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The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris
A comprehensive biography of the late designer, Karl Lagerfeld, and his infamous rivalry with Yves Saint Laurent.
In the 1970s, Paris fashion exploded like a champagne bottle left out in the sun. Amid sequins and longing, celebrities and aspirants flocked to the heart of chic, and Paris became a hothouse of revelry, intrigue, and searing ambition. At the center of it all were fashion's most beloved luminaries - Yves Saint Laurent, the reclusive enfant terrible, and Karl Lagerfeld, the flamboyant freelancer with a talent for reinvention - and they divided Paris into two fabulous halves. Their enduring rivalry is chronicled in this dazzling exposè of an of social ambitions, shared obsessions, and the mesmerizing quest for beauty.
"Deliciously dramatic... The Beautiful Fall crackles with excitement."- New York Times Book Review
"Fascinating." - New York Times
"Addictive." - Philadelphia Inquirer
"It's like US Weekly , 1970s style." - Gotham
"A story constructed as exquisitely as a couture dress. . . . It moves stylishly forward, with frequent over-the-shoulder glances at some very dishy background." - Boston Globe
In the 1970s, Paris fashion exploded like a champagne bottle left out in the sun. Amid sequins and longing, celebrities and aspirants flocked to the heart of chic, and Paris became a hothouse of revelry, intrigue, and searing ambition. At the center of it all were fashion's most beloved luminaries - Yves Saint Laurent, the reclusive enfant terrible, and Karl Lagerfeld, the flamboyant freelancer with a talent for reinvention - and they divided Paris into two fabulous halves. Their enduring rivalry is chronicled in this dazzling exposè of an of social ambitions, shared obsessions, and the mesmerizing quest for beauty.
"Deliciously dramatic... The Beautiful Fall crackles with excitement."- New York Times Book Review
"Fascinating." - New York Times
"Addictive." - Philadelphia Inquirer
"It's like US Weekly , 1970s style." - Gotham
"A story constructed as exquisitely as a couture dress. . . . It moves stylishly forward, with frequent over-the-shoulder glances at some very dishy background." - Boston Globe
- GenresFashionNonfictionHistory
449 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2009
28 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 19, 2024
I bought this book at an Urban Outfitters after 2007 when they used to sell books. Heck, I don't even know how "around" they are anymore, since ours closed a couple of years ago.
If I do the timeline right, I think I MIGHT have bought it when I was unemployed? But who knows what happened in the mists of time. I bought it and it sat around my closet for more than 15 years.
I am giving three stars but it's more of a 2.5. While it is a fascinating representation of the time and place (Paris in the fashion industry in the 1970s and a bit of the 1960s and 1980s as well) it is also tinged with sadness and emptiness. It's hard to explain, but maybe I can try. I really feel that the heavy lifters or this period where the outsiders, the Americans who came over and provided a lot of the inspiration behind the work. People of color, people who were lost to AIDS in the 80s...I think they were the ones with the original ideas. The illustrators, the models, the stylists.
YSL perfected those ideas and used his fixations on certain artists (Proust, Callas) to perfect his fashion. But he lived quite a sad life.
Lagerfeld - did anyone ever really know him? Did he know himself? Who can say. I think Uncle Karl was married to his work, it was his great love. Was he a great designer or a good stylist and great businessman? You will have to judge for yourself.
I am glad I finally read it. And when I finished, I left it at Coastal Roasters coffee shop in Summerville, S.C., so if you find it - enjoy.
If I do the timeline right, I think I MIGHT have bought it when I was unemployed? But who knows what happened in the mists of time. I bought it and it sat around my closet for more than 15 years.
I am giving three stars but it's more of a 2.5. While it is a fascinating representation of the time and place (Paris in the fashion industry in the 1970s and a bit of the 1960s and 1980s as well) it is also tinged with sadness and emptiness. It's hard to explain, but maybe I can try. I really feel that the heavy lifters or this period where the outsiders, the Americans who came over and provided a lot of the inspiration behind the work. People of color, people who were lost to AIDS in the 80s...I think they were the ones with the original ideas. The illustrators, the models, the stylists.
YSL perfected those ideas and used his fixations on certain artists (Proust, Callas) to perfect his fashion. But he lived quite a sad life.
Lagerfeld - did anyone ever really know him? Did he know himself? Who can say. I think Uncle Karl was married to his work, it was his great love. Was he a great designer or a good stylist and great businessman? You will have to judge for yourself.
I am glad I finally read it. And when I finished, I left it at Coastal Roasters coffee shop in Summerville, S.C., so if you find it - enjoy.
October 10, 2023
I read it for research on the fashion industry and it was immensely helpful. Full of detail and designer shenanigans hehe
September 7, 2024
Absolutely fascinating and well written. Her research shows in every page
May 4, 2023
this is more gossip and drama than a book about clothes but whatever that's fun too
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews