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Altman
by Kathryn Reed Altman Giulia D'Agnolo VallanFor decades, Robert Altman fascinated audiences with pioneering films—among them M*A*S*H, Nashville, The Player, and Gosford Park—that combined technical innovation with subversive, satirical humor and impassioned political engagement. His ability to explore and engage so many different worlds with a single, coherent vision changed the landscape of cinema forever. This signature "Altmanesque" style is, in the words of Martin Scorsese: "as recognizable and familiar as Renoir's brushstrokes or Debussy's orchestrations." Now, the Altman estate opens its archive to celebrate his extraordinary life and career in the first authorized visual biography on the iconoclastic director. Altman, by Altman’s widow Kathryn Reed Altman and film critic Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, brims with photographs and ephemera, many culled from private family albums, and personal recollections of the director. Alongside the intimate illustrated story is a complete visual, historical, and critical narrative of Altman’s films and his process. To honor the Altman trademark of using a wide cast of characters, Altman also features contributions from his collaborators and contemporaries including Frank Barhydt, E. L. Doctorow, Roger Ebert, Jules Feiffer, Julian Fellowes, James Franco, Tess Gallagher, Pauline Kael, Garrison Keillor, Michael Murphy, Martin Scorsese, Lily Tomlin, Alan Rudolph, Michael Tolkin, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Altman (Text-Only Edition)
by Kathryn Reed AltmanFor decades, Robert Altman fascinated audiences with pioneering films—among them M*A*S*H, Nashville, The Player, and Gosford Park—that combined technical innovation with subversive, satirical humor and impassioned political engagement. His ability to explore and engage so many different worlds with a single, coherent vision changed the landscape of cinema forever. This signature "Altmanesque" style is, in the words of Martin Scorsese: "as recognizable and familiar as Renoir's brushstrokes or Debussy's orchestrations." Now, the Altman estate opens its archive to celebrate his extraordinary life and career in the first authorized visual biography on the iconoclastic director. Altman, by Altman’s widow Kathryn Reed Altman and film critic Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, brims with photographs and ephemera, many culled from private family albums, and personal recollections of the director. Alongside the intimate illustrated story is a complete visual, historical, and critical narrative of Altman’s films and his process. To honor the Altman trademark of using a wide cast of characters, Altman also features contributions from his collaborators and contemporaries including Frank Barhydt, E. L. Doctorow, Roger Ebert, Jules Feiffer, Julian Fellowes, James Franco, Tess Gallagher, Pauline Kael, Garrison Keillor, Michael Murphy, Martin Scorsese, Lily Tomlin, Alan Rudolph, Michael Tolkin, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Alton's Paradox: Foreign Film Workers and the Emergence of Industrial Cinema in Latin America (SUNY series in Latin American Cinema)
by Nicolas PoppeAlton's Paradox builds upon extensive archival and primary research, but uses a single text as its point of departure—a 1934 article by the Hungarian American cinematographer John Alton in the Hollywood-published International Photographer. Writing from Argentina, Alton paradoxically argues of cine nacional, "The possibilities are enormous, but not until foreign technicians will take the matter in their hands and with foreign organization will there be local industry." Nicolas Poppe argues that Alton succinctly articulates a line of thought commonly held across Latin America during the early sound period but little explored by scholars: that foreign labor was pivotal to the rise of national film industries. In tracking this paradox from Hollywood to Mexico to Argentina and beyond, Poppe reconsiders a series of notions inextricably tied to traditional film historiography, including authorship, (dis)continuation, intermediality, labor, National Cinema, and transnationalism. Wide-angled views of national film industries complement close-up analyses of the work of José Mojica, Alex Phillips, Juan Orol, Ángel Mentasti, and Tito Davison.
Altoona
by Alex Payne Altoona Area Historical SocietyFounded in 1868, Altoona was once just a small town on the prairie--at least until the planes, trains, and automobiles came. Trains started crossing this town as planes made their way to the Altoona Airport, and the construction of Interstate 80 on Altoona's north edge brought many tourists. The growing community has become known across the state as the "Entertainment Capital of Iowa." Altoona is home to Adventureland Park, Iowa's largest amusement park, as well as Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, and it hosted the state's first municipal airport, Hanna Air Field. Various innovative individuals called this community home, such as Robert Townsend with his single-pass color printer and George Kurtzweil and his idea to grow the first acre of hybrid seed corn. Altoona's history espouses a unique combination of small-town Iowa traditions and progressive thinkers that make it unforgettable.
