Celia Birtwell has been described as “the most important textile designer of a generation.” Her work is regarded as timeless and is immediately recognizable the world over. This visually lavish, multi-layered book delves deep into her work and eventful life with all the personal warmth and the visual intricacy of a family scrapbook. It features intimate photographs of Celia and her friends from her own photo albums, snapshots of people from her bohemian milieu during the 60s and 70s in West London, her colorful and charming drawings and fashion sketches, and a multitude of examples of her fashion and home fabrics. Peppering the text are Celia’s perceptive observations and fascinating reminiscences. An iconic figure on the global arts scene, Celia is famous for being David Hockney’s chief muse and equally famous for her dynamic collaboration with her then husband, fashion designer Ossie Clark. This book clearly explains Celia’s fluent, yet instinctive approach to design and unpicks the creative process behind her designs, from sketch to printed textile—showcasing her flair for audaciously vibrant, yet always harmonious color combinations. Concluding the book is a timeline of Celia’s life and work and a chronologically listed inventory of her prints.
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||
Shop the Amazon.com Textbooks Store and save up to 70% on textbook rentals, 90% on used textbooks and 60% on eTextbooks. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Celia is one of the most talented textile designers ever. She’s brilliant…” ---Manolo Blahnik
About the Author
CELIA BIRTWELL is one of Britain’s best-loved textile designers. She started working with her then husband, fashion designer Ossie Clark in the 1960's and soon they were the darlings of the fashion world, collaborating on a series of hit dress collections until 1973. Celia is also a lifelong friend and muse of painter David Hockney. In 1984 she opened a shop in Notting Hill selling her home collection, which continues to operate today. In the last few years she has produced two bestselling collections for Top Shop.
DOMINIC LUTYENS is a style journalist who writes about fashion, design, interiors, and art for a range of publications including Observer Magazine, Financial Times, Elle Decoration, and Design Week. He is the coauthor with Kirsty Hislop of Seventies Style and Design.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Millamant
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
First of all, it is important to note that this book is not a biography of Celia Birtwell. It contains a thumbnail sketch of her life and influences, but that's all. What it is best described as is as a retrospective of her work--and what work it is! Page after page of dazzling designs, photographs from fashion magazines, individual design sketches, photos of fabric samples and garments. It's popular these days to poke fun at the fashions and designs of the early seventies which were Celia Birtwell's artistic heyday, or to make the kitschy elements into a retro cult, but while there was certainly much then that was risible, this is the era at its absolute best--bold, experimental and ravishingly beautiful. (Why don't people use colour like this any more?) And the furnishing fabrics from the later part of Celia Birtwell's career are equally distinctive, proving her versatility and inventiveness over several decades.
There was only one thing I wasn't really happy about, and that was the paper on which the book was printed. One is used to glossy stock for this sort of work, and there were pages where this would definitely have enhanced the beauty of the illustrative content. I'll also note that some of the snapshots and magazine extracts were less than crystal clear owing to their age, and the quality of the original image, but remembering what magazine printing was like then, I could easily forgive this.
Overall, I don't think I have ever responded so viscerally to a book about a designer before--and I can't remember the last time I gave a book five stars.
There was only one thing I wasn't really happy about, and that was the paper on which the book was printed. One is used to glossy stock for this sort of work, and there were pages where this would definitely have enhanced the beauty of the illustrative content. I'll also note that some of the snapshots and magazine extracts were less than crystal clear owing to their age, and the quality of the original image, but remembering what magazine printing was like then, I could easily forgive this.
Overall, I don't think I have ever responded so viscerally to a book about a designer before--and I can't remember the last time I gave a book five stars.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
No doubt Celia Birtwell has been under-recognized as an important and delightful force in 60s-70s era fashion, especially in America. The fact that she is still producing, and that her work continues to look fresh and modern is a tribute to her work ethic, stamina and artistic gifts. However Celia basically found her style in repeating vaguely floral/somewhat retro patterns many years ago and has not moved very far from her niche. The repeating in this book is not just the patterns. The text makes the same points over and over-- her style was influenced by these people, her textiles were integral to Ossie Clark's designs, she was David Hockney's muse, etc. The design of the book itself is charming. It's slightly oversize and has a nice heft due to the paper (as mentioned in the previous review). It has the feel of a personal scrapbook, but in the end a little Celia goes a long way.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having always been a great fan of the exciting and wacky fashions of the sixties, I was hopeful when I read Celia Birtwell had written a book. Upon receiving her book, I could tell it was going to be a thrilling addition to my art book collection. Celia's many wonderful illustrations and the addition of just enough information concerning her relationship with Ossie Clark and David Hockney is just perfect. I give it five stars!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Listmania!
|
|
