Lydia Caston – författare

'Elsa Schiaparelli was more than a dressmaker; she was an image maker.' - Daniel Roseberry Elsa Schiaparelli sent shockwaves through the fashion establishment with her witty, ingenious and artful designs. Lauded by Cristobal Balenciaga as the 'only real artist in couture' she infused her collections with Surrealism, and collaborated on pieces with contemporaries from the art world, including Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali and Alberto Giacometti. Her garments still look fresh today and, though provocative at the time, were eminently wearable, attracting many society and celebrity clients. She caused a stir at Wimbledon by sending Lili Alvarez to the 1931 tennis tournament in culottes; she clothed Amy Johnson for her first solo flight to Cape Town; her lobster dress made it into Wallis Simpson's trousseau, and she counted as fans Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker. Her designs appeared on the stage in productions by Ivor Novello, Noeel Coward and Jean-Paul Sartre, and she costumed over 30 films. Today, Elsa's visual vocabulary runs through Daniel Roseberry's designs for Maison Schiaparelli like a shocking pink thread. This lavishly illustrated book explores the origins and legacy of one of fashion's greatest innovators.

An accessible, inspirational and engaging introductory survey of LGBTIQ+ photography, as told through the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Drawing on one of the oldest and largest photography collections in the world, this book offers an unprecedented view of photographic history through a queer lens. It includes a broad range of global LGBTIQ+ representation from the mid-19th century to now, presenting images from pioneering LGBTIQ+ photographers and subjects alongside work documenting activism and hard-won legal battles, over a century of performance and nightlife and diverse queer communities, collectives and subcultures. Following an introductory essay by Zorian Clayton, images are presented in six thematic chapters: Icons, Staged, Body, Liberty, Making a Scene and Beyond the Frame. Each chapter opens with a short introductory essay, followed by an extended plate section. Expanded captions highlight key images, and ‘artist in focus’ inserts draw on the work of selected photographers to illuminate particularly rich moments in LGBTIQ+ history. Bold proclamations of queer identity and community sit alongside personal explorations of self; documentation of struggle, joy and everyday life is considered side-by-side with performances and photographic fictions that continue to challenge the bounds of gender and sexuality. This vital, accessible volume offers an exciting, expansive appraisal of photography's role in expressing, documenting and celebrating queer life. It will be essential for all with an interest in the history of photography, but especially those with an interest in LGBTIQ+ history.

Winner of The British Book Design and Production Award, Exhibition Catalogues 2024 As seen on The Times, Harper's Bazaar and Parade.Over the past 30 years, Sir Elton John and David Furnish have carefully built an unrivalled collection of photography. Remarkable in its range and depth, it’s a who’s who of photographer and subject ranging across disciplines from fashion and film to landscape and reportage. This book presents 150 of the most important photographs from artists including Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Nan Goldin, David LaChapelle, Robert Mapplethorpe, Zanele Muholi, Helmut Newton, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei. Featuring an afterword from Sam Taylor-Johnson and an in-depth interview with Sir Elton John and David Furnish by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament, as well as curatorial insights into themes within the collection – Fragile Beauty shares images that are beautiful, dynamic, striking, sometimes disturbing but always inspiring.