Altoona
by David W. SeidelThe Pennsylvania Railroad was incorporated in 1846 and immediately began the task of finding an all-rail route to connect Philadelphia with Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Railroad surveyed possible routes and arrived on a valley floor at the base of the Allegheny Mountains in 1849 that was primarily occupied by the David Robeson farm. As people arrived for employment opportunities, the railroad company purchased the Robeson farm, laid out the plan of a town, and named it Altoona. Shops were established, and crafts were needed as locomotive and car design and building evolved, all with increasing population and prosperity. Altoona grew from farmland to 75,000 people in 75 years.
Altoona
by Jared FrederickFor over a century, Altoona, Pennsylvania, was a bustling industrial hotbed. The town thrived as a gem of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which constructed some 6,000 steam locomotives. However, like so many communities in the wake of World War II, Altoona struggled amidst deindustrialization and cultural shifts. The 1968 end of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a decreasing population, and a dying downtown slowly made the city a shadow of its former self. However, recent developments reveal potential--as is seen in the corporate presence of Norfolk Southern and Sheetz. Additionally, the growth of Penn State Altoona, regional health care systems, and the Altoona Curve baseball club continue to make the city and its environs a unique place within the heart of the Allegheny Mountains.
Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway
by Leonard E. Alwine David W. SeidelDating back to 1882, the Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway has humble origins, but it quickly became a viable transportation system serving the city of Altoona. Often referred to as the Logan Valley, the railway employed 300 people, transported 11.5 million passengers a year, and traveled 7,220 scheduled route miles a day until economic conditions forced the line to discontinue service on June 2, 1954. Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway documents the history of a streetcar network that served the employees of the Pennsylvania Railroad as well as the community. Through 200 images and informed narrative, this book retraces the history of the Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway and its successor, the Logan Valley Bus Company.
Altruism by Design: How To Effect Social Change as an Architect
by Adam R. WilmesAltruism by Design: How to Effect Social Change as an Architect is meant to prepare the individual designer – whether a student or practicing professional – for a career dedicated to serving communities in need through design and construction. It will help you understand the complexities, opportunities, and benefits of creating architecture that promotes social equality and community so that you can make a difference. What you'll learn: -How community-based studios can respond to natural disasters and economic conditions-How to build what you design-How to develop relationships with non-traditional clients-How to structure your career to be dedicated to social change and sustainable design-How to discover funding opportunities for projects in a not-for-profit firm-How to consider moral and financial aspects of your practice-How you can collaborate with other design professions to determine the future of the built environment Featuring detailed case studies, including work by Studio 804 and Pyotak Architects, and more than 100 color images; this book is essential reading for providing you with a viable path to altruistic design.
Aluminium Design and Construction
by John DwightProvides a practical design guide to the structural use of aluminium. The first chapters outline basic aluminium technology and the advantages of using aluminium in many structural applications. The major part of the book deals with structural design and presents very clear guidance for designers, with numerous diagrams, charts and examples.
Aluminium: A Studio Design Guide
by Michael StaceyAre you making the most of aluminium? Aluminium is one of the most flexible and durable materials to design with. With exceptional strength, durability and affordability, it provides us with more than simply the ability to select products. When understood properly, aluminium becomes something to design with. In a world where over half humankind now lives in cities there is a need to design zero carbon, attractive and durable architecture. This can only be achieved if we are more resourceful, if we achieve more with less by understanding materials well, using finite element analysis and computer aided design. Aluminium can be part of that route to affordable and durable architecture. Recycling aluminium takes only 5% of the energy required to produce primary aluminium and it can be recycled almost infinitely without any loss of properties. Combining an inspirational overview of the use of aluminium in architecture and infrastructure with a technical level of detail, this book shows how useful and versatile aluminium is – and how architects can actually design with it. This book provides access to state of the art research into the best practice in application of aluminium to architecture: from curtain walling and cladding roofing to structural considerations. It demonstrates the material’s design flexibility and how it works well with other materials. Each process will be accompanied by exemplar case studies that demonstrate the potential and application. Woven into the structure of the book are the primary benefits of aluminium: its flexiblilty, its durability, its sustainable properties and its cost-effectiveness. Whether you’re a first year student or a seasoned designer or engineer, this book provides an accessible and deep dive into the uses and benefits of aluminium.
