Book Description
Spectacles and sunglasses are the most popular fashion accessories of our time. This book provides a comprehensive account of the design of spectacles in their many guises and of the historical developments that influenced them. A detailed history of spectacles is presented through a brief synopsis and more than 500 photos. Spectacles and Sunglasses devotes considerable attention to 20th century designs: a period that witnessed the creation of innumerable outlandish and extravagant spectacles. Jackie Kennedy's and Audrey Hepburn's sunglasses; the frames worn by Buddy Holly, Nana Mouskouri and Yves Saint Laurent; and the famous models by Pierre Cardin, Courreges, Ray-Ban and Christian Dior may all be found in this book. A wide range of contemporary innovative designs is also represented.

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Book Description
This comprehensive new book celebrates over 550 top quality handbags by leading and unknown designers the world over, dating from 1759 to 2004, with detailed information to describe their outstanding qualities. These carefully selected handbags are arranged by their primary materials and chronologically within each chapter, for easy reference and interesting comparisons. Here fine leather, fabric, metal, beaded, skin, and plastic handbags from all over Europe, England, Canada, The United States, and Asia appear in over 600 beautiful color photographs. Examples appear from the design houses of Adele Handbags, Asprey, Bergdorf Goodman, Bonnie Cashin for Coach, Cartier, Chanel, Coblentz, Collins of Texas, deLillo, Elizabeth Arden, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Halston, Hermes, I. Miller, Joret, Judith Lieber, Keiselstein-Cort, Llewellen, Mandalian, Mark Cross, Marvel, Nettie Rosenstein, Patricia of Miami, Pierre Cardin, Raoul Calabro, Rialto, Roger Van S., Ronay, Rosenfeld, sydney love, Tiffany, Tropic, Tyrolean, Virginia Merrill, Viva, Whiting & Davis Co., Wilardy Original, Zandra Rhodes, and many more. An extensive Glossary, informative Resources section, Bibliography, and Index make this book friendly while instructional, securing an important place in the libraries of fashion historians, vintage clothing buffs, antique dealers, and accessories collectors alike.

About the Author
Desire Smith is a former high school English teacher in Philadelphia and currently a fashion historian and the author of several books about vintage clothing. She is a consultant for Alderfer Auction Company, in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.

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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In a funny, whip-smart memoir sure to be a sensation among Vogue and W devotees, erstwhile hair and makeup artist Tonello (now a columnist for HuffingtonPost.com) chronicles a surprising (even to him!) trans-Atlantic move from Provincetown, R.I. to a city he'd fallen in love with on a short trip: Barcelona, where he knows no one and doesn't speak the language. Tonello's initial euphoria dissolves when his new job fails to materialize. To stay afloat, Tonello starts selling items on Ebay with startling results: his first, heart-racing success, a year-old $99 Polo scarf he sold for $430 to a Midwesterner ("I guess he really liked plaid") makes Tonello an instant believer in the resale capabilities of high-end luxury items. Thus his new trade, and his quest for the Birkin, the "it bag" of all time, famous for its impenetrable waiting list ("What do you mean the waiting list is closed? It's a waiting list. So I can't wait?"). After many failed attempts, Tonello plans a weekend drive to Madrid in search of the haute couture holy grail; the result is a both a hilarious raid on fashion's strongholds and a memoir that satisfies like a novel. Fashion die-hards, and many others, will be delighted from beginning to end.
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Huffington Post
"The one-step, one-stop shop guide to buying a Birkin."

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