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The Looks of Love: 50 Moments in Fashion That Inspired Romance
Hal Rubenstein, fashion authority, consultant, and author of the bestselling 100 Unforgettable Dresses, presents fifty of the most influential romantic moments in style from the 1930s to today, in this full-color collection that reveals each item's indelible place in the pantheons of fashion and popular culture.In The Looks of Love, Hal Rubenstein showcases seminal moments and events in television and film, on the runway and red carpet, and in social media that have changed the way we look at love, fashion, passion, romance, marriage, beauty, and style. From Alexander McQueen’s stunning dance marathon collection inspired by the film They Shoot Horses Don’t They? to shoulder-pad-clad Krystle and Alexis Carrington’s jealous catfights; from all eight of Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding ensembles to Angelina Jolie’s singular Versace wedding gown with a veil embroidered with her children’s drawings, Rubenstein brings his impeccable eye, compelling voice, and impressive depth of knowledge to these iconic moments. Here, too are anecdotes and first-person commentary from more than a dozen world-class designers that offer fascinating insight into each “look.”Spanning eras and media, combining more than 225 images and essays, The Looks of Love includes such innovative trendsetters as Humphrey Bogart’s trench coat in Casablanca; Marc Jacobs’s spectacularly romantic show for Louis Vuitton that featured models disembarking from a vintage steam train; Beyoncé’s “All the Single Ladies” video; Versace’s “Miami” collection; The romantic world of Ralph Lauren; the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor—Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson; The Summer of Love—Woodstock; Gene Kelly’s sportswear in Singing in the Rain; DKNY advertising; and much more.Playful and profound, trendy and timeless, stylish and sophisticated, The Looks of Love illuminates our evolving culture and couture in fresh and startling way.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 18, 2016
The stories behind the events are more interesting and engaging than the clothing.
January 3, 2016
Intriguing look back on memorable fashion moments.
April 23, 2020
The writing style of this is just wonderful. An interesting collection of brief, well-written essays about iconic looks, and what made them important contextually.
90% of the content feels effortlessly spot-on, and the rest just wasn’t of particular interest to me personally (high fashion collections, mostly).
Yes, I do want to know about the progression of Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding dresses, and hear about how important Cher is, or why the Look of Bonnie & Clyde feels right despite it being anarchronistic, read cheeky commentary about James Dean’s obliquely bisexual sartorial choices, learn about how important Edith Head was for Hitchcock’s cinematography, etc. .... GREAT BOOK.
Cogent, beautiful, knowledgeable but never pretentious.
Oh yeah, the pics are great too.
90% of the content feels effortlessly spot-on, and the rest just wasn’t of particular interest to me personally (high fashion collections, mostly).
Yes, I do want to know about the progression of Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding dresses, and hear about how important Cher is, or why the Look of Bonnie & Clyde feels right despite it being anarchronistic, read cheeky commentary about James Dean’s obliquely bisexual sartorial choices, learn about how important Edith Head was for Hitchcock’s cinematography, etc. .... GREAT BOOK.
Cogent, beautiful, knowledgeable but never pretentious.
Oh yeah, the pics are great too.
December 23, 2019
Despite first appearances, The Looks of Love: 50 Moments in Fashion That Inspired Romance is not designed for the visually-inclined.
With too few pictures and too much text (like-wall-of-text, textbook-style, too much text), The Looks of Love is not a coffee table book; but with too many pictures and too little text, nor is it a whatever-the-opposite-of-a-coffee-table-book-is book.
With too few pictures and too much text (like-wall-of-text, textbook-style, too much text), The Looks of Love is not a coffee table book; but with too many pictures and too little text, nor is it a whatever-the-opposite-of-a-coffee-table-book-is book.
August 2, 2025
A collection of short essays about looks Rubenstein found appealing. The big issue for me was that a number of the looks had nothing to do with romance. Did anyone ever look at a Calvin Klein ad and think of a candlelit dinner instead of the nearest backroom? He makes the odd claim that no one yearns to revive the 1980s than provides instructions on how to create a Flashdance sweatshirt. I'd actually love to still have the silky pink ruffled blouse stitched up from a Dynasty sewing pattern. 
He also makes the nonsensical claim six million copies of the Flashdance soundtrack were sold not because people liked the music but because they wanted to identify with the main character. It was the music video more than the movie that mattered.
He also makes the nonsensical claim six million copies of the Flashdance soundtrack were sold not because people liked the music but because they wanted to identify with the main character. It was the music video more than the movie that mattered. September 13, 2025
love love love this book
November 27, 2015
Interesting. ..but what does it all mean?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews