The essential book revealing how Christian Dior’s childhood at Villa Les Rhumbs in Granville shaped his creativity, his couture vision, and the iconic House of Dior.The family home in Granville, Normandy, was a haven where Christian Dior’s creative identity first began to unfold. In the 1910s and 1920s, he discovered a love of flowers and gardens in the villa’s grounds and was initiated into the world of art and fashion. The tranquil, nourishing atmosphere of the villa was enriched by the booming, optimistic climate of the Belle Époque, echoing in the entrepreneurial endeavors of the Dior family and in the town of Granville, which had become a fashionable seaside resort.Accompanying the exhibition at the Musée Christian Dior in Granville, this volume traces how Dior’s hometown became fertile ground for his talent and gave rise to the House of Dior. It showcases the links between his childhood garden and the floral-inspired designs; it examines how Granville’s social life—from summer fêtes to its carnival—fired his imagination for evening ball gowns; and shows how seaside fashion of the era influenced models like the Grain de sel suit or the Goélette ensemble. Featuring rare archives, photography by masters like Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier, and Paolo Roversi, and emblematic creations by successive artistic directors, the book illuminates the origins of Dior and the visionary spirit that continues to guide the House today under creative director Jonathan Anderson.

The history of the quintessential Parisian perfumer Guerlain both influenced and was shaped by Parisian life, savoir faire, and culture.The house of Guerlain is a Parisian institution. Guerlain aficionados—from royalty and empresses, to celebrities, writers, and artists—have been featured in novels, song lyrics, movies, and artistic creations, all while exemplifying Parisian savoir faire and luxury. The Guerlain headquarters and laboratory on the rue de Rivoli in the heart of Paris feature a new scent laboratory and a rose garden, intrinsically binding the famous house to the city of light, which it so perfectly captures in each bottle of perfume. Traveling through two centuries of history at Guerlain, this book highlights the inextricable links between the house and the city: Guerlain changed Parisian life with its cosmetics and perfumes, yet could have existed nowhere else but in Paris. Guerlain’s creations, especially its perfumes, are put into historical and cultural context through a combination of interviews, images, and portraits of the people and products that played a role in the house’s story. This celebration of Guerlain, the quintessential Parisian perfumer, combines fashion, Parisian life and savoir faire, history, and the essence of beauty.

This connoisseurs’ tribute to the ultimate French brandy celebrates the Cognac region and the centuries-old techniques that Hennessy uses to craft its celebrated liqueur.Cognac hails from a unique terroir in the Charentes region of France, where the elixir’s blend of tradition and voluptuousness has been rhythmed by the seasons for centuries. This handsome volume with ribbon page marker invites aficionados of fine spirits on a yearlong journey into Hennessy’s realm, guided by lifestyle journalist Laurence Benaïm’s impressions on the singularity of the landscape, the temperament of its vineyards, the transformations that take place within its cellars, and the exceptional know-how at the origin of this amber treasure. The transportive text is illustrated by a dozen evocative watercolors; together they create a keepsake homage to the style and taste that intrinsically define Hennessy cognac.

This definitive portrait of the creative genius who transformed fashion is the first major English-language biography of Yves Saint Laurent since his death in 2008, featuring exclusive interviews of those who knew him best, by one of the most respected names in French fashion.Yves Saint Laurent's impact on fashion is legendary, yet he remains an enigmatic and compelling figure. Tracing the development of Saint Laurent's visionary work through his charmed yet tumultuous life, respected fashion writer Laurence Benaïm's newly translated and updated biography of the famed designer explores how this unassuming prodigy became a legendary, celebrated public icon who changed the face of fashion, style, and celebrity.Enriched by the author's exclusive interviews--from Saint Laurent's partner Pierre Bergé to family members, his atelier staff, and muses such as Catherine Deneueve, LouLou de la Falaise, and Paloma Picasso--this fascinating biography chronicles early glimpses of Saint Laurent's talent in Oran and his star trajectory, from leading the House of Dior at the age of twenty-one to his fall from grace and subsequent forging with Pierre Bergé, fashion's most enduring and successful professional partnership. In portraying the man behind the timeless icons of the Mondrian-print shift dress and the Le Smoking trouser suit--who partied with Warhol in New York and relaxed with the jet set in his Marrakesh hideaway--Benaïm powerfully illuminates both the glittering world of haute couture and the business empire that revolutionized the fashion industry.

