fashion designers and so on. It’s a huge work of research, aimed to “demonstrate” a few ideas that the author has concerning the two guys.

The first and strongest “idea” is that YSL and KL, almost the same age, never loved each other and that Paris’ Fashion was ruled by their two forces for at least twenty years (mainly in the 70s). What she also makes clear throughout the long book is that YSL was never “beaten” by KL in this harsh competition (in design, social relationships, fame, “aura”), but he was only beaten by himself retiring before his competitor. And only after the definitive retirement of the Divine Yves in 2002 (with a huge defilé and a press conference that made many people cry), the down-to-earth Karl was finally able to become the star he is now. (She says that in her research, the press reviews of KL in the last five years are more than all that he had aquired over the former 30 years of work, and becoming an international celebrity and icon even outside of the fashion world).

To support this hypotesis the author brings up a subject that is very very delicate, which concerns love, betrayal and death: the young and beautiful Jacques de Bascher. He, who at age 24 became a “male muse” to Lagerfeld, he died young at age 38 of HIV/AIDS. During his short lifetime he dedicated himself to beauty, elegance and social life, he was always with Karl. The author insists on the fact that Jacques became, for a short period of time, the lover of Yves Saint Laurent, creating a big drama between the two “fashion families”.

Like all big celebrities, tales of their past are always welcomed by the audience: that’s probably why, apart this type of love and fashion gossip, the author insists on many aspects of Yves’ and Karl’s lives back home. The first in Oran, Algeria, with his problems at school where his strangeness wasn’t accepted. The latter in the Hamburg bourgeois suburbs.

These last inquiries (the author went back several times to Hamburg interviewing relatives and neighbours of Karl), created a big scandal, because what she wrote is totally different from what Lagerfeld himself has always declared to the press.

I think that in history every person who became really important – it’s gone on forever – tries to “rewrite” his or her own personal history. Like in wars, the winner or the “conquistador” writes his own side of the story for the future readers. The history we read in textbooks has been rewritten several times always following the winners point of view. Think of native americans: only today some books have begun to reveal what actually happened to them. I equally find it pretty normal that a celebrity like Karl Lagerfeld, who definitely created himself, as a designer, but mainly as a fashion character, one that can loose 40 kg in one year to fit in Dior Homme’s trousers, one that is able to sell in a few years all his houses (including a castle and all the furniture inside) just to change, for love of change, could make up his past.

I don’t know where the truth lies and of course nobody really cares. Only thing that I can say is that I found a few mistakes in the book, and those are only the ones I was able to notice, knowing very little about all of those people during those years. For instance, the mispelled last name of Valentino’s partner (she wrote Giacometti instead of Giammetti), or other “italian” un-precisions (Prato near Florence is the home of leather makers, not textile. The main textile areas are in the north of Italy, near Milan, expecially back then, when the first fashion shows were taking place, think of Como silk and Biella wool). This is not very “scientific”. When you write a book which is not a novel, be aware of mistakes, mrs Drake, especially when you take the risk of being sued..."

Ciao,

Beniamino Marini