Download or read book Deluxe written by Dana Thomas and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2007-08-16 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “With Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster, [Dana] Thomas—who has been the cultural and fashion writer for Newsweek in Paris for 12 years—has written a crisp, witty social history that’s as entertaining as it is informative.” —New York Times From the author of Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes Once luxury was available only to the rarefied and aristocratic world of old money and royalty. It offered a history of tradition, superior quality, and a pampered buying experience. Today, however, luxury is simply a product packaged and sold by multibillion-dollar global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand awareness, advertising, and, above all, profits. Award-winning journalist Dana Thomas digs deep into the dark side of the luxury industry to uncover all the secrets that Prada, Gucci, and Burberry don't want us to know. Deluxe is an uncompromising look behind the glossy façade that will enthrall anyone interested in fashion, finance, or culture.

Download or read book Handbag Designer 101 written by Emily Blumenthal and published by Voyageur Press. This book was released on 2011-09-04 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Handbag Designer 101 is the bible for handbag designers or women who aspire to make their own bags. Included in the book are instructions for creating the fifteen essential bag styles—clutch, hobo, tote, and more—made simple with easy-to-follow how-to illustrations, suggested difficulty levels, and color photography. Advice from famous bag designers and today’s hottest indie designers accompany each pattern.Also included is the inside scoop on turning your handbag hobby into a successful business. From designing, to making, to marketing, Handbag Designer 101 teaches you everything you need to know.

Download or read book Louis Vuitton written by Francisca Mattéoli and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2021-09 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautifully illustrated journey through the history of travel--and traveling in style--from one of the world's preeminent fashion brands The mid-19th and early 20th centuries heralded new means of transport and equipment and, with them, new and original ways of exploring the world. Transatlantic liners, automobiles, long-haul airplanes, zeppelins, and express trains unfurled new horizons and changed travel itself into an adventure. Distant lands were no longer solely accessible to aristocrats, explorers, and adventurers. Instead, the world opened up to new groups of people eager to circumvent the globe. And for many of these new globetrotters, traveling was synonymous with Louis Vuitton, the French label whose iconic and functional luggage trunks could be found on nearly every boat, plane, car, and train around the world. In this beautiful book, author Francisca Mattéoli recounts 50 tales of thrilling travel undertaken in every possible mode of transit, from the hot air balloon to the space shuttle, each lavishly illustrated with more than 300 historical photographs and ephemera from Louis Vuitton's official archives. Louis Vuitton: Extraordinary Voyages is a journey all its own--an evocative and transporting account of the most surprising and transformative trips taken since the 19th century.

Download or read book Dapper Dan Made in Harlem written by Daniel R. Day and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2020-07-07 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Dapper Dan is a legend, an icon, a beacon of inspiration to many in the Black community. His story isn’t just about fashion. It’s about tenacity, curiosity, artistry, hustle, love, and a singular determination to live our dreams out loud.”—Ava DuVernay, director of Selma, 13th, and A Wrinkle in Time NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VANITY FAIR • DAPPER DAN NAMED ONE OF TIME’S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD With his now-legendary store on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan pioneered high-end streetwear in the 1980s, remixing classic luxury-brand logos into his own innovative, glamorous designs. But before he reinvented haute couture, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who daringly gambled drug dealers out of their money, and a young man in a prison cell who found nourishment in books. In this remarkable memoir, he tells his full story for the first time. Decade after decade, Dapper Dan discovered creative ways to flourish in a country designed to privilege certain Americans over others. He witnessed, profited from, and despised the rise of two drug epidemics. He invented stunningly bold credit card frauds that took him around the world. He paid neighborhood kids to jog with him in an effort to keep them out of the drug game. And when he turned his attention to fashion, he did so with the energy and curiosity with which he approaches all things: learning how to treat fur himself when no one would sell finished fur coats to a Black man; finding the best dressed hustler in the neighborhood and converting him into a customer; staying open twenty-four hours a day for nine years straight to meet demand; and, finally, emerging as a world-famous designer whose looks went on to define an era, dressing cultural icons including Eric B. and Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, Mike Tyson, Alpo Martinez, LL Cool J, Jam Master Jay, Diddy, Naomi Campbell, and Jay-Z. By turns playful, poignant, thrilling, and inspiring, Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem is a high-stakes coming-of-age story spanning more than seventy years and set against the backdrop of an America where, as in the life of its narrator, the only constant is change. Praise for Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem “Dapper Dan is a true one of a kind, self-made, self-liberated, and the sharpest man you will ever see. He is couture himself.”—Marcus Samuelsson, New York Times bestselling author of Yes, Chef “What James Baldwin is to American literature, Dapper Dan is to American fashion. He is the ultimate success saga, an iconic fashion hero to multiple generations, fusing street with high sartorial elegance. He is pure American style.”—André Leon Talley, Vogue contributing editor and author

