We bring to you a list of some of the latest and the best books in the market from the world of luxury living. Be it luxury fashion, artistic luxury, luxury knitting, luxury cars or even luxe bathrooms, this list has something interesting for anyone even remotely interested in luxury. Well barring the mendicants aren’t we all. So take your favorite pick from out list of the ‘New Testaments’ of luxury living.
India by Design: The Pursuit of Luxury and Fashion
The book by Michael Boroian is about two extremely complex subjects—India and Luxury. It presents a very comprehensive picture about the two and is a must read for someone wanting to enter the Indian luxury fashion market. It manages to make sense of the confusing landscape of fashion in India. It highlights the peculiarities of the luxury brand business in India as compared to the norms prevalent in the developed and mature markets.
The book is a dream come true for many men. This lavishly illustrated production has compiled products from electronics, transport, accessories and gadgets and presented them with their distinctive features in detail. Brief brand histories are also given to reassure the reader about the pedigree of the product. The collection has playthings but they take you to an exclusive world of luxurious indulgence. Each selection in the collection is top of its class.
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas
In short, the book showcases the impact of market forces on luxury. It narrates the story and the reasons behind century old brands with traditions of old time manufacturing and perfection had to bow down to become part of marketing juggernauts at the cost of their individuality.Hermès could resist the attempt to force it to become part of a portfolio, but will it be as successful the next time? That’s the question.
Wolfgang Behnken-a passionate rider himself profiles the glamorous world of horse breeding, horse racing, polo and horse auctions. Equestrian pursuits are not for mere mortals as it is a high stakes arena populated with aristocrats, movie stars and heads of state. You get to see finely tooled saddles, elaborate trophies impeccable clothing and accessories.
Knitting Little Luxuries: Beautiful Accessories to Knit
The book by Louisa Harding is like a breath of fresh air in this modern day and age when we do less and less with our own hands and depend on machines to mass produce average products. The projects, patterns and designs compiled in the book are simple and yet elegant that motivate you to quickly knit luxurious gifts.
101 Small Indulgences:Â The author has very meticulously compiled 101 enchanting projects including an array of hats, scarves, bags, shawls, and many other fashion and home accessories. It is a pleasant surprise to discover the treasure you can knit from a single skein of the expensive yarns. The author has tapped into the expertise of knitting designers across the country and come up with projects that can easily be transformed into cherished heirlooms.
Luxury Knitting: The Ultimate Guide to Exquisite Yarns
Cashmere Merino Silk:The book by Morse is a refreshingly new collection with a focus on luxury fibers for needling. At the same time the book helps you learn a lot about the yarns. The designs though are traditional but they have been given an interesting modern spin. The photographs are simply fabulous. The presentation is so good that you might want to buy it even if you are not into knitting.
Gilding the Market: Luxury and Fashion in Fourteenth-Century Italy
The book focuses on the luxury trade in fashionable wear and accessories in Venice, Florence, and other towns in Italy. It investigates a major shift in patterns of consumption at the height of medieval prosperity. It is an ambitious book Susan Mosher Stuard that is highly informative and very well written. It is an authentic description of the late medieval marketplace for luxury goods.
The homes showcased in the book are completed project that are accompanied by engaging commentary that details the creative process behind it. Richard Mishaan, the author believes that all good furniture and art can be combined successfully regardless of style, period, or price. And to prove his point he has collected a range of exquisite unique pieces.
Faberge,Tiffany, Lalique: Exposition Universelle in Paris in the year 1900 was a unique exhibition as it brought Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique, all great designers, together to display their goods in what was probably the most opulent exhibition ever mounted. The illustrations and photographs in the catalog are wonderful and does full justice to the three designers jewelry and home adornments which they positioned as art. The book also highlights the three cities where they thrived, Moscow, New York and Paris.
Jeffrey Bilhuber: Defining Luxury: The Qualities of Life at Home
This is the second book by Jeffrey Bilhuber. He does not believe that luxury is the exclusive purview of the few. He feels that it is essential to every life well lived. The format is lavish and it inspires the reader to seek and revel in luxury at home. Bilhuber’s style manages to convince the reader that luxury is about cultivating a state of mind.
Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury
There is so much you can write about Louis Vuitton. The author, Paul Gerard Pasols is well qualified to do so as he is the former director of communications for Louis Vuitton. He has been able to present the first in-depth portrait of one of the world’s best-known luxury brands. With unrestricted access to the company’s archives he has demonstrated Louis Vuitton’s passion for fine design in a stunning array of archival art, historical images, product designs and sketches, and cutting-edge advertising.
The Luxury Bathroom: Extraordinary Spaces from the Simple to the Extravagant
The focus is more on bathrooms than bedrooms today. New accessories and new materials have made the designers to practically reinvent the bathroom. This book by Samantha Nestor features designs by big names like Celerie Kemble, Jamie Drake, and Miles Redd. From purely functional rooms the bathrooms have evolved into the most fanciful and sumptuous of living spaces in the home.
Living It Up: America’s Love Affair with Luxury
The debate on luxury and its ill effects can simply go on forever. The need to own everything designer for status is an attitude which is not considered healthy. These are considered the evils of luxury. But at the same time, the fact remains that what is considered luxury today becomes a necessity tomorrow. Twitchell, in this book puts forward the theory that nass consumption of luxury has a positive impact on the economy and it helps uplift the masses economically.
