Monday, May 17, 2010

Must Read: Beautiful People

In Beautiful People, Alicia Drake describes the rise (and fall) of two of the most talented Fashion designer of all time Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld.
Drake's opus build a parallel between once-upon-a-time good friends turned best enemies Karl and Yves, comparing their journey to the Fashion pinnacle, their exuberant lifestyle and their approach to Fashion and Art in general.

I strongly recommend Drake takes on Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld for those out there with a strong interest in Art / Fashion and the way careers and legends are build.

From my point of view, the strongest positive aspect of this book is Drake's way to describes Paris during the 70's, a world in transition between an ancient patriarchal system and the birth of a powerful consumer society.

In addition, Alicia Drake's outsider point of view allows her to describe an era and a scene without favorable prejudice.

On the flip side, I would say that by focusing only on YSL and KL, she tends to ignore the influence that the industry received from London and Milan based designers.




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