From Library Journal
In her first book, Frankel presents a fashion-first look at the world, giving readers at least a decade of new material. This collection of her interviews with fashion designers, previously published in journals such as the Independent and Dazed & Confused, offers a closer, more penetrating look into some of the world's most intriguing designers. Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and John-Paul Gaultier are some of the designers showcased, alongside images of their clothes. The reproductions of the work that originally ran with each piece are enticing eye candy, sweetening the illuminating and juicy revelations printed in the accompanying interviews. The interviews, which took place between 1997 and April 2001, seem to preserve each designer's pre-glory moments in time while presenting other designers' careers as the standard by which all success is measured. Although thorough in her coverage, Frankel does leave out prominent designers in America and Europe to include lesser-knowns from Britain. Radical Fashion offers a short list of designers who innovate on the avant-garde of design. Since the honor of inclusion is bestowed upon only the most eccentric of the London/Milan/Paris set, the book seems a bit more elitist than Visionaries, excluding progressive designers such as Galliano, Gianni Versace, and Viktor & Rolf. The text offers a more academic glimpse of fashion and its extreme, with articles centered on one main concept. For example, a discussion of haute couture leads to Azzedine Alaia and Gautier, whereas Helmut Lang's vision is related to an essay about mixing art and fashion. The essays are extremely well researched as the authors, including Frankel, take on more complex concepts of design and also consider how fashion has altered in the face of modernity. The pictures included here are less glamorous and, on the whole, smaller, but they are useful reference points for the text. Both titles include notable quotes from each designer, highlighting their perspective on fashion. Radical Fashion is an excellent source for fashion theory, whereas Visionaries offers closer insight into the designers themselves. Rachel Collins, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Publisher
Exhibition Schedule: The Victoria and Albert Museum, London: Oct. 2001-Jan. 2002
