The Tartan Mystique
This week I received an advance copy of a fascinating book – a beautiful tome – called Tartan: Romancing the Plaid coauthored by fashion world insiders Jeffrey Banks & Doria De La Chapelle. Tartan, the beloved symbol of kin, clan and nation to the Scots, has evolved into the one of the world’s favorite fabrics. Serving as inspiration for designers of everything from haute couture to furniture, tartan mania is in full swing. This is the definitive book on tartan, bringing together a dizzying array of images to tell the story of tartan’s humble beginnings to its current status as the ultimate emblem of great taste, high fashion and intrigue.
I am smitten with this book for several reasons: (1) I was invited to write an essay on my “psycho-spiritual take” on tartan (the plaid) which I titled The Tartan Mystique – Ritual in Action! and which was excerpted from for the book’s Introduction. I remember the morning I wrote it with a beautiful swatch of tartan in my hand; (2) this coffee-table book published by Rizzoli in not merely about the fashion aspects of tartan, but also it’s very rich history in human evolution, and (3) it profiles the designers who’ve made tartan an integral part of their work, from punk-inspired provocateurs Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Alexander McQueen to the more refined fashions of titan Ralph Lauren and Burberry; (4) it makes one of the most compelling holiday gifts I’ve seen in a long time, combining history, lifestyle, fashion, and the mystique and mystery that makes tartan so enduring.
The books launch party is at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC on Monday, October 29th (6:30-8:30 in the New Burberry Shop on 2). The authors have invited me to invite my friends. So, if you want to come, simply call the RSVP number 212-940-2844 and leave your name and the number of people in your party. Then you can gift autographed copies :). Maybe I’ll see you there.
Until soon, Michael
This week I received an advance copy of a fascinating book – a beautiful tome – called Tartan: Romancing the Plaid coauthored by fashion world insiders Jeffrey Banks & Doria De La Chapelle. Tartan, the beloved symbol of kin, clan and nation to the Scots, has evolved into the one of the world’s favorite fabrics. Serving as inspiration for designers of everything from haute couture to furniture, tartan mania is in full swing. This is the definitive book on tartan, bringing together a dizzying array of images to tell the story of tartan’s humble beginnings to its current status as the ultimate emblem of great taste, high fashion and intrigue.
I am smitten with this book for several reasons: (1) I was invited to write an essay on my “psycho-spiritual take” on tartan (the plaid) which I titled The Tartan Mystique – Ritual in Action! and which was excerpted from for the book’s Introduction. I remember the morning I wrote it with a beautiful swatch of tartan in my hand; (2) this coffee-table book published by Rizzoli in not merely about the fashion aspects of tartan, but also it’s very rich history in human evolution, and (3) it profiles the designers who’ve made tartan an integral part of their work, from punk-inspired provocateurs Vivienne Westwood, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Alexander McQueen to the more refined fashions of titan Ralph Lauren and Burberry; (4) it makes one of the most compelling holiday gifts I’ve seen in a long time, combining history, lifestyle, fashion, and the mystique and mystery that makes tartan so enduring.
The books launch party is at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC on Monday, October 29th (6:30-8:30 in the New Burberry Shop on 2). The authors have invited me to invite my friends. So, if you want to come, simply call the RSVP number 212-940-2844 and leave your name and the number of people in your party. Then you can gift autographed copies :). Maybe I’ll see you there.
Until soon, Michael
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