A NEW YORK TIMES MOST ANTICIPATED • "Reads like a work of fiction, but remarkably, it's all true" (Airmail) • In the tradition of The Barbizon and The Girls of Atomic City, fashion historian and journalist Nancy MacDonell chronicles the untold story of how the Nazi invasion of France gave rise to the American fashion industry.Calvin Klein. Ralph Lauren. Donna Karan. Halston. Marc Jacobs. Tom Ford. Michael Kors. Tory Burch.

There are still a few things money can’t buy. Love is one, cool is another. But while love can be left to fate, cool doesn’t need to be. Though it may seem like something you’re born with, cool is actually a code, and you’re holding the key to the code in your hands. It’s all a matter of getting the right facts straight: Why is Jackson Pollock important? What handbag will get you upgraded at the airport? Who is Jacques Derrida and why does he matter? Covering everything from fashion and de...

Nancy MacDonell Smith explores the origins, meaning, and remarkable staying power of the ten staples of feminine fashion:* the little black dress* the white shirt* the cashmere sweater* blue jeans* the suit* high heels* pearls* lipstick* sneakers* the trench coatTracing the evolution of each item from inception to icon status, she reveals the history and social significance of each, from the black dress's associat...

"This audiobook is perfect not only for people in love with fashion, but also for anyone interested in fashion as art, obsession, and ever-present societal phenomenon."—BooklistA Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.In the tradition of The Barbizon and The Girls of Atomic City, fashion historian and journalist Nancy MacDonell chronicles the untold story of how the Nazi invasion of France gave...

A spirited history of the English country house in its golden ageFor generations, the great palaces of Britain were home to living histories, noble families that had reigned for centuries. But by the end of the nineteenth century, members of elite society found themselves, for the first time, in the company of arrivistes. Their new neighbors—from chorus girls to millionaire greengrocers to guano impresarios—lacked lineage and were unencumbered by the weight of trad...

**The definitive history of the rise and heyday of the revolutionary Greenwich Village music scene, based on new research and first-hand interviews with many of its legendary performers."Impeccably researched, elegantly written and consistently fascinating." —The New York Times**Although Greenwich Village encompasses less than a square mile in downtown New York, rarely has such a concise area nurtured so many innovative artists and genres. Over the course of decade...

*The Millions Most Anticipated List of 2023**A Vogue Best LGBTQ+ Book of 2023*"Deeply researched and featuring a cast of characters who can truly be described as fabulous, Glitter and Concrete is urban history on fire." —Thomas Dyja, author of New York, New York, New YorkAn intimate, evocative history of drag in New York City exploring its dynamic role, from the Jazz Age to...

An Economist Book of the YearA five-hundred-year history of printed books, told through the people who created them.**“Almost every page—almost every paragraph—fizzes with facts, allusions, speculations, tidbits of etymology and gems of historical interest.” —**Wall Street JournalBooks have transformed humankind, yet we know little about the individuals who brought...

Named a best book of the year by Kirkus Reviews Named a Notable Book of 2025 by the Washington Post A personal and cultural exploration of the struggles between art and business at the heart of modern Hollywood, through the eyes of the talent that shaped itMatthew Specktor grew up in the film industry: the son of legendary CAA superagent Fred Specktor, his childhood was one where Beau Bridges came over for dinner, Martin Sheen’s d...

A dazzlingly ambitious history of the ancient world that places women at the center—from Cleopatra to Boudica, Sappho to Fulvia, and countless other artists, writers, leaders, and creators of historyAround four thousand years ago, the mysterious Minoans sculpted statues of topless women with snakes slithering on their arms. Over one thousand years later, Sappho wrote great poems of longing and desire. For classicist Daisy Dunn, these women*—whether they were si...

In the spirit of works by Jia Tolentino and Anne Helen Peterson, a smart and incisive essay collection centered on the fashion industry—its history, its importance, why we wear what we wear, and why it matters—from Elle Magazine’s fashion features director.Why does fashion hold so much power over us? Most of us care about how we dress and how we present ourselves. Style offers clues about everything from class to which in-group we belong to. Bad Femini...

A renowned jewelry expert recounts her career working with nature’s most extraordinary treasures—gemstones—and traces these rare jewels from ancient Egyptian records through the high-stakes auctions of today.“Engaging and illuminating, Precious is a master class in the history of gems.”—Francesca Cartier Brickell, author of The CartiersHelen Molesworth has been captivated by precious stones since early childhood but she st...