Suzy Menkes – författare

For almost half a century Valentino dominated Italian haute couture, dressing the world’s wealthiest and most glamorous women. Only a few years after opening his fashion house in Rome in 1959, he could already count Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn among his devotees. Despite his retirement in 2008 and death in 2026, little has changed – his brand continues to thrive and prosper, worn by celebrities like Emma Roberts, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga. Valentino consistently designed magnificent gowns, never wavering from his signature style, despite trends like grunge, deconstruction, and minimalism, or the unstoppable rise of athleisure. This book traces his illustrious career through copious images from his personal archives, including drawings, editorial shoots for magazines, advertisements, portraits, and documentary photography. Presented chronologically, the sumptuous visual archive is accompanied by a vast array of newspaper and magazine articles about Valentino throughout the years. Combined, they provide a richly detailed portrait of the man, his milieu, and his enduring creative legacy.

From Azzedine Alaïa, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and Coco Chanel to Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, and Vivienne Westwood, more than a century’s worth of fashion greats from the permanent collection of The Museum at FIT in New York City are celebrated in this fresh edition of Fashion Designers A–Z. 15 new names join the ranks of the industry’s most admired—Phoebe Philo, Patrick Kelly, and Sonia Rykiel, to name a few—in this updated and expanded release showcasing some 500 garments in the Museum’s permanent collection. From an exquisitely embroidered velvet evening gown to Mondrian-influenced minimalist chic, each piece has been selected and photographed not only for its beauty, but for its representative value, distilling the unique philosophy and aesthetics of each of the featured designers. In her introductory essay, the Museum’s director and chief curator Valerie Steele writes about the rise of the fashion museum, and the emergence of the fashion exhibition as a popular and controversial phenomenon. International style authority Suzy Menkes contributes a foreword, texts by the museum’s curators shine historical light on each label and garment pictured, and 125 drawn portraits by artist Robert Nippoldt pay homage to the creators behind them.