Download or read book Louis Vuitton City Bags A Natural History written by Jean-Claude Kaufmann and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is an unprecedented history of Louis Vuitton’s women’s bags, the most coveted line of accessories in women’s fashion. At the heart of Louis Vuitton are its City Bags, a range of women’s bags that dates back to the turn of the twentieth century. Featuring the trademark monograms of the house, the City Bag story began with the Steamer, a resort bag designed in 1901 to be packed inside a much larger steamer trunk. These bags have in a hundred years formally diversified into a dizzying array of handbags for every conceivable function demanded by the modern woman. Profoundly influential, City Bags are now known to millions by their descriptive names (Keepall, Bucket, Papillon, Alma, Locket, Noe, Speedy) and are still evolving into more fantastical forms. Lavishly illustrated with new and archival photography, historical graphics, landmark editorials, and ad campaigns, the volume traces the history of these specific bag families, and examines the earliest specimens and today’s most sought-after collectibles, including Vuitton’s collaborations with Takashi Murakami, Stephen Sprouse, Richard Prince, Yayoi Kusama, and Rei Kawakubo and one-off projects by Zaha Hadid, Shigeru Ban, Vivienne Westwood, Helmut Lang, Andrée Putman, and of course, Marc Jacobs. Louis Vuitton: City Bags is an ambitious volume on the creation and cultivation of a cultural phenomenon.

Download or read book French Women Don t Get Facelifts written by Mireille Guiliano and published by Hachette+ORM. This book was released on 2014-04-29 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of the bestselling French Women Don't Get Fat shares the secrets and strategies of aging with attitude, joy, and no surgery. With her signature blend of wit, no-nonsense advice, and storytelling flair, Mireille Guiliano returns with a delightful, encouraging take on beauty and aging for our times. For anyone who has ever spent the equivalent of a mortgage payment on anti-aging lotions or procedures, dressed inappropriate for their age, gained a little too much in the middle, or accidentally forgot how to flirt, here is a proactive way to stay looking and feeling great, without resorting to "the knife"-a French woman's most guarded beauty secrets revealed for the benefit of us all!

Download or read book Collecting Louis Vuitton written by Paul Pluta and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-10-11 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An easy to read guide for all lovers of Louis Vuitton. I am very passionate about collecting Louis Vuitton and this book is the result of years of collecting. I have been a Louis Vuitton fan since I was 15 years old.This book covers the following topics:-LOUIS VUITTON – BOOKS, CATALOGUES AND LITERATURE.HOLY GRAIL PIECES. TELLING FAKES FROM GENUINE ITEMS. BUYING GENUINE LOUIS VUITTON FROM EBAY. BUYING NEW FROM THE LOUIS VUITTON STORE. LOUIS VUITTON IN THE WORKPLACE. LOUIS VUITTON AND SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT. CARING/CLEANING LOUIS VUITTON ITEMS