The essential book revealing how Christian Dior’s childhood at Villa Les Rhumbs in Granville shaped his creativity, his couture vision, and the iconic House of Dior.The family home in Granville, Normandy, was a haven where Christian Dior’s creative identity first began to unfold. In the 1910s and 1920s, he discovered a love of flowers and gardens in the villa’s grounds and was initiated into the world of art and fashion. The tranquil, nourishing atmosphere of the villa was enriched by the booming, optimistic climate of the Belle Époque, echoing in the entrepreneurial endeavors of the Dior family and in the town of Granville, which had become a fashionable seaside resort.Accompanying the exhibition at the Musée Christian Dior in Granville, this volume traces how Dior’s hometown became fertile ground for his talent and gave rise to the House of Dior. It showcases the links between his childhood garden and the floral-inspired designs; it examines how Granville’s social life—from summer fêtes to its carnival—fired his imagination for evening ball gowns; and shows how seaside fashion of the era influenced models like the Grain de sel suit or the Goélette ensemble. Featuring rare archives, photography by masters like Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier, and Paolo Roversi, and emblematic creations by successive artistic directors, the book illuminates the origins of Dior and the visionary spirit that continues to guide the House today under creative director Jonathan Anderson.

The history of the quintessential Parisian perfumer Guerlain both influenced and was shaped by Parisian life, savoir faire, and culture.The house of Guerlain is a Parisian institution. Guerlain aficionados—from royalty and empresses, to celebrities, writers, and artists—have been featured in novels, song lyrics, movies, and artistic creations, all while exemplifying Parisian savoir faire and luxury. The Guerlain headquarters and laboratory on the rue de Rivoli in the heart of Paris feature a new scent laboratory and a rose garden, intrinsically binding the famous house to the city of light, which it so perfectly captures in each bottle of perfume. Traveling through two centuries of history at Guerlain, this book highlights the inextricable links between the house and the city: Guerlain changed Parisian life with its cosmetics and perfumes, yet could have existed nowhere else but in Paris. Guerlain’s creations, especially its perfumes, are put into historical and cultural context through a combination of interviews, images, and portraits of the people and products that played a role in the house’s story. This celebration of Guerlain, the quintessential Parisian perfumer, combines fashion, Parisian life and savoir faire, history, and the essence of beauty.

This connoisseurs’ tribute to the ultimate French brandy celebrates the Cognac region and the centuries-old techniques that Hennessy uses to craft its celebrated liqueur.Cognac hails from a unique terroir in the Charentes region of France, where the elixir’s blend of tradition and voluptuousness has been rhythmed by the seasons for centuries. This handsome volume with ribbon page marker invites aficionados of fine spirits on a yearlong journey into Hennessy’s realm, guided by lifestyle journalist Laurence Benaïm’s impressions on the singularity of the landscape, the temperament of its vineyards, the transformations that take place within its cellars, and the exceptional know-how at the origin of this amber treasure. The transportive text is illustrated by a dozen evocative watercolors; together they create a keepsake homage to the style and taste that intrinsically define Hennessy cognac.

This definitive portrait of the creative genius who transformed fashion is the first major English-language biography of Yves Saint Laurent since his death in 2008, featuring exclusive interviews of those who knew him best, by one of the most respected names in French fashion.Yves Saint Laurent's impact on fashion is legendary, yet he remains an enigmatic and compelling figure. Tracing the development of Saint Laurent's visionary work through his charmed yet tumultuous life, respected fashion writer Laurence Benaïm's newly translated and updated biography of the famed designer explores how this unassuming prodigy became a legendary, celebrated public icon who changed the face of fashion, style, and celebrity.Enriched by the author's exclusive interviews--from Saint Laurent's partner Pierre Bergé to family members, his atelier staff, and muses such as Catherine Deneueve, LouLou de la Falaise, and Paloma Picasso--this fascinating biography chronicles early glimpses of Saint Laurent's talent in Oran and his star trajectory, from leading the House of Dior at the age of twenty-one to his fall from grace and subsequent forging with Pierre Bergé, fashion's most enduring and successful professional partnership. In portraying the man behind the timeless icons of the Mondrian-print shift dress and the Le Smoking trouser suit--who partied with Warhol in New York and relaxed with the jet set in his Marrakesh hideaway--Benaïm powerfully illuminates both the glittering world of haute couture and the business empire that revolutionized the fashion industry.