A pair of books for fashion lovers with an interest in history and a flare for the spectacular

Monsieur Dior, by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni | Monsieur Dior: Once Upon A Time is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the ten years Christian Dior ran his esteemed house. As women were starved for glamour following World War II, Dior’s New Look was revolutionary in bringing femininity back to fashion with a bold use of fabric and silhouetted lines. With dazzling images by photographers such as Cecil Beaton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lord Snowdon, and Willy Maywald, as well as never before- seen materials from the Dior Archives, this account is a fresh and surprising view into the House of Dior and life of its brilliant founder.

Be Dazzled! Norman Hartnell: Sixty Years of Glamour and Fashion, by Michael Pick | Norman Hartnell (1901-1979) was a unique British designer. By the 1930s, his reputation helped catapult London as a rival to Paris as the capital of European fashion. While Hartnell’s clients included members of the English upper class and the best-known stage and film actresses, it was his royal patronage that assured him a place in history. Hartnell’s famous White Wardrobe, designed for Queen Elizabeth and photographed by Cecil Beaton, changed the image of royalty forever. In Be Dazzled! Norman Hartnell: Sixty Years of Glamour and Fashion, the only illustrated monograph on this couturier, royal enthusiasts and style connoisseurs can examine Hartnell’s never before published drawings, vintage photographs, fabric samples, and personal scrapbooks.