Hachette Publishing
Over the last couple of months, Hachette Publishing has entered the realm of my favourite publishing houses and I feel bereft that they had not been on my radar for the longest time. The following two releases are testament to the consistent quality they provide – both in terms of content as well as presentation:
Rare Watches: Explore the World’s Most Exquisite Timepieces
In essence, a timepiece is a monument to the biggest thief of all time, but it is also a statement in many regards about the individual that is wearing one. While I am currently more on the functional and practical end of the spectrum when it comes to the selection of my watches due to having schedules to keep and to keep track of my exercise regimen, watches and the associated craftmanship have never not been fascinating to me.
Hachette’s tome Rare Watches: Explore the World’s Most Exquisite Timepieces zeroes in on an array of watches with idiosyncratic features – be it rarity, worth, specific features and ones that have managed to further enhance the iconicity of public figures – and with that approach, it caters not only to collectors and luminaries, but the uninitiated noob as well.
The presentation of the book alone, which is housed in a slipcase, along with the photography and the opulent way the watches are presented are a fulminant feast for the eyes with the compelling accompanying gripping essays enhancing the experience further, specifically when light is shed on the occasions some of the timepieces were worn for.
The Design Museum – Fashion Evolution: The 250 looks that shaped modern fashion
Some might claim that designers are meant to be loved and not to be understood, however, the Design Museum and both its exhibitions and publications certainly help in gaining a deeper insight into the elements that go into the creation of contemporary design.
The Design Museum’s Fashion Evolution: The 250 looks that shaped modern fashion is a wonderfully curated overview of defining moments of what shaped and eventually became the epitome of stylishness and how both fashion and the approach to design evolved from over five decades.
Needless to say that the accompanying, striking photographs that frame each individual expose instantaneously resonate as they depict style moments that effectively altered popular culture at large.
No matter what exactly your specific angle might be when it comes to fashion, with this comprehensive tome you would find yourself hard-pressed to not find the genesis of your style explored and background being given on what directed – knowingly or not - the way you ended up dressing yourself.
It says a lot about the quality of a book when the only complaint one has, is that it should have been released in a larger format.
