Alexander (Lee) Mc Queen was
- for the 15 years that he stood at its helm
- British fashion's most significant figure. His

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In 1947 Christian Dior stunned the fashion world with his first collection; his ' New Look' featured designs that transformed the way women dressed. Dior continued to send shockwaves with his later shows significantly altering the fashion landscape during the ten years of his career as a couturier. This book recounts Dior's search for the perfect line & how his unique vision of women's ideal silhouette developed. More than any designer before him Dior embraced the dual aspects of creativity & commerce becoming the first couturier to license his products in 1949. He became one of the most famous designers of the twentieth century & his name still fronts one of the most successful haute couture fashion houses. As portrayed in the pages of Vogue by photographers such as Horst & Irving Penn & artists like Christian Berard the book offers a unique insight into Dior's contribution to design his dramatic impact on the landscape of 40s & 50s fashion & his personal legacy. Vogue the international fashion bible has charted the careers of designers through the decades. Its unique archive of photographs taken by the leading photographers of the day from Cecil Beaton to Mario Testino & original illustrations together with its stable of highly respected fashion writers make Vogue the most authoritative & prestigious source of reference on fashion. With a circulation of over 160 000 & a readership of over 1 400 000 no brand is better positioned to present a library on the great fashion designers of the modern age. ...

Hailed as 'the most influential female designer of the twentieth century' Coco Chanel pioneered classic easy-to-wear fashion for the modern woman. She arrived on the fashion scene when feathers lace & ostentatious beads were favourites & proceeded to re-invent couture using new materials like jersey for outfits that were suitable for everyday wear yet still elegant. With original illustrations & images from celebrated photographers such as Cecil Beaton Bronwyn Cosgrave traces the story of Coco Chanel's iconic designs & glamorous racy life. In 1921 Coco opened her Chanel boutique in Paris
- still a destination store today
- & launched her first perfume Chanel No.5. Perhaps her most important contribution to the fashion world was the simple much-imitated 'little black dress' which made its debut in 1926. Other landmark creations include the Chanel suit & the quilted handbag. A testament to her lasting influence these legendary designs remain as popular today as when they first appeared. Vogue the international fashion bible has charted the careers of designers through the decades. Its unique archive of photographs taken by the leading photographers of the day from Cecil Beaton to Mario Testino & original illustrations together with its stable of highly respected fashion writers make Vogue the most authoritative & prestigious source of reference on fashion. With a circulation of over 160 000 & a readership of over 1 400 000 no brand is better positioned to present a library on the great fashion designers of the modern age.

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Shocking witty & eccentric the designs of Elsa Schiaparelli are among the most innovative & influential in the history of fashion. Black gloves with golden fingernails buttons shaped like lips trompe l'oeil images brightly coloured zips & perfume bottles in the shape of a torso would not be out of place in fashion today but they were created by Schiaparelli in the 1930s. A true original she collaborated with artists such as Salvador Dali & Man Ray pioneered the runway show & designed costumes for film-stars from Mae West to Marlene Dietrich. She used film & stage as a publicity vehicle for her label & her advertising graphics were far ahead of their time. Through the photographs & illustrations of Vogue that championed Schiaparelli from the first picture of her revolutionary Bow-knot sweater in 1927 to the Surrealist Tears dress & Shoe hat of the late 1930s Elsa Schiaparelli presents the enduring legacy of this daring & visionary designer. Vogue the international fashion bible has charted the careers of designers through the decades. Its unique archive of photographs taken by the leading photographers of the day from Cecil Beaton to Mario Testino & original illustrations together with its stable of highly respected fashion writers make Vogue the most authoritative & prestigious source of reference on fashion. With a circulation of over 160 000 & a readership of over 1 400 000 no brand is better positioned to present a library on the great fashion designers of the modern age. ...

In September 2012 Vogue the worlds most influential fashion magazine will celebrate its 120th Anniversary. Many of Vogues hundreds of gorgeous images have remained timeless. With work by photographers such as Steichen Horst Avedon Penn Newton Leibovitz Testino Weber among others Vogue: The Editors Eye is a visual journey through the choices & images that have shaped fashion & the way it is interpreted inside & outside of the industry. On the other side of the lens this book pays homage the models who are celebrated for their charisma & versatility including Suzy Parker Lisa Fossagrives Jean Shrimpton Linda Evangelista Natalia Vodianova; the most memorable have become pop culture touchstones that have far outlasted their context & influenced fashion for generations. What remains unexamined is the unseen but critical role of the Fashion Editor in creating the worlds best fashion images. The Editors Eye sets out to change this bringing fascinating new insight to the study & appreciation of fashion. With the same photographer the same model & the same clothes three different Fashion Editors would produce three vastly different images. This book defines the role the fashion editor plays in the conception tone & look of a published photograph bringing an entirely new vantage point to the study & appreciation of fashion. Drawing on Vogue magazines exceptional archive & selecting 8 of Vogues all time great Fashion Editors: Polly Mellen Babs Simpson Grace Coddington Tonne Goodman Camilla Nickerson Phyllis Posnick & others The Editors Eye delivers a chapter on each editor &

Includes:: photo portfolios essays & interviews. Writers include Judith Thurman Vince Aletti & Michael Roberts.

