Femme Fatale: Famous Beauties Then and Now [Hardcover]

Serge Normant (Author), Bridget Foley (Author), Michael Thompson (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2001

Chic, sexy, and sophisticated, Femme Fatale pays tribute to a century of feminine glamour. Invoking not only iconic beauties like Jean Harlow, Brigitte Bardot, and Marilyn Monroe but also the looks that defined each decade from the 1900s to the new millennium, celebrity stylist Serge Normant crafts clothes, setting, hair, and makeup to transform today's most beautiful women. He re-creates Julia Roberts as Louise Brooks, and Cindy Crawford as a forties glamour goddess, a savvy paparazzi-stalked nineties superstar, and a twenties ingenue. Elizabeth Hurley frolics as a flower child and vamps as Mata Hari. Isabella Rossellini is a curvaceous fifties pinup and an eighties punk. And Britney Spears exudes all the poise of Grace Kelly.

This lavish exploration of fashion history, imagination, and stylish beauty carries with it Bridget Foley's cultural survey of each decade—from social and political issues to art movements and key style makers. Beauty, fashion, celebrity, and photography mavens will all love Femme Fatale—and so will every woman who has ever fantasized about looking like a star.

Text by Bridget Foley

Photography by Michael Thompson

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Studio; First edition. edition (October 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670030279
• ISBN-13: 978-0670030279
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Fashion

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars dissapointing, May 9, 2003

By 

Molly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Femme Fatale: Famous Beauties Then and Now (Hardcover)

Because of the title The Femme Fatale, Famous Beauties Then and Now, I was expecting a sort of photographic history book. I would be very interested in seeing how the image of a Femme Fatale has changed over the years, from the glamourous pencil browed vixens of the 1920's to the much more volupt modern beauties. (Think pulp fiction novel cover vs. Catherine Zeta Jones) I would have liked to read up on how even though what is considered beautiful (and dangerous) has changed, the character of the Femme Fatale predominates our culture, in literature and film.
I really got the wrong book. Instead of what I was expecting, this book features celebrities made over to appear like they would in different time periods, and the photos are high quality, oversized and printed on slick glossy paper. Some of the transformations are very well done (the girl on the front cover is Julia Roberts, believe it or not) So the book is not without merit, but they could have done a lot more.
If I wanted to see pictures of Britney Spears, I'd just read People magazine.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Chic but not fatal., October 27, 2003

By 

alainviet "alainviet" (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Femme Fatale: Famous Beauties Then and Now (Hardcover)

This book presents beautiful pictures of famous and enticing modern women: but to call them "femmes fatales" would be to mischaracterize them.

By definition, the term "femmes fatales" was coined to gorgeous women whose actions were detrimental or harmful to their men or partners. Thus, in real life a woman could be gorgeous without being fatal, or vice versa, she could be fatal without being exceptionally gorgeous. Cleopatra was one such woman, who although not extraordinarily beautiful, was able to charm two Roman generals and to lead them to their downfall.

Although hairstyle was an important component of a woman's appearance, it was certainly not the unique feature of a person. Her eyes, smile, demeanor, sleek appearance, and clothing also played important roles. Therefore, to reduce a woman's character to her hairdo, as the hairstylist-author had suggested, was to overly simplify the matter.

The women photographed in the book were certainly "chic," although not necessarily "fatal."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, Tastefully Made., December 2, 2001

By 

"lachristina" (Louisville, Ky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Femme Fatale: Famous Beauties Then and Now (Hardcover)

So many times have a picked up a book on photography, only to be disappointed by the lack of glamour and style in the photos. This book was no disappointment. Serge Normant did an amazing job recreating such beauties from the past, all done in a almost retro like style. Britney Spears, Julia Roberts, and Elizabeth Hurley all looked stunning as they played the role of the females before them that captured the world on screen. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves celebrity photography, but still takes note of the beauties and styles from the past. This is also a must for any fashionable female, this book is done with much taste. Wonderful book. ^_^