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The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genius, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris

by Alicia Drake

A portrait of rivalry and reinvention in 1970s Paris fashion

Regular price $21.83 USD
Regular price $34.11 USD Sale price $21.83 USD
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Paperback New English

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  • Critical praise

    Praise from the New York Times and New York Times Book Review

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A portrait of rivalry and reinvention in 1970s Paris fashion

Alicia Drake places Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent at the center of a crowded, competitive Paris fashion scene during the 1970s. Framed as both a biography of Lagerfeld and an account of his long-running rivalry with Saint Laurent, the book connects their opposing public personas and ambitions to a wider world of celebrity, aspiring insiders, intrigue, and excess. The focus extends beyond individual designers to the social machinery surrounding fashion: who gathered in Paris, how reputations were made, and why the era became such a charged setting for creative competition.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in 1970s Paris and fashion history
  • Fans of biographies of Karl Lagerfeld or Yves Saint Laurent
  • Those interested in fashion’s links to celebrity, status, and ambition

Themes

Fashion historyCreative rivalry1970s ParisCelebrity cultureAmbition and reinvention

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Book overview

A comprehensive biography of the late designer, Karl Lagerfeld, and his infamous rivalry with Yves Saint Laurent.

In the 1970s, Paris fashion exploded like a champagne bottle left out in the sun. Amid sequins and longing, celebrities and aspirants flocked to the heart of chic, and Paris became a hothouse of revelry, intrigue, and searing ambition. At the center of it all were fashion's most beloved luminaries - Yves Saint Laurent, the reclusive enfant terrible, and Karl Lagerfeld, the flamboyant freelancer with a talent for reinvention - and they divided Paris into two fabulous halves. Their enduring rivalry is chronicled in this dazzling expos
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