Framing the Modern Fashion Mythos: The Beautiful Fall

I had a post ready for today about bridal showers. I have to go to one today and I was racking my brain for what to wear and decided that might be of interest to my readers. Key word is HAD, however, as my computer just swallowed it whole.

So, instead we are going to do a short and sweet review of one of the greatest books in modern fashion history.

One of my favorite books to read about fashion is The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake. It has provides great insight into how ready to wear came to dominate the fashion scene and how all the major players came to be. The main focus of the book is on the relationship between Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, and if that is not your cup of tea it is still worth a read for the decadent descriptions of fashion in the 70s.

The reason I decided to do a post about this book in particular is that we all come into fashion differently. I came in via stories - well one in particular. My best friend and I were watching television one day and the history channel was doing a special on Coco Chanel. This was before the fashion craze went mainstream, and as such this was the first time I ever really heard of Chanel outside perfume.

Watching the program on a lark, I was in awe of her grit and determination to be the best despite her humble upbringing. She literally turned the fashion world on its head simply by being the best. That is no easy feat mind you and she did it all through sheer force of will. As you can imagine, I found her story to be mesmerizing and fell in love with fashion via Chanel that very day.

So, when I came across The Beautiful Fall I thought it was an amazing opportunity to learn about the man who took over the reigns: Karl Lagerfeld. I took away a lot more than I bargained for as I learned about all the ins and outs of the modern fashion business and its evolution from couture. In short, if you are interested in fashion it is a must read.

Normally, I would write more but I have to go pick my dress up for the bridal shower I have to attend today. Wish me luck as I have to endure a 1 hour commute in the rain to reach my destination in NJ. Let's just hope the PATH train isn't flooded by the time I get there.