Holiday Gift Ideas ~ 5 Fabulous Fashion Coffee Table Books

I love coffee table books. 

They are chic, they make a statement. 
A stack of gorgeous coffee table books not only looks beautiful, but also both serves as a fabulous fashion reference and is a reflection of your personal interests.


Coffee table books make gorgeous and meaningful gifts. Ideal for the fashion forward and the fashion fascinated, they are always much loved! 
If you are looking for a super cool holiday gift idea, check out these 5 fabulous coffee table books:

5 Fabulous Fashion Coffee Table Books

Veruschka: From Vera To Veruschka

Iconic beauty Veruschka was one of the biggest faces of the 60's.
Images of the actress and model still hold us in thrall today, serving as inspiration for makeup artists, designers, photographers and hair stylists alike.
This book has previously unpublished photos of Veruschka living la dolce vita from Rome to Capri, playing in Sardinina and along the Mediterranean coast.


Veruschka: From Vera to Veruschka

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

McQueen's absolute brilliance is celebrated in this gorgeous book that accompanied the Metropolitan Museum of Art's retrospective, and is considered the definitive reference to the career of Lee Alexander McQueen.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Audrey Hepburn: Portraits Of An Icon

A rich and layered collection of one of the most celebrated actresses of all time, this beautiful book features both rare and iconic images of Audrey. An incredible reference book as well as an absolutely lovely gift.

Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon

W Stories by Stefano Tonchi

W magazine is world renowned for it's avant garde fashion editorials. Wild, whimsical, magical - W editorials can be spectacular! 

This book looks at 10 of the most sensational stories, each in it's entirety, with never before seen outtakes. Each story  was the centerpiece of it's issue.

A special code inside the book gives you access to short films shot durig the shoots of Steven Meisel, Alex Prager, Steven Klein and Tim Walker.

W: Stories

Tom Ford

This book chronicles the career of the incredible Tom Ford from 1994 to 2004 during his Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent days. Not just his clothing and accessories for both brands, but his grand vision for the complete design of a brand including architecture, store design and advertising.

Published to coincide with his departure from Gucci, the book was created with Ford's co-operation, and every page reflects his exceptional taste. It is Ford's testament to a career of singular moments reinventing the boundaries of style and sensuality in clothing.

Tom Ford

The Coveted List August ~

I'm getting ready for a month of international travel that includes a couple of 36 hour + travel days involving multiple flights and trains.
The tricky thing about super long travel days, especially the ones that involve more than one international flight, is finding a way to be comfortable and still look good, even when you are stepping off a 10 hour flight 24 hours after leaving home.
So I am shopping the wardrobe that makes it all work.
Or at least coveting it...

I love traveling with a chic backpack instead of a handbag. Backpacks are much easier to maneuver around with. You can fit whatever you need in there, and get perfect weight balance across both shoulders rather than dragging weight on one shoulder.
And they look stylish! 

Check out this Tory Burch Amanda Backpack  at Nordstrom.

The Nic And Zoe Feel Good Pant travels well and is super comfortable - even when you are trapped in an uncomfortable airplane seat. 

The great thing about this pair of pants is that they don't look trashed when you get off the plane, instead the fabric moves as you do, and looks fresh when you change into sandals and a clean T.

The Splendid V Neck High/Low Sweater from Nordstrom is a fine knit cashmere blend that wards off airplane chill while looking good.

Wrap up in the Alexander McQueen Reversible Hibiscus and Skull Scarf  to keep your neck and chest warm in flight, or pair it with a white tank or T when you land.

Prada's Leather Espadrille combines comfort and ease with a little panache. You can run through airport terminals in them, and you can walk all over Rome in them, as comfortable as can be, and they never look anything but chic. The leather uppers breathe well and hold their shape.

Tory Burch Miller Sandals are a great alternative to slip on when you land. They look perfect with the Nic and Zoe pants.

Cartier Love Bracelet in pink gold and Cartier Love rings in pink gold. Because I love Cartier. And I love love.

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist is fabulous for everyday use, but is also a life saving revitalizing facial mist to keep your skin hydrated and glowing during your flight. When you are away from home and your skin starts freaking out, this dewy skin mist is the ultimate travel hack skin saver - it's soothing and calming and relaxes your skin back into happy mode.

Tatcha Brightening Serum is the holy grail of serums. 

It heals and soothes, hydrates and deep treats any skin type. You can use it alone as a light but super effective moisturizer on extra hot or humid days, or on long flights, or layer it with your moisturizer on normal days. It makes your skin glow as if lit from within. Wear it just one time and you will never want to go without it again.

Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Luxembourg. The satiny finish on these lip pencils make your lips look lush and hydrated after a long flight. Most people look washed out and drained when they deplane. A little pop of color on your lip makes you look rejuvenated and refreshed.

The Gift List ~ Love Looks Not With The Eyes

Oh how I love Alexander McQueen!

