Geniuses And Their Muses: Must-Have Books

What more could a coffee table want?

No, I mean - what else would you want to have on your coffee table if not the books that are so pleasant on an eye that it's even shameful not to have them there in the first place...These are the geniuses and muses of OUR time, that's why I'm not even going to argue over the fact that it is rather prestigious - and [a bit pretentious, in a way] - to display the books of Dali and a world history in pictures books as your coffee table books. Yes, we all know that you read them, yes, we know that you are smart and intelligent and have a good taste, but there is more to the coffee table books than Paris, Da Vinci, Audrey Hepburn, Merilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and America's landscapes books. I mean it!

So, now that I'm done bitching and - possibly alienating my friends - I'd like to talk about what's HOT in the 'coffee table book' arena right now!

It's the books by Carine Roitfeld and Alexander McQueen!

Don't miss it this month: a 386-page biography "Irreverent" by one of the most fashionable, stylish and - [controversial] - Parisian woman - French Vogue editor, Carine Roitfeld, is coming up. It's the frenemy of Anna Wintour, with whom Roitfeld always had a 'love-hate' relationship. [A few scenes in Devil Wears Prada capture it very well].

This is what the press says about it: "...It's a beautifully presented mix of collaged images, notes, Carine's personal photos..."

Of course one should know who she is and why there is so much buzz around this book. Basically - in a nutshell - she is one of the most stylish and most photographed persons in the fashion world. Her personal style leaves many fashionistas with envy. She has a very particular, very 'French' style, which has been attempted to be copied by many styilsh and wanna-bees out there...Besides, she's pretty honest in her book, and her honesty might shock many people in the industry...For example, here is what she says about the today's fashion industry:

"Fashion isn't as much fun as it once was. It's less light-hearted, less spontaneous. Fashion has become an industry, one that increasingly stifles creation. Sometimes I go to runway shows and I feel like I am at a medical convention, or a corporate seminar. There's no excitement anymore, no amazement, none of the madness you could experience even a few years back ... I respect this business, and I understand the risks involved, but I also want to preserve a degree of naivete and spontaneity. Because fashion is nothing without its carefree side".

Would you agree with her? I would. I've been and seen the fashion shows, and even despite having nothing to compare it to - [I haven't attended the shows around the world for the past 10-20 years] - I can definitely say that it's pretty commercial and almost as if it's 'programmed'...

Another book that is sooooo much worth to - if not to buy, but at least to see - own is Alexander McQueen's "Savage Beauty". And not only because McQueen is arguably the most influential, imaginative, and provocative designer of his generation, but because Alexander McQueen both challenged and expanded fashion conventions to express ideas about race, class, sexuality, religion, and the environment.

"Savage Beauty" is a book based on his recent exhibition at MET in New York. I got my copy right after I've seen the exhibition, leaving it with tears in my eyes - [yes, I'm THAT sensitive to high art and beautiful things]. Get it here and perhaps you'd tear up a bit as well, when you realize that this genius-designer will no longer amaze us...

And I definitely dig this video that let's you in for a few seconds into the world of 'weirdness' and 'uniqueness' of Alexander McQueen.