Aluminum Surfaces: A Guide to Alloys, Finishes, Fabrication and Maintenance in Architecture and Art (Architectural Metals Series)
by L. William ZahnerA full-color guide for architects and design professionals to the selection and application of aluminum Aluminum Surfaces, second in William Zahner's Architectural Metals Series, provides a comprehensive and authoritative treatment of aluminum applications in architecture and art. It offers architecture and design professionals the information they need to ensure proper maintenance and fabrication techniques through detailed information and full color images. It covers everything from the history of the metal and choosing the right alloy, to detailed information on a variety of surface and chemical finishes and corrosion resistance. The book also features case studies offering architecture and design professionals strategies for designing and executing successful projects using aluminum. Aluminum Surfaces is filled with illustrative case studies that offer strategies for designing and executing successful projects using aluminum. All the books in Zahner’s Architectural Metals Series offer in-depth coverage of today’s most commonly used metals in architecture and art. This important book: Contains a comprehensive guide to the use and maintenance of aluminum surfaces in architecture and art Features full-color images of a variety of aluminum finishes, colors, textures, and forms Includes case studies with performance data that feature strategies on how to design and execute successful projects using aluminum Offers methods to address corrosion, before and after it occurs Discusses the environmental impact of aluminum from the creation process through application Explains the significance of the different alloys and the forms available to the designer Discusses expectations when using aluminum in various exposures For architecture professionals, metal fabricators, developers, architecture students and instructors, designers, and artists working with metals, Aluminum Surfaces offers a logical framework for the selection and application of aluminum in all aspects of architecture.
Alumnae Theatre Company: Nonprofessionalizing Theatre in Canada
by Robin C. WhittakerDelving into previously untapped archival resources, Alumnae Theatre Company traces the history and ongoing impact of North America’s longest-running women-led theatre group, Toronto’s Alumnae Theatre Company. The book illuminates the essential yet downplayed relationships between professional and nonprofessionalizing theatre practices, drawing on primary and secondary sources that have contributed to the practice and scholarship of theatre since the early twentieth century. It uses Alumnae as a case study for recognizing female leadership roles that support the development of theatre artists in Canada. The book considers Alumnae’s historical influences on university philanthropy, intellectual modernism, and Toronto’s expanding theatre ecology. It revisits past eras to focus on four dominant perspectives: theatre spaces, festival competition, new play production, and nonprofessionalizing theatre’s relationship to an emerging profession. The book tethers Alumnae’s alterity to contemporary critical notions of the nonprofessionalizing theatre practitioner as counter-culture revolutionary. It urges scholars and practitioners alike to not take for granted the values and possibilities of contemporary nonprofessionalizing theatre practices. Alumnae Theatre Company also serves as a fascinating history of Toronto through the eyes of its oldest active theatre company.
Alvar Aalto and The Art of Landscape (Routledge Research in Landscape and Environmental Design)
by Teija IsohautaAlvar Aalto and The Art of Landscape captures the essence of the Finnish architect’s landscape concept, emphasising culture and tradition, which characterised his approach to and understanding of architecture as part of the wider environment. From the forests of his youth to sights from his travels, Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) was influenced by outdoor landscapes. Throughout his career, he felt the need to shape the terrain and this became a signature of his architecture. Divided into five chapters, this book traces Aalto’s relationship with landscape, starting with an analysis of his definitions and descriptions of landscape language, which ranged from natural references and biological terms, to synonyms and comparisons. It includes beautifully illustrated case study projects from the 1950s and 1960s, discussing Aalto’s transformation of different landscapes through topography, terracing and tiers, ruins and natural elements, horizon outlines, landmarks, and the repetition of form. Featuring archival sketches, garden drawings, and plans, the book also contains Aalto’s text ‘Architecture in the Landscape of Central Finland’ from 1925 in the appendix. This book provides fascinating, untold insights into Aalto’s relationship with landscape and how this developed during his lifetime, for scholars, researchers, and students interested in architecture and landscape history, landscape art, and cultural studies.
