Thursday, December 4, 2008

Holiday Gift Guide: Books for the Aesthete and the Decadent

I would be as pleased as punch to have any of these stunning books on my coffee table. Gorgeously bound and illustrated books are perfect gifts for the design junkie, fashion fanatic, and art enthusiast on your shopping list.



Sometimes, the concept itself is just as beautiful as the final product. 100 Years of Fashion Illustration.




This colorful textile book would add some serious pop to a bookshelf or table. Indian Textiles.



A little kitsch and a lot of fun. Japanese Beauties [Icon series].




For a hardcore fashion historian. Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century, 2 vols.



A great gift for a vintage vixen or a professional window shopper. Shop America: Midcentury Storefront Design.



Perfect for someone with a flair for the dramatic or a love of theater. The Complete Costume History.



Lempicka was the essence of Art Deco fabulous. Lempicka.



Contemporary portrait painting, with a gorgeous cover. Painting People: Figure Painting Today.

Fashion from the Swingin' 60's -- complete eye candy! 60's Fashion: Vintage Fashion and Beauty Ads.


Great for an antique collector, a renovator, or a lover of turn-of-the-century design. Decorative Art 1900-1910.

10 comments:

Rosie the Cat said...

Oh wow, I agree, these are so beautiful! I can't get enough of coffeetable books.

Greetz from Tiz said...

your blog is so interesting!so nice to read all these things, thanx!!
greetz

{Tara} said...

autumn -- Thanks! My coffee table is getting quite overrun with books.

Tiz --Thank you for your kind words! I enjoy your blog too.

lune_blanc said...

oooo wondreful selection, all of them look intriguing, too bad I can't find them in japan...

Anonymous said...

Ooh I've got the 1960s book - I love it so much!

I'd also love to get the book about Indian prints and the Shop America book looks awesome too :)

{Tara} said...

susan -- you are so kind! i love it when one of my "secret" readers pops up to say "Hi". I am truly honored to hear you enjoy reading!

michiko-- You could probably at least order the ones from the Taschen website. Then again, you probably have an even more amazing selection of books there ;)

karen-- I figured you would have that book -- I thought of you when I chose it! I want the whole series from every decade!

s.i. michaels said...

What an amazing collection. That Japanese beauties book looks interesting--and if it's a series, I might have to check out the whole thing.

{Tara} said...

ambika -- I think it is a series. Taschen just has the best books...

Courtney said...

The Indian patterns book looks especially amazing!

{Tara} said...

Courtney -- I know! I'm a sucker for bright, exotic patterns.