100 Unforgettable Dresses

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Harper Collins, Mar 6, 2012 - Design - 208 pages

100 Unforgettable Dresses is filled with the stories, secrets, intrigue, and insights behind the most indelible dresses in our collective memories. Featuring looks from the runway, film, television, the red carpet, and the worlds of royalty and politics, this book celebrates the staying power of these gorgeous, sleek, sultry, and outrageous creations as well as the lasting impact they’ve had in fashion, popular culture, and our own lives. More than two hundred images, a witty, informative text, and exclusive interviews with the designers and the women who wore the dresses reveal the initial spark and captivating drama behind the making of each dress. Also featured throughout are extensive anecdotes and observations about great style makers—Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Cher, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Cate Blanchett—highlighting the conception of their most spectacular looks and examining their lasting influence.

Here is the tale of how a canny Gianni Versace helped an unknown Elizabeth Hurley become world famous overnight, thanks to the paparazzi frenzy whipped up by her red-carpet appearance in his now legendary safety-pin dress. Learn about the unique wedding gown Narciso Rodriguez designed exclusively for Caroline Bessette-Kennedy that inspired a whole new generation of brides. Go on the set of Top Hat, where Ginger Rogers’s ostrich-feather-laden dress began to molt immediately upon arrival, its flying feathers bringing the film’s production to a halt. Of course, the seminal work of exemplary designers—Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian dress and Christian Lacroix’s pouf, Chanel’s little black dress and Valentino’s infamous red ones, Diane von Furstenberg’s iconic wrap and Marc Jacobs’s grunge collection—is featured throughout, with plenty of inside information on what inspired the invention of each piece.

With its wonderful anecdotes, fascinating facts, and just enough juicy gossip, 100 Unforgettable Dresses is a bewitching read for everyone who enjoys sensational clothes, movies, television, and music. Whether you’re a fashion maven, a red-carpet addict, a celebrity tracker, or a pop-culture aficionado, you won’t be able to put this book down!

 

Contents

GALAXY DRESS
RED GOWN FOR PRETTY WOMAN
WINTER NIGHT GOWN
BIGSHOULDERED GOWN FOR LETTY LYNTON
TENT DRESSES FOR PHYLLIS DILLER
THE POUF
BALL GOWN FOR GRACE JONES
MONDRIAN DRESS

WEDDING GOWN FOR HER ROYAL HIGHNESS DIANA PRINCESS OF WALES
Audrey Hepburn
STARLETT OHARA DRESS
DEBUTANTE DRESS FOR A PLACE IN THE SUN
HOLOGRAM GOWN
CHINOISERIE GOWN
THE WHITE DRESS COLLECTION
SATELLITE DRESS
BANDAGE DRESS
WHITE HALTER DRESS FOR THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH
TURTLENECK MINIDRESS FOR LIZA WITH A Z
GOLDENAGE GOWN
PSYCHEDELIC GOWNS FOR THE SUPREMES
THE PLUNGE
Cher
MERMAID GOWN
BACKLESS TURTLENECK GOWN
ULTRASUEDE DRESS
DOVEGRAY MINIDRESS
PROLOGUE DRESS FOR BYE BYE BIRDIE
ASYMMETRICAL ONESLEEVED GOWN
OSTRICH FANTASY DRESS
LITTLE BLACK DRESS
WRAP DRESS
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
JACKIE GOWN
BIASCUT SLIP DRESS
OSTRICHFEATHER GOWN FOR TOP HAT
LAVENDER OSCAR GOWN
WEDDING GOWN FOR LINDA CHRISTIAN
COLDSHOULDER DRESS
KITCHEN DINNER DRESS
TOURING DRESS
BARE EMBROIDERED GOWN
DRAGONLADY GOWN
SAFARI DRESS
REVENGE DRESS
Cate Blanchett
GREEN EVENING GOWN FOR ATONEMENT
BONDAGE DRESS
SLIP FOR BUTTERFIELD 8
GOTHGODDESS DRESS
GOLD LACE EVENING GOWN
SWEATSHIRT DRESS
PLUNGING HALTERNECK GOWN
THAT GIRLS ALINE DRESS
GRAFFITI DRESS
SICILIAN DRESS
INAUGURAL BALL GOWN FOR MICHELLE OBAMA
STRAPLESS BLACK GOWN FOR GILDA
WINTERWHITE GOWN
HEATHERGRAY SHIFT
Grace Kelly
GRACE KELLY GOWN
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOWN
CONCERT TOUR GOWN
The Glory of Valentino Red
WEDDING GOWN FOR CAROLYN BESSETTEKENNEDY
THE RYAN WHO? DRESS
WEDDING GOWN FOR CATHERINE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE
BROWN COCKTAIL DRESS FOR ALL ABOUT EVE
Sarah Jessica Parker
GOWN WITH ILLUSION PANELS
FLORAL GRUNGE DRESS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CREDITS
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Copyright

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About the author (2012)

Hal Rubenstein is a writer, designer, and one of the founding editors at InStyle magazine, where he served as fashion director for fifteen years. In fall 2013, he launched his eponymous women’s collection on the Home Shopping Network and formed Hal Rubenstein & Associates, which has provided private consultation to brands such as Gabriel & Co. jewelers, the Raleigh Hotel, Giorgio Armani, and American Express. In 2015, he launched his website, Halrubenstein.com, which focuses on popular culture and provides advice on leading a better life; and with model-designer Iman Abdulmajid he introduced a new style show on Sirius Radio. The author of Paisley Goes with Nothing and the bestselling 100 Unforgettable Dresses (Harper Design, 2011), he is a special projects editor at Architectural Digest. He has also written cover stories and interviews, and served as a columnist on various pop-culture topics for The New Yorker, New York magazine, Interview, Elle, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Details. He has been a frequent red-carpet commentator for such shows as The Today Show, Extra, and The View. He lives in New York City with his husband, David Nickle, and his dog, Murray.

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