Design

The epitome of British heritage fashion, the Burberry trench coat is a beloved wardrobe classic. Practical yet versatile; it is sleek and sexy but also a preppy favourite. Since the launch of the coat in 1912, Burberry has unveiled a selection of styles that has reached iconic stature – and here you will discover their original designs, seasonal adaptations and limited editions.

The book also takes a behind-the-scenes look at the craftsmanship, the preloved market and how to authenticate a Burberry. So, whether you are considering buying retail or secondhand, dressing for weather or fashion, this is your ultimate guide to the world's most famous coat.

With a dedication to luxury and practicality, Louis Vuitton designed his unique lightweight, airtight luggage in 1854 and ensured that jetsetters all over the globe could travel in comfort and style. It was a creation that founded a fashion house and became a standard-bearer for all travel pieces of the future.

Exploring the history from traditional box-making to the revolution of the stackable trunk to modern-day artistic collaborations, the book captures the story and craftmanship behind this status symbol and how the luggage continues to define the spirit of travel. From the unmistakable Monogram canvas to the unpickable lock, the steamer trunk to the Speedy, every detail and feature is unveiled.

For more than a century, Chanel has shaped the landscape of modern fashion. This elegant book traces the brand's extraordinary transformation - from Coco Chanel's first millinery boutique to its current status at the forefront of luxury style.

Packed with sharp quotes and intriguing insights, it explores how Chanel revolutionized women's fashion, pioneered the modern silhouette and built an empire defined by elegance and sophistication. Discover the stories behind iconic creations - from the legendary No. 5 perfume to the classic 2.55 handbag - and the bold marketing strategies that cemented its global success.

Whether you're a fashion enthusiast or a devotee of luxury branding, this stylish tribute offers a compelling snapshot of Chanel's lasting influence and continued relevance in today's ever-evolving world of fashion and business.

Sample Content:
"We're in the business of selling pleasure. We don't sell handbags or haute couture. We sell dreams."
- Alain Wertheimer, chairman of Chanel (1996-)

"Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions." - Karl Lagerfeld, Creative Director of Chanel (1983-2019)

"Chanel is above all a style. Fashion passes, style remains." - House of Chanel marketing campaign, echoing Coco Chanel's ethos

In a world of seasonal sales and markdowns, Chanel stands apart. The brand has a strict no discount policy - no sales, no outlets and no price slashing during fashion weeks! This is because Chanel stands for timeless value and exclusivity - and this refusal to dilute the brand is part of what keeps it among the most desirable in the world.

Yves Saint Laurent, or YSL, is one of the most famous fashion designers of all time, whose impact on the fashion world is almost unmatched. A revolutionary designer for women, his designs took traditionally male styles and reinvented them for the modern women of the 1960s. From jumpsuits to safari jackets to his iconic tuxedo, YSL's designs revolutionised women's clothes forever. He can be credited with making ready-to-wear clothes reputable and desirable, in a marked move away from haute couture, and for championing trousers for women.

Despite a life marred with addiction, war and mental health struggles, Yves remained a powerhouse of the fashion industry for 50 years, and his name – and initials – are now synonymous with quality, innovation and heritage. His collections may have sometimes generated controversy and criticism, but they have proved to be timeless and transformative.

The Little Guide to Yves Saint Laurent charts his tumultuous rise to the top, accompanied by facts and quotes from, and about, the man himself and the fashion legacy he built.

Since 1921, Gucci has been a titan of the luxury fashion industry. Celebrated for its exclusive high-end accessories, the brand reigns supreme for its signature leather goods and decadent garments that have elegantly combined the understated with the opulent.

More than 100 years ago, Gucci took the world by storm as a luxury luggage and equstrian outfitter, quickly becoming a giant of 1990s haute couture. The highly sought-after products would only become more exclusive with time, and since then the company has gone from strength to strength. Under the watchful eyes of Alessandro Michele and now, Sabato de Sarno, the brand has made its mark on streetwear, inspring a new generation of fans.

Brimming with fascinating facts and inspirational quotes from celebrities, fans and the creative heads at Gucci, this little guide documents not only the brand's extraordinary journey, but also the elusive family at the helm.

'Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.'
Aldo Gucci

For over 150 years, Louis Vuitton's monographed bags have been associated with style and luxury. Born in 1821, he had left home at 13 to seek his fortune in Paris where he became an apprentice box-maker which eventually led him to introductions at the French Royal Court. With royal endorsement, Louis opened of his first workshop in 1854 where his skills and innovations established his brand as one of Europe's most popular.

Passing his passion for crafting beautiful luggage onto his son, Georges, and later his grandson Gaston-Louis, they ensured the company continued to grow, surviving two world wars, to become the luxury brand it's renowned for.

Louis Vuitton stores opened in cities throughout the world and expanded into other high-end brands. The merger in 1987 with Möet Hennessy created the megabrand LVMH, and in 1997 the appointment of Marc Jacobs launched Louis Vuitton into the world of fashion.

"The Louis Vuitton woman is more about a quality - a quality within some women that needs to come forward, to be noticed and recognised."
Marc Jacobs

"There's a lot of baggage that comes along with our family, but it's like Louis Vuitton baggage."
Kim Kardashian

"Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury."
Louis Vuitton

Though his life was relatively short, Christian Ernest Dior's seismic influence on the fashion world ensures his name lives on as one of the most successful and celebrated designers of all time. Using the rationing restrictions of wartime, he created designs that extenuated the female figure and released the women of the world from the restrictive, dull clothing that restricted rather than enhanced femininity.

It was Dior's sudden prominence on the world stage that restored Paris' reputation as the epicentre of the fashion world. To wear a Dior item of clothing, was to wear the best of the best. His post-War collection was described as a completely 'new look' by the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, one of the world's most powerful style magazines. The description was adopted and quickly became a fashion movement, with Dior's 'New Look' leading the way and even stealing the limelight from compatriot Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel.

The Little Guide to Christian Dior shows how despite coming from a wealthy background with powerful allies, Christian Dior may not have had to scrap his way to the top as Coco Chanel did, but his talent is no less worthy and his legacy as one of the world's greatest designers is no less deserving.

'My dream? To make women happier and more beatiiful.'
As seen on Living in Fifties Fashion, 'Salute Mr Dior'

The iconic dress that has stood the test of time.

Contemporary yet classic, the little black dress never goes out of style. Popularized by Coco Chanel in the 1920s, the style freed women from the corset and became the epitome of liberation. Dubbed the 'Ford of fashion' by American Vogue, it was simple, stylish and affordable – 'the frock that all the world will wear'.

Tracing the fascinating evolution of the LBD, from Audrey Hepburn's sleek Givenchy sheath in Breakfast at Tiffany's or Princess Diana's rebellious 'revenge dress' right through to the mesh detailing and body-sculpting shapes of recent years, this little book is a celebration of one of fashion's most iconic garments.

'One is never under dressed or over dressed with a little black dress.'
Karl Lagerfield

'A little black dress is something to rely on. To fill you with confidence and ease. To have an attitude that is pure and effortless, yet sexy and classy.'
Stella McCartney

'The little black dress must be luxurious, rich, sensual, diaphanous, exotic, severe, lush, demure, demanding, frivolous, amusing, and it must linger in memory, but above all, it must be simple and little and black.'
Carolina Herrera

A design monograph series on the most remarkable architects, designers, brands and design movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, each book contains a historical-critical essay discussing the life and work of the subject, followed by an illustrated appreciation of groundbreaking work.

Charles and Ray Eames were the golden couple of postwar American design. True multimedia pioneers, they worked in furniture design, architecture, print, photography and filmmaking. They imbued the modern twentieth-century aesthetic with originality, colour and freshness, and their ability to mould plastics and plywood with an elegance not previously seen resulted in some of the most influential furniture design of the modern age – witnessed not just in the continuing popularity of their original designs but also in the mass prodcution of countless imitations.

A design monograph series on the most remarkable architects, designers, brands and design movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, each book contains a historical-critical essay discussing the life and work of the subject, followed by an illustrated appreciation of groundbreaking work.

With his vivid imagination, wit and flair, Philippe Starck has transformed everyday objects into icons of modern design, heralding in the democratic design movement that has influenced what we buy and how we live. Among instantly recognizable classics such as the long-legged Juicy Salif lemon squeezer and the much imitated Sissi Lamp, Starck has created some of the world's most ground-breaking furniture, interiors, hotels and architecture, all of which are celebrated in this curated selection of images, accompanied by a critical essay of his life and work.