Laurence Benaïm – författare

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.

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.