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In his final year at the Royal College of Music star pianist Flynn Laukonen has the world at his feet. He has moved in with his girlfriend Jennah & is already getting concert bookings for what promises to be a glittering career. Yet he knows he is skating on thin ice
- only two small pills a day keep him from plunging back into the whirlpool of manic depression that once threatened to destroy him. Unexpectedly his friends seem to be getting annoyed with him for no apparent reason he needs less & less sleep he is filled with unbridled energy. Events begin to spiral out of control & Flynn suddenly finds himself in hospital heavily sedated carnage left behind him. The medication isn't working any more the dose needs to be increased & depression strikes again this time with horrific consequences. His freedom is snatched away & the medicine's side-effects threaten to jeopardize his chances in one of the biggest piano competitions of his life. It seems like he has to make a choice between the medication & his career. But in all this he has forgotten the one person he would give his life for & Flynn suddenly finds himself facing the biggest sacrifice of all.
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Despite her hope for peace as the protector of the Siyee Auraya is unable to avoid being caught up the building conflict. As the gods' demands increase Auraya finds that she must choose between those she loves & those she's sworn to serve. Meanwhile Mirar enjoys acceptance & respect as he reclaims his place among his people & Emerahl is at last able to join the Thinkers in their search for the Scroll of the Gods. The Pentadrians determined to take their revenge on the conquering Circlians plot & scheme to bring down their enemies by means other than direct conflict. The key to everything though may lie with the Wilds who embark upon a quest for secrets buried long ago. Secrets that could change the world.. . ...

The commissioner kept looking at him with an expression that combined contempt & commiseration apparently discerning unmistakable signs of senile dementia in the inspector. I'm going to speak very frankly Montalbano. I don't have a very high opinion of you." " Nor I of you " the inspector replied bluntly. Montalbano's gruesome discovery of a naked young woman suffocated in her bed immediately sets him on a search for her killer. Among the suspects are her aging husband a famous doctor; a shy admirer now disappeared; an antiques-dealing lover from Bologna; & the victim's friend Anna whose charms Montalbano cannot help but appreciate. But it is a mysterious reclusive violinist who holds the key to this murder..." ...

Voices from the Back of the Bus" provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at international rugby at the height of a golden period. Recounted with genuine warmth & much humour over a hundred players recall the scrapes the games the laughs the glory & the gritty reality of the pre-professional game. Packed with true rugby tales from the days when men played purely for the love of the game & of their nation & multimillion-pound contracts & sponsorship deals were unheard of this refreshing revealing & often hilarious collection will inspire sports fans of all generations." ...

Voices from the Borderland" aims to bring urban theology into a transformative dialogue with the dynamic translocal urban world of the 21st century. This book is rooted in the argument that urban theology should be a theology for progressive change & arises out of an intimate engagement with the multicultural & multi-faith British urban experience over a period of twenty years. British urbanism provides a contextual base from which to explore comparable dynamics in an international context in an age of globalisation. " Voices from the Borderland" acknowledges the foundational contribution of John Vincent & Kenneth Leech to urban theology but moves beyond their twentieth century analyses into a new globalised century that is characterised by the influence complexity diversity & reach of Metropolitan regions/centres. The recent work of figures like Elaine Graham Anthony Reddie Robert Beckford Andrew Davey Laurie Green Chris Baker Gordon Lynch Ann Morisy & Tim Gorringe who have sought to draw urban theology into a dialogue with the processes of globalisation post-colonialism postmodernism & post-religious urban culture is critically explored. " Voices from the Borderland" introduces current British urban theology to an international audience & argues that the translocal world of the twenty-first century demands a dialogical model of cross-cultural urban theology that is not confined by singular contexts or theological camp mentality in order to engage with the trans-local fluidity of contemporary network urban societies. " Voices from the Borderland" exemplifies the hermeneutical circle rooting theological dialogue in a detailed critical engagement with debates in urban & social theory cultural studies postcolonial criticism & diasporan studies about globalisation translocal urbanism new forms of marginalisation identity difference belonging & urban multiculturalism. For the first time within urban theology the central importance of urban pop music as a vehicle for meaning-making is used as an intra-contextual resource for international urban theological reflection. Carefully selected examples of urban pop music as a pattern of impressionistic social theory are explored revealing their capacity to provide a commentary on the evolving nature of urban life & to act as a new resource for urban theology in an arguably post-religious context. " Voices from the Borderland" breaks new ground in urban theology by linking together five models of urban theological reflection which have to date existed only in self-enclosed camps (Urban Liberation Theology Urban Black Theology Reformist Urban Theology Globalisation Urban Theology & Post-religious Urban Theology). It is argued that a new interdisciplinary & dialogical chapter must be opened in urban theology which moves beyond current models towards a more fluid inclusive & multipolar metropolitan theology." ...