Download or read book I Can Explain written by Jamie Laing and published by Seven Dials. This book was released on 2021-09-16 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The warm, funny and entertaining memoir of much-loved TV personality and loveable posh boy, Jamie Laing. Funny, charming, and romantic to a fault, everyone loves Jamie Laing. The affectionate and exuberant blonde puppy dog has come a long way - and broken many hearts - since he first graced our screens in 2011 as the joker of the King's Road on Made in Chelsea. Ten years on, he became king of the ballroom making the final of Strictly Come Dancing. Now he's ready to spill the tea - and (McVitie's) biscuits - about life, love and everything in between. From his idyllic upbringing in the countryside to the grey walls of boarding school, Jamie has always had a knack for getting himself into trouble. He reveals how he won popularity at school teaching the rest of the boys the proper way to ... [PARENTAL ADVISORY]. He hilariously recounts blagging his way into a casino aged 17, and winning so much money his mother thought he was a drug dealer. Jamie has been equally lucky with ladies, but not always quite the romantic hero he had in mind - unless sitting lovelorn outside a girlfriend's halls begging to be taken back while fending off abuse from drunk students calling out 'Made in Chelsea twat' counts as heroism? Jamie also writes movingly about his struggles off camera, which left him crippled with anxiety and led to his eventual burnout. Throughout it all he opens up about the importance of friendship and how his two ride-or-dies, Georgie and Spencer, have always been there for him. They've enabled Jamie to thrive as a confectionery king and genuinely change lives with his Private Parts podcast, while not letting him forget that he took part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer despite not knowing how to pronounce the word 'meringue'. Candid, entertaining, and almost always ridiculous, this is the real Jamie Laing.

Download or read book Body Talk written by Katie Sturino and published by Clarkson Potter. This book was released on 2021-05-25 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn to love yourself and your body with this interactive guide from the “shame-free, fun, cheerful, and no-nonsense” (Bustle) body acceptance advocate and influencer who founded Megababe beauty. “Brilliant, hilarious, adorably illustrated.”—Goop Can you imagine how much free time you’d have if you didn’t spend so much of it body shaming yourself? Katie Sturino knows all too well what it’s like to shit talk yourself. She spent thirty years of her life feeling ashamed of her body and its self-determined wrongness. Now she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her; she only cares that she’s happy and comfortable with herself. Body positivity and size inclusivity is still a relatively new phenomenon, but Sturino has dedicated her life to unlearning all that beauty standard BS and uses her blog, Instagram, podcast, and non-toxic, solution-oriented beauty products to share the message that changed her life: YOUR BODY IS NOT THE PROBLEM. With Body Talk, an illustrated guide-meets-workbook, Sturino is here to help you stop obsessing about your body issues, focus on self-love, and free up space in your brain for creative and productive energy. Complete with empowering affirmations, relatable anecdotes, and actionable takeaways, as well as space to answer prompts and jot down feelings and inspirations, Body Talk encourages you to spend less time thinking about how you look and what you eat and more time discovering your inner fierceness.

Download or read book Capital Is Dead written by McKenzie Wark and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2021-02-09 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's not capitalism, it's not neoliberalism - what if it's something worse? In this radical and visionary new book, McKenzie Wark argues that information has empowered a new kind of ruling class. Through the ownership and control of information, this emergent class dominates not only labour but capital as traditionally understood as well. And it’s not just tech companies like Amazon and Google. Even Walmart and Nike can now dominate the entire production chain through the ownership of not much more than brands, patents, copyrights, and logistical systems. While techno-utopian apologists still celebrate these innovations as an improvement on capitalism, for workers—and the planet—it’s worse. The new ruling class uses the powers of information to route around any obstacle labor and social movements put up. So how do we find a way out? Capital Is Dead offers not only the theoretical tools to analyze this new world, but ways to change it. Drawing on the writings of a surprising range of classic and contemporary theorists, Wark offers an illuminating overview of the contemporary condition and the emerging class forces that control—and contest—it.

