Book Review: The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris

My friend Serge Jean lent me this book a few months ago given that my next novel will take place in the world of Paris fashion. It took me some time to get to it, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop.  It reads like a mix of biography and dishy tell all and takes you deep into the glorified and narcissistic worlds of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent in the 1970s.

Beautifully written, extraordinarily researched ( with over 500 interviews), you are transported back to the lavish excesses of the 70s at every turn of the page. Although the book concentrates on fashion as lived by the rival camps of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, its scope is much broader. Throughout a narrative that reads as compellingly as fiction, the author analyzes the socio-cultural events that shaped the Paris fashion world.

Despite the superficial nature of the worlds they lived in and their countless personal foibles, that included sex, drugs and a gluttonous appetite for power, you can't help but become attached to these supremely talented characters.

This book would make a wonderful gift for anyone interested in fashion, Paris or history.

You can read in interview with the author here.

Happy Monday!!

I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend...

I just returned home from a fantastic weekend in New York: spent Sunday in the Hamptons on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world in Montauk (I felt like Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give minus the stunning beach house...), had lunch in a quiet bay, and did some browsing in the shops of Sag Harbor.  It is so beautiful out there, the lawns so perfectly manicured and green that it makes you want to stop the car and run around barefoot in them(not that I would actually do that...!)

I also spent time with friends in the city...Had brunch at Freeman's in the East Village,  the food was great but the ambiance was even more appealing,  and if you go you MUST try the artichoke dip, it's one of their specialties.

 

I am now feeling totally re-energized...NYC will definitely do that to you!

I came back to a great book review from Natalie at Coffee and a Book Chick and a lovely mention on page 271 of this month's Elle Quebec.

Merci beaucoup! 

Have a great week!

(images via We heart it and Vogue Paris)

Sogni e Sorrisi

I just discovered a fellow Canadian blog:  Sogni e Sorrisi. Its author, Connie, was kind enough to post a lovely review of J'Adore New York.

Thank you Connie! And thanks for those hot pictures of the upcoming World Cup soccer players! 

Nanny Returns!

So happy the sequel is finally out! I really enjoyed the Nanny Diaries the first time around ( it was one of the books that inspired me to write a novel) and the reviews for Nanny Returns are great. Apparently the children Nanny cared for in the first novel are back as teenagers and need her help in dealing with the parents!


You can read an excerpt here.

Enjoy!

Book Review: Downtown Chic

Sixx Design via Amazon.com

I'm not sure how they do it....

Robert and Cortney Novogratz:

own a thriving design firm,

have renovated an impressive number of fabulous homes,

manage properties in New York City, Massachusetts and Brazil,

are working on a Boutique Hotel on the Jersey Shore...

have seven beautiful children....and

they have written this amazing book on design and home renovation....!!

The book is based on their own experiences with buying derelict properties and is filled with inspirational quotes and pictures that will leave you drooling. Their eye for design is second to none.

I was fortunate to be invited at one of their housewarming parties several years ago and

I almost fainted while going through their stunning home.

One of my favorite quotes:

The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow H.G. Wells

They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations. Francis Bacon

I heard that there might be a reality show on Bravo in the works for 2010...Looking forward to it!!!