Because beautiful books are enlightening or inspiring — Icon-Icon has selected eight books to for for this year’s Valentine’s Day.
Passionate about beauty, luxury, or a simple aesthetic— this selection of great books especially for this year’s Valentine’s Day dives into the very matter of the subject.
And in particular with these very beautiful books published by Taschen!
Legacy by Helmut Newton… The book that recounts the complete and revolutionary work of photographer Helmut Newton. Great lover of beauty and women, without ever going into the vulgar — Helmut Newton has made a name and a reputation for himself worthy of his photos.
Slick and eminently glamorous, Newton’s aesthetic has produced some of the most iconic photos. At the same time he presented the woman as a subject of desire and no longer a simple object.
Nicknamed ‘The King of Kink’, or the king of oddity… Helmut Newton’s work is indeed a radical change in the way women perceive style and desire. Often autobiographical, and engaged with the world he lives in and knows, his photographs for Vogue Paris in particular have considerably extended the possibilities in terms of fashion photography.
Among the photos that have entered the pantheon of photography, the Sie kommen of 1981 or the first great nudes of 1980 have been submitted. But the one that froze in time the Yves Saint Laurent suit, one night in rue Aubriot in Paris, is undoubtedly the most legendary of all.
Here’s the Taschen edition which recounts it all.
To better grasp the audacity, originality and splendor of the jewels and objects carrying the expertise of Cartier… Here is a beautiful new book which traces the dexterity (old and new) with which Cartier has always worked gorgeous gemstones!
If Cartier still resonates today as the most prestigious brand of fine jewelry, it is because the brand has been able to renew and revolutionize like no other the work of stones, and the design of jewelry… Nicknamed at the beginning of the 20th century “The Jewelers of Kings and King of Jewelers” by Edward VII, Cartier’s history and fate has indeed very quickly crossed paths with the history of European aristocracies. And it doesn’t stop there!
And no less! Then and now, we still come across Cartier’s aesthetic movements, and names behind their first adoption. Exceptional jewelry for European crowns, from Art Nouveau initiated by Jeanne Toussaint, to the Underground Chic by Aldo Cipullo in the 1960s… This book, Sixième Sens by Cartier Haute joaillerie et Objets Précieux published by Flammarion, looks back on the most breathtaking objects from the jeweler located in Place Vendôme.
Ah Miss Dior ! Catherine Dior, Christian’s sister, resistance fighter and muse who rightfully inspired Mitzah Bricard and gave us the eponymous perfume – Catherine is somewhat of a discreet figure in Dior’s history.
However, she inspired more than audacity in her brother and with that, the book Miss Dior: Muse et Résistante reminisces the fate of the founder’s sister.
Those who are keen to gift a book precisely about the splendor of flowers and the inspiration they have always created in humans can turn to this beautiful book by Pierre Joseph Redouté, The Book Of Flowers!
At Assouline we noticed four beautiful books in tune with this year’s Valentine’s Day.
Diamonds, a book immersing us in the history and epic story of the most captivating stones in the world… The story of a fascination as old as humanity that has inspired artisans and jewelers since the dawn of time!
Another book, this time for lovers of the golden age of the couture renaissance — Dior par John Galliano. Assouline states: “This book reveals the exceptional silhouettes of John Galliano at Dior from 1996 to 2011, at the discretion of the most emblematic models, photographed by Laziz Hamani, alongside shots by Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn or Paolo Roversi.” In other words, here is a book traveling into the heart of a grandiose and grandiloquent era of contemporary fashion!
Interested in the history of the most sought-after logo in the world? Louis Vuitton Manufactures it is, as Assouline points out: “Illustrated with exclusive pictures and an introduction by Nick Foulkes, this book reveals the behind the scenes of the Louis Vuitton workshops where craftsmen exercise their talent and inventiveness in the manufacturing of Louis Vuitton pieces (trunks, bags, perfumes, watches, shoes, fine jewelry and ready-to- wear) by honoring, in this 21st century, the techniques and expertise of its founder.”
Finally, it is Brioni – Tailoring Legends which recounts the heritage of the most revolutionary of tailors! Brioni suits are the fashion expression of Italy itself… From the impeccable James Bond suits to the most elegant of men – you would rather want know the story of Gaetano Savini… This book tells his legacy!
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