Download or read book Fictionally Nonfiction written by Wynn Thành Phi and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An everyday character in her story byline, Wynn grew up mistakenly believing her repression of memory was normal. When a series of events forever pivoted her view on everything, Wynn’s life imploded and forced her to battle her mind and average day-to-day life interactions. Her past, present and daunting idea of no future infests her thoughts. This memoir depicts the inner ramblings of a coming-of-age teen girl uniquely learning to seek a future alive.

Download or read book The Sloan Saga written by Michelle Carey and published by Sunrai Multimedia, LLC. This book was released on 2022-07-07 with total page 659 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sabrina Sloan yearns for more adventure in her dull life. Finally deciding to push her boundaries and make her own rules in this captivating story of love, betrayal, and drama, Sabrina fights against what she was raised to believe in order to find her own happiness. Amidst her family’s religious history, Sabrina finds herself surrounded by secrets that change the course of her life and the future of her family. The Sloan Saga is a three book bundle of Church Chick, Blair X, and Twisted. Three friends. One love triangle. The most dramatic love story you will ever read.

Download or read book Blair X written by Michelle Carey and published by Sunrai Multimedia, LLC. This book was released on 2015-03-06 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sequel to Church Chick Blair Brown is determined to get Tobin Peterson to fall in love with her now he's committed to Sabrina Sloan. Just when Blair thinks she has it all figured out, tragedy hits and Blair is forced to move in with Sabrina's family - Charles, Helen & Trisha Sloan. Underneath Blair's nose, Trisha devises a scheme to rid Blair from their lives and Sabrina hatches her plan. Everyone has a secret, yet to be revealed. What will Blair do now the tables are turned and the Sloans are on the attack?

Download or read book Chronicles of the Ghetto written by Myiles Richie and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2019-02-22 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This story is written in a way that is beyond amazing. It’s fascinating, gripping, and compelling. It will send you on an emotional roller-coaster ride. It will make you laugh; it will make you cry. It will tell you things you long to hear. You will learn the truth about things you’ve questioned or doubted. This story will bring you eye to eye with facts, hitting home runs with truth. It will bring back memories—some you may want to forget and others you long to remember. This author is brilliant. With the twists and turns, the way this story has been laid out will captivate and hold you hostage until the very end. It’s intriguing and will arouse your curiosity and compel you to a point of no return. This manuscript is nothing short of riveting.

Download or read book Dust Grooves written by Eilon Paz and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A photographic look into the world of vinyl record collectors—including Questlove—in the most intimate of environments—their record rooms. Compelling photographic essays from photographer Eilon Paz are paired with in-depth and insightful interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions, including Gilles Peterson and King Britt, as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. Driven by his love for vinyl records, Paz takes us on a five-year journey unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community.

Download or read book Pink Globalization written by Christine R. Yano and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-29 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Pink Globalization, Christine R. Yano examines the creation and rise of Hello Kitty as a part of Japanese Cute-Cool culture. Yano argues that the international popularity of Hello Kitty is one aspect of what she calls pink globalization—the spread of goods and images labeled cute (kawaii) from Japan to other parts of the industrial world. The concept of pink globalization connects the expansion of Japanese companies to overseas markets, the enhanced distribution of Japanese products, and the rise of Japan's national cool as suggested by the spread of manga and anime. Yano analyzes the changing complex of relations and identities surrounding the global reach of Hello Kitty's cute culture, discussing the responses of both ardent fans and virulent detractors. Through interviews, Yano shows how consumers use this iconic cat to negotiate gender, nostalgia, and national identity. She demonstrates that pink globalization allows the foreign to become familiar as it brings together the intimacy of cute and the distance of cool. Hello Kitty and her entourage of marketers and consumers wink, giddily suggesting innocence, sexuality, irony, sophistication, and even sheer happiness. Yano reveals the edgy power in this wink and the ways it can overturn, or at least challenge, power structures.

