Les Costumes Regionaux France

“The traditions, the secret societies and the history of how New Orleans and Mardi Gras came to be as integral to each other as red beans and rice” (Blogcritics).   New Orleans is practically synonymous with Mardi Gras. Both evoke the parades, the beads, the costumes, the food—the pomp and circumstance. The carnival krewes are the backbone of this Big Easy tradition. Every year, different krewes put on extravagant parties and celebrations to commemorate the beginning of the Lenten season.... [Read More]

An unexpected romance blooms after the the youngest daughter of a merchant who has fallen on hard times offers herself to the mysterious beast to which her father has become indebted.

First English translation of critically-acclaimed book opens the door to the fascinating universe of fashion. This book is not just a history of fashion from the early days of the creation of dressmaking fashion to the development of ready-to-wear manufacturing and the global enterprise it is today. Its ambition is to be the story of the creation, the evolution, and the implosion of the fashion related professions. With readable, highly-informative, and entertaining text--coupled with stunning p... [Read More]

For centuries artists, diplomats, and merchants served as cultural intermediaries in the Mediterranean. Stationed in port cities and other entrepôts of the Mediterranean, these go-betweens forged intercultural connections even as they negotiated and sometimes promoted cultural misunderstandings. They also moved objects of all kinds across time and space. This volume considers how the mobility of art and material culture is intertwined with greater Mediterranean networks from 1580 to 1880. Contr... [Read More]

Carefully selected from a rare 1905 French tile catalog, this splendid full-color collection of tile designs features scores of eye-catching motifs. A valuable resource for today's artists and designers, this volume of authentic images can also serve as inspiration for craftspeople working in a variety of areas. The 250 illustrations include panels and borders of all sizes, decorated with lotus blossoms, lilies-of-the-valley, irises, and other delicate florals; multicolored designs promoting mea... [Read More]

The career of E. A. Seguy spanned both the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods, and he was one of the few graphic artists to incorporate both styles into his work. Original portfolios of his magnificent designs — intended as inspiration for textiles, wallpaper, and other decorative items — are highly collectible today. These 40 full-color plates, most of them geometric patterns, are derived from one of Seguy's final portfolios. They attest to the French artist's inventive gifts and the enduri... [Read More]

Christian Dior (1905–1957) rocketed to fame with his first collection in 1947 when the “New Look” took the world by storm. This charming and modest autobiography gives a fascinating and detailed insight into the workings of a great fashion house, while revealing the private man behind the high-profile establishment. It is also a unique portrait of classic Paris haute couture of the 1950s and offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes. Dior details his childhood in Granville, the family and fr... [Read More]

Das Wort Rokoko leitet sich wahrscheinlich von dem vermutlich in französischen Emigrantenkreisen aufgekommenen Wort ""rocaille"" (Muschel) ab. Diese Kunstrichtung entwickelte sich zu Beginn des 18. Jahrhunderts und breitete sich schnell in ganz Europa aus. Ihre verspielten und extravaganten Charakteristika standen im Einklang mit dem feinsinnigen Lebensgefühl der Aristokratie zu jener Zeit. In vielerlei Hinsicht gilt das Barock als Vorläufer dieser oft auch als Spätbarock bezeichneten Kunstr... [Read More]

En associant le mot rocaille, référence aux formes alambiquées des coquillages, à l’italien baroco, les Français donnèrent naissance au terme de « rococo ». Apparu au début du XVIIIe siècle, il s’étendit rapidement à l’ensemble de l’Europe. Extravagant et aérien, le Rococo répondait parfaitement à la désinvolture de l’aristocratie d’alors. Dans bien des aspects, cet art s’apparenta à son prédécesseur baroque, ce qui lui valut parfois le qualificatif de Baroque ta... [Read More]