When the runway schedules post each season

I rearrange my life so that I can watch the live feed

of the Alexander McQueen show.

I also love coffee table books, both to have for myself,

and to give as the perfect chic gift, be it for birthdays,

holidays or as a hostess gift.

Love Looks Not With The Eyes ~ 13 Years With Alexander McQueen

Now at the top of my list is this beautiful, beautiful book

that celebrates the sheer brilliance of the designer.

Love Looks Not With The Eyes.

For 13 years, from September 1997 until his final show in 2010,

Alexander McQueen only allowed one photographer, Anne Deniau, backstage at his spectacular and legendary runway shows.

Love Looks Not With The Eyes chronicles the torture, the toughness and the tenderness of Alexander McQueen (quoted from New York Times) as we watch him working behind the scenes with his close circle of collaborators to create his senstational shows.

For those who love McQueen, or for those who love fashion,

this book is a visceral experience. 

The reviews below lend credence to my feelings when slowly, slowly turning the beautiful pages.

I love him still.

To order Love Looks Not With The Eyes online, click here

Un-Fallen Angel

Alexander McQueen backstage with Kate Moss

Backstage with McQueen

Praise for Love Looks Not With the Eyes: Thirteen Years With Lee Alexander McQueen:

The pictures are evocative of the torture, the toughness and, most of all, the tenderness of Mr. McQueen.” —New York Times

“Deniau’s close connection to McQueen and her appreciation for his formidable talent is like many of the pieces he created: breathtaking.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Thekinetic color and black-and-white photographs document the fantastical,shocking spectacle of a McQueen show in action: hairdos trussed up with birdsof prey; hubcaps strapped to foreheads; faces enhanced by extraterrestrialcheek prostheses. The images are sensual, spooky, and whimsical, playing up thedrama of McQueen’s vision; like one of the designer’s fabulous garments, thephotographs transform fashion into high art. The book is both an homage and amemorial; this celebration of McQueen’s vast, unique talent is also a eulogyfor his tragic loss.” — “Haute couture has a reputation for spectacle, but Anne Deniau’s photographs remind us that it’s also the last bastion of craftsmanship in fashion—or it was, as practiced by designer Alexander McQueen (1969–2010).” —Wall Street Journal

“Lush, previously unpublished backstage photographs from many of the late designer’s provocative fashion shows.”—The Los Angeles Times

“The kinetic color and black-and-white photographs document the fantastical, shocking spectacle of a McQueen show in action: hairdos trussed up with birds of prey; hubcaps strapped to foreheads; faces enhanced by extraterrestrial cheek prostheses. The images are sensual, spooky, and whimsical, playing up the drama of McQueen’s vision; like one of the designer’s fabulous garments, the photographs transform fashion into high art. The book is both an homage and a memorial; this celebration of McQueen’s vast, unique talent is also a eulogy for his tragic loss.” —Publishers Weekly

“Love Looks Not with the Eyes document[s] the intense work and equally intense emotions that played out behind the scenes of McQueen’s poetic, passionate, and provocative shows. . . . The intimacy is evident in the pictures.” —Vogue

“The haunting images offer a rarefied glimpse into the designer’s inner world.” —Harper’s Bazaar

“Deniau, in the process of documenting 26 McQueen presentations, captured images which, too, transcend photography—matching the decadent and grand world created by the hands of McQueen.” —Time.com

“Haute couture has a reputation for spectacle, but Anne Deniau’s photographs remind us that it’s also the last bastion of craftsmanship in fashion—or it was, as practiced by designer Alexander McQueen (1969–2010).” —Wall Street Journal
 

Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2015 Paris Fashion Week

I love Alexander McQueen.
I love Alexander McQueen runway shows.
In fact, as soon as Paris Fashion Week releases it's show schedule I put the McQueen show in my calendar.

The Alexander McQueen show is always about theatrics.

The brand is known for it's impeccable tailoring. 
The cut of Alexander McQueen pants and jackets is always an exercise in perfection. 
And the runway show is always a visual spectacular.

Backstage at Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2015

I found these images on Vogue.com, see more pictures here

Alexander McQueen Autumn/Winter 2014 Paris Fashion Week

I think my favorite show each season is Alexander McQueen. I can never wait to see what designer Sarah Burton will come up with next.

Alexander McQueen is known for exquisite tailoring, perfect jackets, the ultimate cut pants.
But the Alexander McQueen runway show is always a theatrical spectacular, designed to provoke and inspire, to excite and confuse. It's magic.

After last season's tribal warrior theme, the autumn/winter 2014 collection featured an Elizabethan silhouette paired with wild furs. A line skirts and dresses featuring heavy embellishment in a mostly dark and moody palette, on girls with long twisted braids and eerily painted faces, left you feeling like you had just stumbled upon a dark and madly disconcerting fairy tale.