Alvar Aalto and the Future of Architecture
by Robert Cody Angela AmoiaIn the contemporary practice of architecture, digital design and fabrication are emergent technologies in transforming how architects present a design and form a material strategy that is responsible, equitable, sustainable, resilient, and forward-looking. This book exposes dialogue between history, theory, design, construction, technology, and sensory experience by means of digital simulations that enhance the assessment and values of our material choices. It offers a critical look to the past to inspire the future. This new edition looks to Alvar Aalto as the primary protagonist for channeling discussions related to these topics. Architects like ALA, Shigeru Ban, 3XN, Peter Zumthor, and others also play the role of contemporary guides in this review. The work of Aalto and selected contemporary architects, along with computer modeling software, showcase the importance of comprehensive design. Organized by the five Ts of contemporary architectural discourse—Typology, Topology, Tectonics, Technic, Thermodynamics—each chapter is used to connect history through Aalto and develop conversations concerning historical and contemporary models, digital simulations, ecological and passive/active material concerns, construction and fabrications, and healthy sensorial environments. Written for students and academics, this book bridges knowledge from academia into practice and vice versa to help architects become better stewards of the environment, make healthier and more accountable buildings, and find ways to introduce policy to make technology a critical component in thinking about and making architecture.
Alvar Aalto in the Finnish Context (Routledge Research in Architecture)
by Kirmo MikkolaThis book, first published in Finnish in 1985 under the title Aalto, is a critical introduction to Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), written by one of Aalto’s Finnish architectural contemporaries, Kirmo Mikkola (1934–1986). The book is divided into six sections dealing with different aspects of Aalto’s architecture, from his classical beginnings to urban planning, as well as his various professional and intellectual associates.Mikkola debunks the common opinion of a reticent Aalto to determine the roots of his thinking, seeing him as a mediator of influences from a wide variety of sources. The book was originally targeted at a Finnish audience, and so its translation requires ‘interpreters’, two architect-scholars who knew Mikkola well, Juhani Pallasmaa, and Aino Niskanen. The book also sheds light on a young generation of Finnish architects that distanced itself from Aalto as a role model, pinpointed here by the inclusion of the essay ‘Snowballs’ (1948) by Aulis Blomstedt.Often quoted by Finnish architectural scholars, the publication finally of an English translation of Mikkola’s book will appeal to those international scholars and students who have been aware of the lack of critical perspectives from Aalto’s Finnish architect contemporaries.
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney Brian PinkneyDescribes the life, dancing, and choreography of Alvin Ailey, who created his own modern dance company to explore the black experience. Alvin Ailey is a biography of a brilliant dancer/choreographer as well as the story of the creation of Revelations, his modern dance masterpiece which premiered in New York City in 1960
Alvin Ailey: An American Visionary (Choreography and Dance Studies Series #4.1)
by Muriel TopazDuring its three and half decades, the Alvin Ailey Company has left lasting markers on the playing field of American Modern Dance. It has established a reputation for precise but spectacular dancing, for depicting an African American ethos with sensitivity and elegance, and set standards for performance excellence. Ailey's choreography caused shock waves in the dance world of 1958 and continues to move audiences deeply. The company has also provided a paradigm for a modern dance repertory company. Contributors include Jennifer Dunning, Ronni Favors, Allan Gray, Denise Jefferson, Cynthia Sithembile West, Muriel Topaz, James Truitte, and Sylvia Waters. Eulogies written by David Dinkins, Carmen de Lavallade, Judith Jamison and Maya Angelou.
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography
by Eric IdleBest known for his unforgettable roles in Monty Python, from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this brilliantly entertaining memoir that takes us on an unforgettable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theatre and film. Coming of age as a writer and comedian during the Sixties and Seventies, Eric stumbled into the crossroads of the cultural revolution and found himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Harrison, David Bowie and Robin Williams, all of whom became lifelong friends. With anecdotes sprinkled throughout that involve other close friends and luminaries such as Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Paul Simon and Mike Nichols - let alone the Pythons themselves - Eric captures a time of tremendous creative output with equal hilarity and heart. In Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, named after the song he wrote for Life of Brian that has since become the number-one song played at funerals in the UK, he shares the highlights of his life and career with the off-beat humour that has delighted audiences for decades.A legend in his own lunchtime, Eric is the author of many books, some not half bad, some not even a quarter bad. Now he enters his anecdotage as the last word in Python memoirs, and the last of this extraordinary group to tell his story. 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Pythons, and Eric is celebrating the occasion with this laugh-out-loud memoir, chock-full of behind-the-scenes stories from a high-flying life that features everyone from Princess Leia to the Queen.
