Contemporary Portraits of Fashion, Photography & Jewellery

The premise of the book is wonderful, exploring the world of fashion from a completely different angle. New designers are featured throughout, but the selection of these “createurs” is either very European minded or highly esoteric.

Of the 32 designers highlighted only three are recognizable names.

While the representative photography and short biographies are superbly rendered, they offer little insight into the design philosophy of each artist; that is to say whether they come to their subject from the design perspective of apparel, jewellery, or photography. Yes, the notes on the back cover promise that all are “unconventional and individualistic with absolute devotion to their art,” but the accuracy of this statement would have been highlighted had any of them had any sort of conventional commercial viability or recognition.

This is one of a series of NOOVO books delving into similar design topics; but the series seems to be much more for an international audience rather than a North American one.

If you are looking for a visually stunning collection of photographs on lovely paper stock without the in-depth analysis or background that would have made this book all the more valuable in a fashion aficionado’s library, then this is an affordable paperback book you might consider.