Thierry Mugler: Fashion Fetish Fantasy [Hardcover]

Thierry Mugler (Author), Claude Deloffre (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Thierry Mugler's perfume "Angel" comes in a bottle shaped like an off-kilter star; it's a telling choice. At first glance, Mugler's designs seem like a 1970s version of space age, with lots of pointy spears, big shoulders, and gravity-defying basques, all executed in his shimmering, "classic" materials--vinyl and leather. But the real influence is late 1920s and '30s Hollywood, the days when Edith Head and Adrian were designing gowns for Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, and Jean Harlow. And it's these outsize personalities who are the key to Mugler: his ideal woman is a dominatrix-cum-star; fashion for him is a "very demanding mistress." So he fills his runways with character supermodels (Jerry, Eva, Naomi, Cindy) and an eclectic mix of stars (Cyd Charisse, Diana Ross, Sharon Stone, Ivana, Tippi Hedren)--in Mugler's words, "personalities who know and accept who they are and fashion themselves accordingly."

This beautifully designed book brings together more than 250 photographs--some by the man himself, others by stars in their own right (Helmut Newton, David LaChapelle)--from his diverse ventures: the first public fashion show, George Michael's "Too Funky" video, Macbeth for the Comédie Française. The collection proves Mugler to be an utterly distinctive, yet endlessly inventive, talent. --Alan Stewart

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: General Pub Group; 1St Edition edition (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575441055
• ISBN-13: 978-1575441054
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,085,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, February 26, 2002

By 

John Joss (Los Altos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thierry Mugler: Fashion Fetish Fantasy (Hardcover)

Beyond the bland, banal and often sleazy worlds of fashion and fetish there exists a hidden and beautiful world exemplified by Mugler's work and friends (whom he acknowledges with exquisite charm and tact on page 188). All these people 'get it' at a level of subtlety and taste that the lesser practitioners will never understand. They understand the power of bodily eroticism, the magic and mystery of masks and concealment, the attraction of helplessness (try to walk in those shoes and you will understand, too) coupled with the dangerous appeal of domination and submission.
FFF is to EXTREME as vintage wine is to mere plonk. Of course EXTREME had to be assembled as a Met show/book toying with cultural anthropology with the mainstream in mind, but although excellent (and so rated by me and others) EXTREME pales into insignificance by comparison with FFF. FFF combined extremes of other kinds: extreme eroticism, extreme physical transformations, extreme emotional danger. It is hugely to the credit of everyone involved, including models, photographers and the celebrities who comment with dazzling power, that it all comes off as beautiful and powerful, never beyond the bounds of taste. When you read those names, and consider what they have done in their own worlds, you will find yourself thinking (at least I did), that these are people whose persons and work you have admired, whom you would like to know in person, with whom you could have unusual and interesting times. They include Pedro Almodovar, David Bowie, John Epperson, Tippi Hedren, Ute Lemper, Julie Newmar, Jennifer Tilly (yes!), Bruce Vlanch and Raquel Welch, all relentless pushers of the cultural envelope.
Tension is the great sexual aphrodisiac and FFF is all about sexual tension expressed with body, face and hand adornment that is at the very limit of what can be done. My copy is not for sale, ever.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mugler makes the clothes that make you say "Oooohhh, AHhhh.", December 16, 2002

By 

Dickson Miller (South Beach) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thierry Mugler: Fashion Fetish Fantasy (Hardcover)

This collection of images and commentary on the creative work of Thierry Muglerserves you some killer imagery of famous people wearing infamous couture..Hardly a single item you would sport at a PTA meeting but, then, would you want to ever GO to a PTA meeting? An unbridled imagination, combined with the technical and architectural skills required bringing his visions to life, are made obvious as you slowly turn the pages ( with scrupulously clean hands, thank you ) and imagine a world where you play the starring role with Mr. Mugler as your wardrobe master..Don't try to attempt to recreate these garments at home. These get-ups come from a PROFESSIONAL!! Wear them at your own risk and don't turn your back on any houseguests who express an interest in this book.It is tough to find and sports a hefty price tag. I keep three copies in the house..and they are all tagged with a Low-Jack!! Glorious production values, high quality paper, and a front cover that defies adequate description make this title a MUST for the dreamer on your holiday shopping list..

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars dazzling!, December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Thierry Mugler: Fashion Fetish Fantasy (Hardcover)

Wonderful eye-candy - page after page of beautifully innovative photography of Mugler's imaginative creations. Much more than just a fashion book. Highly recommended!