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography
by Eric IdleWe know him best for his unforgettable roles on Monty Python - from the Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life. Now, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this entertaining memoir that takes us on a remarkable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theatre and film. Coming of age as a writer and comedian during the Sixties and Seventies, Eric stumbled into the crossroads of the cultural revolution and found himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Harrison, David Bowie and Robin Williams, all of whom became dear lifelong friends. With anecdotes sprinkled throughout involving other close friends and luminaries such as Mike Nichols, Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Lorne Michaels, and many more, as well as the Pythons themselves, Eric captures a time of tremendous creative output with equal parts hilarity and heart. In Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, named for the song he wrote for Life of Brian and which has since become the number one song played at funerals in the UK, he shares the highlights of his life and career with the kind of offbeat humour that has delighted his audiences for five decades. The year 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Pythons and Eric is marking the occasion with this hilarious memoir chock full of behind-the-scenes stories from a high-flying life featuring everyone from Princess Leia to Queen Elizabeth.Written and read by Eric Idle(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018
Always Looking: Essays on Art
by John UpdikeFollowing on from the acclaimed Just Looking and Still Looking, Always Looking is an insightful collection of art criticism and a masterclass in appreciating art - from the great American man of letters, John Updike. Always Looking treats readers to a series of elegant and sensitive essays on art, and includes writing on a comprehensive array of subjects, both American and European. In 'The Clarity of Things', Updike looks closely at Copley, Homer, Abstract Expressionism, and Pop, in order to explore what is 'American' in American art. From here he moves to masterpieces of American and European art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries -- from the sublime landscapes of Frederic Church and the series paintings of Monet and Degas, to the verbal-visual puzzles of Magritte and the steely sculptural environments of Richard Serra. With more than two-hundred full-colour reproductions, Always Looking is an invitation to see the world afresh through the eyes of John Updike, a matchless connoisseur. 'Our time's greatest man of letters - as brilliant a literary critic and essayist as he was a novelist and short-story writer. His death constitutes a loss to our literature that is immeasurable'Philip Roth'He was a modern master, a colossal figure in American letters, the finest writer working in English. He dazzled us with his interests and intellectual curiosity, and he turned a beautiful sentence' Ian McEwan'Updike was that rare creature: an all-around man of letters, a literary decathlete who brought to his criticism an insider's understanding of craft and technique; a first-class appreciator of talent, capable of describing other artists' work with nimble, pictorial brilliance; an ebullient observer, who could bring to essays about dinosaurs or golf or even the theory of relativity a contagious, boyish sense of wonder' Michiko Kakutani, New York TimesJohn Updike was born in 1932 in Shillington, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Harvard College in 1954, and spent a year in Oxford, at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art. His novels, stories, and nonfiction collections have won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Howells Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He died in January 2009. Christopher Carduff, the editor of this volume, is a member of the staff of The Library of America. He is also the editor of Higher Gossip, a collection of John Updike's essays and criticism.
Always More Than One: Individuation's Dance
by Erin ManningIn Always More Than One, the philosopher, visual artist, and dancer Erin Manning explores the concept of the "more than human" in the context of movement, perception, and experience. Working from Whitehead's process philosophy and Simondon's theory of individuation, she extends the concepts of movement and relation developed in her earlier work toward the notion of "choreographic thinking." Here, she uses choreographic thinking to explore a mode of perception prior to the settling of experience into established categories. Manning connects this to the concept of "autistic perception," described by autistics as the awareness of a relational field prior to the so-called neurotypical tendency to "chunk" experience into predetermined subjects and objects. Autistics explain that, rather than immediately distinguishing objects—such as chairs and tables and humans—from one another on entering a given environment, they experience the environment as gradually taking form. Manning maintains that this mode of awareness underlies all perception. What we perceive is never first a subject or an object, but an ecology. From this vantage point, she proposes that we consider an ecological politics where movement and relation take precedence over predefined categories, such as the neurotypical and the neurodiverse, or the human and the nonhuman. What would it mean to embrace an ecological politics of collective individuation?
