"Such celebrations of automotive history and design are recalled here with magnificent photographs and previously unpublished documents, revealing the world of the automobile in all its glory."--BOOK JACKET.
There’s an undeniable fascination with motorcycles—their speed, design, riders, and coolness factor, are all part of the magnetism. This exquisite deluxe volume, presented on cotton paper in a beautiful black rubber clamshell box with a cutout metal plate, is the newest addition to Assouline’s Impossible Collection series is a compendium of the 100 most exceptional bikes of the twentieth century—from the rare to the renowned—each one is unique. Some of these brilliant pieces of machinery include the stunning and one-of-a-kind BMW R7, the 1948 Vincent Series Rapide that Rollie Free shattered land speed record on, in nothing but a bathing suit, the iconic 1969 Easy Rider bike that Peter Fonda made famous, and the 1973 Harley-Davidson XR750, Evel Knievel’s bike of choice. Motorcycle aficionados, aesthetes, and enthusiasts alike will treasure this collector’s item.
It is the dream of many to own the world’s most beautifully designed automobiles, but most often only a handful of collectors ever come close. Now, The Impossible Collection of Cars makes that dream come true, showcasing the one hundred most exceptional cars of the twentieth century in ASSOULINE's third volume in the Impossible Collection series. Each luxury automobile—from the 1909 Blitzen Benz to a 1996 McLaren F1—was chosen for its revolutionary engineering, magnificent lines, and head-turning capabilities. Assouline is pleased to announce this exquisite tome, which features cars owned by celebrities like Marlene Dietrich, Ralph Lauren, Greta Garbo, Pablo Picasso, and Elvis Presley. This Impossible Collection volume is presented on cotton paper in a beautiful black rubber clamshell box with a cutout metal plate.
Text by Winston S. Goodfellow and Beverly Rae Kimes. Foreword and Interview by Darcy Kuronen. Introduction by Ralph Lauren. Photographs by Michael Furman.
A dazzling array of racers, roadsters, sports cars, and sedans roars to life in the pages of this appealing, smaller-format hardcover book. It is a handsome, witty, and highly readable survey that readers of all ages can learn from and enjoy. Together, authors Chuck Queener and Murray Smith combine brilliant watercolor illustrations of a rich assortment of cars with a lively mix of historical facts and technical details. The result is an alphabetical trip through automotive history that is entertaining and informative for all enthusiasts.
Dior and His Decorators is the first work on the two interior designers most closely associated with Christian Dior. Like the unabashedly luxurious fashions of Dior's New Look, which debuted in 1947, the interior designs of Victor Grandpierre and Georges Geffroy infused a war-weary world with a sumptuous new aesthetic--a melding of the refined traditions of the past with a wholly modern sense of elegance. Author Maureen Footer recounts the lives and work of this influential trio, illustrated with a trove of evocative vintage photographs. Grandpierre designed Dior's first couture house, creating not only the elegantly restrained look of the salons but also the template for the Dior brand, including typeface, logo, and packaging. Both Grandpierre and Geffroy (who worked independently) designed the interior of Dior's townhouse. After the couturier's untimely death in 1957, Grandpierre and Geffroy went on to design salons for other couturiers, as well as homes for the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Marcel Rochas, Gloria Guinness, Daisy Fellowes, and Maria Callas.
Sources are eclectic, results mixed, but one thing is certain: car design is being forced up an ever tightening spiral of creativity. These machines are memorials of our tastes, yearnings and capabilities. They have layers of meaning and can, as Henry Ford knew, be read like a book... if only you know how. The story of the car is the story of how the objects of industry became a medium of artistic expression.This book tells that story in a series of case studies which reveal national characteristics: American flair, German technical suprematism, French vernacular chic, gorgeous Italian sculpture, English antiquarianism, Japanese ingenuity, Swedish responsibility. Cars featured appear in chronological date order from the 1908 Ford Model T to 2003 BMW 5 Series.The chosen cars will be specially photographed in a uniform style and reproduced in very textured, 4 colour b/w so as to distance this book from the cliches and conventions of specialist automotive publishing and to highlight form and shape. Each picture will be accompanied by a short critical essay including essential historical material together with colourful anecdotage and quotations as well as a persuasive aesthetic appraisal of each vehicle. This lavish and beautifully designed book is the gift book for all car enthusiasts and design aficionados.
A beautifully illustrated journey through the history of travel--and traveling in style--from one of the world's preeminent fashion brands The mid-19th and early 20th centuries heralded new means of transport and equipment and, with them, new and original ways of exploring the world. Transatlantic liners, automobiles, long-haul airplanes, zeppelins, and express trains unfurled new horizons and changed travel itself into an adventure. Distant lands were no longer solely accessible to aristocrats, explorers, and adventurers. Instead, the world opened up to new groups of people eager to circumvent the globe. And for many of these new globetrotters, traveling was synonymous with Louis Vuitton, the French label whose iconic and functional luggage trunks could be found on nearly every boat, plane, car, and train around the world. In this beautiful book, author Francisca Mattéoli recounts 50 tales of thrilling travel undertaken in every possible mode of transit, from the hot air balloon to the space shuttle, each lavishly illustrated with more than 300 historical photographs and ephemera from Louis Vuitton's official archives. Louis Vuitton: Extraordinary Voyages is a journey all its own--an evocative and transporting account of the most surprising and transformative trips taken since the 19th century.
Discover the meaning of the latest trends in the luxury industry with this resource from leading voices in the field The thoroughly revised Second Edition of The Road to Luxury: The New Frontiers in Luxury Brand Management delivers a comprehensive overview of the foundations of, and new developments in, luxury brands. The book discusses a new wave of mergers and acquisitions, the rise of Gucci, the growth of Balenciaga, a variety of new collaborations between different companies, a growing support for sustainability, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: An insightful analysis of the impact and meaning of the COVID-19 for the luxury industry, particularly for market growth in China The creation of savoir faire and business plan competitions in the luxury industry LVMH's sponsoring of Viva Technology Perfect for students in MBA programs or taking degrees or courses in Luxury Brand Management, The Road to Luxury will also earn a place in the libraries of executives and managers in the luxury business, marketing, branding, and advertising professionals and companies, and entrepreneurs interested in the workings of the luxury industry.