Download or read book Sevyns Life A Story About The First Black Billionaire Transgender Woman written by MarthaK Sayz and published by MarthaK LLC. This book was released on 2024-04-06 with total page 1000 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This story provides an intriguing glimpse into the life of its protagonist, Sevyn, from her humble beginnings growing up in the Cabrini Green housing projects of Chicago all the way to her current status as a billionaire transgender businesswoman living in an opulent mansion in Dubai. The narrative seamlessly jumps between the present and flashes back to Sevyn’s childhood, painting a picture of how she has risen from nothing to achieve immense success against all odds. From the very first chapter, the author establishes Sevyn as a strong, driven woman who hasn’t let her past hold her back. We find her waking up beside her loving husband Rich in their sprawling Dubai estate, but even amid this life of luxury, the scent of coffee and bacon takes her back to memories of her grandmother’s kitchen in Cabrini Green. These glimpses into Sevyn’s childhood highlight the grit and resilience she developed early on, traits that would serve her well on her journey. Despite everything she endured growing up in such an impoverished environment, she has never stopped believing in herself or her ability to make her dreams a reality. After reconnecting with memories of her family and upbringing over breakfast, Sevyn begins to open up to Rich about her history, hinting at secrets from her past that will alter their understanding of who she is. This sets the stage for what is sure to be a revealing tale of Sevyn’s journey of self-discovery and empowerment. I’m eager to learn more about the obstacles she had to overcome to reach her current position of wealth and influence. Her determination to keep striving despite facing adversity serves as an inspiration. That night, Sevyn has another taping of her show “SS Diaries,” though she neglects practicing her monologue as ghosts from her past resurface. Through the description of her silhouette dancing in the mirror fragments cast by the chandelier, the author builds an evocative sense of the inner turmoil Sevyn feels as her demons emerge. But she is able to channel her memories of poverty and homelessness into finding her voice, and delivers a passionate speech touching on themes of perseverance that resonates with her massive global audience. After filming, Sevyn and Rich retreat to the secret cellar chamber of their mansion, where in addition to cannabis and music, they keep priceless works of art, family portraits, and evidence of their philanthropic ambitions. Sevyn’s successful career has clearly provided rich material comforts, but her history still haunts her as she gazes at photos reminding her of harsher times. Rich remains devotedly by her side, supporting her through the resurfacing of painful recollections. Their loving relationship, established family, and hopes for the future offer rays of light amid the shadows of Sevyn’s past that continue emerging. I’m left wanting to know more about the specific hardships she faced and how she was finally able to overcome them. Her journey seems sure to inspire with its message of empowerment and achieving the impossible through grit, resilience and an unbreakable spirit. The author provides vivid sensory details that transport the reader directly into Sevyn’s lavish yet conflicted world. From the scents and sounds that transport her back to her childhood, to the reflection of her quivering form in the mirrors as trauma resurfaces, one can feel the visceral experience of Sevyn’s memories and emotions. The interweaving of flashbacks with the present day also builds engaging dramatic tension, making me eager to watch as more of Sevyn’s history is revealed piece by piece. Both Sevyn and Rich come across as complex, multilayered characters, and I appreciate the glimpses into Rich’s background and support of Sevyn that help balance the focus on her experiences. Their caring partnership serves as a strong foundation that clearly played a role in helping Sevyn achieve all she has. Her determination to keep growing in her philanthropy work despite struggles with her past shows an evolved character who wants to use her platform to help others facing similar adversity. In summary, this novel introduction draws the reader deeply into Sevyn’s intriguing world through vivid sensory storytelling and bits of mystery surrounding her past. Both the present-day scenes of luxury and the historical flashes back to harder times feel richly realized. Sevyn emerges as a compelling protagonist whose journey of perseverance through challenge upon challenge promises to hold inspiration. I look forward to seeing how the author continues to peel back the layers on Sevyn’s history while advancing the engaging plotlines of her marriage, career, and philanthropic ambitions. This shows great promise as a story of empowerment and overcoming the odds through grit and resilience.