“Chanel” focuses on people, “Louis Vuitton” is interesting and “Gucci” surprises [KSI¡¯KI O MODZIE]

“Fashion Vintage” by Nicky Albrechsten is a true fashion encyclopedia. The author presents the history of fashion from the 1920s to 1980s – we get to know the most fashionable styles and patterns of the decade as well as historical curiosities, then we enter the world of accessories – a hat, shoes, handbags, glasses … (this is my favorite part). But this is not the end – the last “chapter” is a story about the most popular motifs that appear over the years on weaving – starting with animal, through lace, ending with the classic little black dress. As a bonus, we get tips on how to create vintage clothes, where to find them and how to remake them.

The whole is decorated with almost 1,300 illustrations! The release is extremely well-developed, the cover has a material texture, the photos are of very good quality, well-chosen … You have to see it for yourself.

The same series, but each book is different

So far in the “History of the fashion house …” series, there have been three books / mini albums / gadgets (you can choose the term that suits you best), but I hope that it will be continued, because there were eight of them in the original edition. The big advantage of books is the fact that although they form a cycle, they are not written according to a single die.

In “Chanel”, Emma Baxter-Wright focuses on people – Coco Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld. It did not surprise me completely, because they are two such strong and famous personalities that it would be difficult to tell the story of the Chanel brand without telling their story. This is best evidenced by the period of stagnation in the company after Coco’s departure and before Karl took over the helm.

We start our story from the early life of one of the most famous designers. We are with her when she opens her first store, when she tries to conquer Hollywood, we also accompany her on her great post-war return. The whole story is interwoven with photos of the most famous Chanel creations.

Then we smoothly move on to Karl Lagerfeld – we see how much he developed the brand’s range, how he experimented with materials and styles, while being inspired by classic elements characteristic of Coco’s designs (gold-plated chains or iconic stitching). Of course, there were also a few words about the most famous Chanel accessories, both footwear and handbags as well as makeup and perfume. And the cover is very similar to the Chanel bottle? 5.

“Louis Vuitton” by Karen Homer is more of a collection of trivia. You will find out when the most famous pattern of the brand was created, where the first store was opened, why the brand became popular among the French elite and why it challenged Harry Houdini. I’m talking about curiosities, because it’s hard to describe the detailed history of a 150-year-old company on 160 pages (and still fit a lot of photos). It is a story about many innovations, properly composed advertising, vision, good and timeless quality and the courage to enter new fashionable territories. There is definitely more to handbags than clothes, but this is of course not surprising, after all, we associate Louis Vuitton mainly with bags / backpacks / trunks.

One thing the author did exceptionally well – after reading it, we feel unsatisfied, we want to learn more about this company, more and more. Karen Homer describes the most interesting facts, and at the same time leaves the reader with the feeling that if he “searches” the Internet, he will find even more flavors (I spent several hours searching and I don’t regret it).

“Gucci” surprised me a lot – I was sure we would get a shortened version of the famous (and even filmed) Gucci family conflict, but the author (again Karen Homer) did not take the easy way. We start, of course, with their history, but we very quickly move to the 90s. Then the brand, along with other designers, undergoes new revolutions. Tom Ford, Frida Giannini and Alessandro Michele lead the company out of the crisis and turn it into a modern brand, full of famous faces, ubiquitous on social media and an object of desire for the youngest audiences (teenagers / young adults).

One thing has not changed over the years – Gucci is still full of scandals, sometimes they are smaller, sometimes larger, but we have the impression that they are almost part of the brand’s strategy. I have the impression that the “Gucci” volume is the most fashionable – you will find the most descriptions of the collection in it.

Common to all these stories is a great passion, love for what is created. They also show that being a giant in this industry is really hard work. All of them have also been refined graphically, they look very elegant and classic (there are only three colors on the three covers – gold, black and white). Perfect for a gift for someone who is interested in fashion.