Always Music in the Air: The Sound of Twin Peaks
by Scott RyanA first-time-ever exploration of the 290 songs from the entirety of win Peaks, sure to entice fans of the David Lynch-Mark Frost's cult classic that revolutionized TV, with brand-new interviews with Frost and several of the key composers and musicians involved."Where we're from, the birds sing a pretty song and there's always music in the air." When author Scott Ryan (Fire Walk With Me: Your Laura Disappeared, The Last Days of Letterman) heard those words on the television series Twin Peaks in 1990, he wanted to live there as well. Problem was, most of the music that played in Twin Peaks were not released. Only one soundtrack came out from the series, and one from the film. It wasn't until 2011 that director David Lynch and composer Angelo Badalamenti opened the archives and released every track on MP3. These tracks were never officially released and do not stream anywhere today. Ryan interviews band members who performed the songs and music editors and directors from the series and draws from archived interviews with the late Badalamenti and singer Julee Cruise. This book explores all the music that was in the air, from Cruise's 1989 release Floating into the Night through all the Twin Peaks soundtracks, the 2011 online releases called the Twin Peaks Archives, and the releases from Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017. Ryan conducts brand new-Interviews with Dean Hurley (composer for The Return, curator of the Twin Peaks Archive), Tim Hunter (director), Lori Eschler (music editor), David Slusser (composer, music editor), Kevin Laffey (A&R for Julee Cruise), Duwayne Dunham (editor, director), Kinny Landrum, (keyboards) and Al Regni (saxophone). Also included are excerpts from Ryan's 2018 interview with Cruise. Foreword by Brad Dukes (Reflections: An Oral History of Twin Peaks).
Always Never Yours
by Emily Wibberley Austin Siegemund-Broka“An utterly charming story of love, family, heartbreak, and drama. I absolutely loved it!”—Morgan Matson, New York Times bestselling author of Since You’ve Been GoneMegan Harper is the girl before. All her exes find their one true love right after dating her. It's not a curse or anything, it's just the way things are. and Megan refuses to waste time feeling sorry for herself. Instead, she focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream school's acting requirement in the smallest role possible. But her plans quickly crumble when she's cast as none other than Juliet--yes, that Juliet--in her high school's production. It's a nightmare. No--a disaster. Megan's not an actress and she's certainly not a Juliet. Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright who agrees to help Megan catch the eye of a sexy stagehand in exchange for help writing his new script. Between rehearsals and contending with her divided family, Megan begins to notice Owen--thoughtful, unconventional, and utterly unlike her exes, and wonders: shouldn't a girl get to play the lead in her own love story?
Always Pack a Party Dress
by Amanda BrooksAn authentic voice in the world of style and how-to books, Amanda Brooks, with her unique and enviable yet accessible style, has inspired thousands of women - of all ages - to find their own personal look and explore their identity through the clothes they love to wear. In the past twenty years Brooks has worked as a photo assistant for Patrick Demarchelier, a "gallerina" at the Gagosian Gallery, and at various fashion posts, before finding her dream job as fashion director for Barneys New York. Along the way--and wearing more than a few of the kinds of outfits we've all regretted at one point or another--Brooks has discovered the key to creating her personal style, combining influences as wide-ranging as childhood prep school, Grateful Dead concerts, contemporary artists, pop culture, and her current home outside of the fashion bubble, a farm where she lives with her family (and a host of animals) in England. In Always Pack a Party Dress, Brooks recalls her early career aspirations and explores the evolution of her own personal style in stories of successes and failures alike, and offers fashion and beauty tips and inspiring photographs throughout. She shares her expertise and inside view with warm, candid, often witty prose. Always Pack a Party Dress is a must-read for high fashion or street style aficionados, and gorgeously produced gift book, Brooks' shares her expertise and insider view with warm, candid and often witty prose.From the Trade Paperback edition.