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All posts in books

I get the feeling that maybe the very private Deeda Blair probably didn’t want to write a book but I’m very glad that someone talked her into it. And she realized that it was a perfect way to raise money for charity which is where the proceeds are going. There are very few truly elegant […]

Fall 2018 Book Brigade

10 . 02 . 18

I’m going to have to make more room on my bookshelves for all the new design and coffee table books out this fall. I’ve already received advance copies of some of them and they are all interesting and inspiring. Some are traditional monographs from interior designers and others delve into original topics which means there […]

Last year, I wrote about how the Christian Dior company purchased the designer’s former home Château de la Colle Noire in Grasse, France and brought it back to life. Now there is a book that celebrates the gorgeous Provence house and gardens, Christian Dior in the South of France: The Château de la Colle Noire.  The Musée des […]

I have Kate Betts to thank for suggesting the new book Mistakes Were Made (Some in French). She posted it on her Instagram account and also has a blurb on the cover “Any Francophile with a Hollywood crush will devour this wonderful sexy story.” I can attest that she was right. My copy arrived yesterday […]

French Country Cooking

11 . 13 . 16

Mimi Thorisson’s first book A Kitchen in France wasn’t just a cook book. It was a view into a life in the countryside of France that could not be farther from the one most city dwellers in this country live. It was born out of her blog Manger that highlights the beautiful seasonal produce that […]

I’m still in Birmingham but I can’t wait to get home so I can read David Netto’s new book on the famed French interior designer Francois Catroux that is being released today. In my post The Chic Catroux in 2011, I lamented the fact that we don’t see more of Catroux’s design work and now […]

At Home in the Garden

08 . 06 . 15

At the photo shoot yesterday, I was discussing that I would like to take a flower arranging class.  Another person who could give great lessons is Carolyne Roehm. I love checking out her website to see the gorgeous photos of her gardens, flowers, and tabletops.  Everything she touches is chic and gorgeous.  So I’m especially […]

It’s been years since I’ve seen Amanda Brooks in person so it was lovely to catch up with her at a private book signing for Always Pack a Party Dress: And Other Lessons Learned from a (Half) Life in Fashion  last week. The book is perfect for our ADD-lack-of-attention-span new world. It’s filled with memoir […]

Writer Kate Betts and I have bonded over all things French and she was kind enough to send me a copy of her new book My Paris Dream: An Education in Style, Slang, and Seduction in the Great City on the Seine. It’s funny to be reading it exactly a year to the date I […]

As someone who wrote and photographed a book on creative people’s work spaces (Habitually Chic: Creativity at Work – shameless plug), I am very intrigued to pick up the new book Yves Saint Laurent’s Studio: Mirror and Secretsby Jéromine Savignon. According to WWD, it will be published by Actes Sud in both French and in English, “and […]

I was very excited to see Amanda Brooks post the cover of her upcoming book, Always Pack a Party Dress: And Other Lessons Learned From a (Half) Life in Fashion, on Instagram this morning.  The book is only available for pre-order right now so I’m going to have to figure out who I need beg […]

“I have to tell you, I am in love with beauty. I have always loved beautiful objects.” This is the opening of Valentino’s new book Valentino: At the Emperor’s Table from Assouline. It perfectly sets the tone for the gorgeous photographs of the dining tables and spaces at his many homes. If you’ve ever seen the documentary, […]

I absolutely love real books as you can see from my packed bookshelves above.  But what I’ve finally come to realize is that it’s really inconvenient to travel with them. They’ve also started to overtake my apartment. That’s why I was very excited to learn about Oyster which is a subscription based app that gives […]

The fall books are starting to arrive and my absolute favorite is Marella Agnelli: The Last Swan. Although she was born into a aristocratic family, her life really began when she married Gianni Agnelli in 1953. The book written with her niece Marella Caracciola Chia is part memoir, family album, and home and garden tour. […]

I’ll Drink to That

09 . 05 . 14

If you ever saw the documentary, Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s, you know that personal shopper Betty Halbreich has a great sense of humor.  The 86 year old (yes 86!) has written a book about her life that is not only funny but also poignant and inspiring.  I had the pleasure of meeting her last night […]

I ordered a few books online and stopped by The Corner Bookstore today to make sure I have enough to read while I’m away for the long holiday weekend.  I picked up The Vacationers which already has me hooked but I also purchased Gone Girl so I can read it before the film version is released. After being […]