Michele Bönan: Signature Details

What began as a small mining camp during the Colorado, silver boom of the late 19th century has since become the preferred getaway of the world’s elite. Treasured for what’s above ground rather than below, Aspen, Colorado, has a storied history almost as dense as the directory of A-listers who have adopted the jewel of Pitkin County as their second home, or who have settled in its slopes indefinitely. From the “fortified compound” that was Hunter S. Thompson’s Owl Farm, to John Denver’s “Starwood in Aspen,” to the scores of financial titans who also call the mountain home, Aspen has long drawn an eclectic and wide-ranging crowd. With an introduction from long time resident Aerin Lauder, founder and creative director of Aerin, Aspen Style...

More than any other designer of her era, Gabrielle Chanel had the ability to predict the evolution of contemporary fashion. Self-inventor extraordinaire, Chanel revolutionized the lifestyle of her time by inventing a modern concept of luxe minimalism, elevating humble fabrics such as jersey and tweed to couture status, giving birth to a new Silhouette both sophisticated and discreet, setting her stamp on the twentieth century with her modern spirit of understated luxury. The house of Chanel represents modern fashion. Under its founder, the style of the modern woman was invented, through the image of Gabrielle Chanel herself. She dressed women to be free, and her emancipated clothes reflected the shifting landscape of society. Her designs fundamentally affected what we wear, and how we wear it. The work of the house under her successor Karl Lagerfeld has transformed fashion anew: He drew the template for a fashion designer reviving a moribund house with elements from its own history. Just as Chanel created modern fashion, Lagerfeld in turn established the blueprint of the modern fashion house. She reshaped the clothes women wear, he reshaped the industry that makes them. This book is a literary museum exhibition, a curated selection of 100 iconic and signature looks of the house of Chanel, from the timeless Little Black Dress to the impeccably simple tweed suit, the apothecary-style perfume bottle, two-tone pumps...

Over the last century, China has experienced a period of growth more rapid and utterly transforming than any other nation has experienced in modern history. How can we begin to understand the country that has emerged from such a dramatic era of change? Perhaps the answer can be found in China’s art. Certainly, that is what renowned art collectors Adrian Cheng and John Dodelande argue in their forthcoming volume, Chinese Art: The Impossible Collection. After all, China’s history as a land of enormous influence stretches back to its dynastic past, and the nation’s art has always been in conversation with its customs. The most highly anticipated volume in Assouline’s exclusive Ultimate series, Chinese Art: The Impossible Collection spotlights 100 works of contemporary art that reveal the social, political, and cultural evolution of a nation on the rise. Thoughtfully curated by Cheng and Dodelande, the 100 works are presented in chronological order, beginning with traditional paintings from the turn of the twentieth century and culminating with some of the most cutting-edge works by China’s “new generation” of artists, whose creations explore and often critique the politics that have defined China’s rapid growth into a new world power. The particular themes and conversations that these 100 works raise are glossed in essays and commentary from three of the world’s foremost experts on Chinese Art—Philip Tinari of the UCAA in Beijing, Alexandra Munroe of the Guggenheim in New York, and Karen Smith...

A six-point safety harness wraps over your shoulders and between your legs, a head and neck brace clamps down your chest. The world ahead is visible only above a rim at eye level; the world behind is seen only through two mirrors little bigger than cigarette boxes. The start lights begin to illuminate red, and when they extinguish, your life will enter another dimension: this is not a fighter jet or a spacecraft, you are on the starting grid of a Formula One track, strapped into the world’s most technologically advanced racing car. The turbocharged engine, with more than 1,000 horsepower, is about to kick you in the backside, hurtling to 100 kph in 2.5 seconds, careening toward the first corner of the track. For the average reader, even driving a single lap of a Grand Prix would be impossible. But for the world’s twenty best racing drivers in the series’ ten teams, it is a way of life that is extreme in almost every facet. Selected by veteran F1 journalist Brad Spurgeon, Formula 1: The Impossible Collection chronicles the milestones that lifted Formula One from a gentlemen’s club in 1950 to a global sport with hundreds of millions of fans around the world, third in popularity only to the Olympics and World Cup soccer. Highlighting exceptional technical innovations, remarkable drivers’ achievements and exciting race finishes, this volume illuminates immortal names such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, Enzo Ferrari, Colin Chapman, Bernie Ecclestone, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Jean Todt, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton...

In this magnificent collection of the most spectacular jewels of the twentieth century, fine jewelry historian Vivienne Becker selects the quintessential bijoux that represent the milestones of jewelry design of the last one hundred years. From Art Nouveau to the brink of the new millennium, Becker’s selections range from the Wiener Werkstätte and Tiffany Studios, Egyptian-inspired Art Deco masterpieces by Cartier and midcentury designs by Verdura for Chanel, exquisite creations by DeBeers, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Graff, to modern designs from a new generation of innovative artists. A new addition to Assouline’s Ultimate Collection...

Experience the Dolce Vita lifestyle – a blend of beauty, style, and charm, inspired by Federico Fellini's iconic 1960 film. This Italian way of life transcends time and still graces Italy today. Immerse yourself in its irresistible allure, captured by renowned photographers Ferdinando Scianna and Bruno Barbey...

Eldest son of John Lennon, Julian Lennon (1963-) is also a multi-million-selling musician. Julian's childhood drawing of a classmate inspired John Lennon's song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. His relationship with his father was one of turmoil and he forged a stronger bond with fellow Beatle Paul McCartney. McCartney wrote the song Hey Jude...

This is a handsome display featuring the signature of celebrated American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh (1902-1974). Lindbergh signed the page, now cut, in black ink as "Charles A. Li...

A handsome ink signature from British king George V (1865-1936). King George III reigned from 1910 to 1936. The death of his elder brother, Albert, pla...

A global celebration of the iconic restaurant dishes that defined the course of culinary history over the past 300 years Today's food-lovers often travel the globe to enjoy the foo...

A superb ink signature from celebrated British king George III (1738-1820). King George III reigned for just under 60 years between 1760 to 1820. Hi...

This is an original Thomas Jefferson signature, presented framed with an etched portrait of Jefferson by Jacques Reich. The cut signature reads “Th. Jefferson” and is signed with a quill in black ink. This rare cut Jefferson signature was one of several prominent American statesman autographs collected together and bound in a 1809 volume of the Baltimore Evening Post. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was a leading figure in early American history, with a remarkable legacy in politics, law, and academia. He contributed significantly to the development of American democracy as a politician, diplomat, and as the main author of the Declaration of Independence. Throughout his life, Jefferson championed freedom of religion, agricultural innovation, and the importance of education. During the Revolutionary War, Jefferson served in the Virginia legislature, was governor of Virginia, and a member of the Continental Congress. Among the Committee of Five charged by the Second Continental Congress with authoring the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was the document's primary author. Jefferson served as United States Minister to France from 1785 to 1789. President Washington then appointed Jefferson as the nation's first secretary of state, where he served from 1790 to 1793. In the early 1790s, Jefferson and James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose the Federalist Party. Jefferson thought the national government should have a limited role in citizens’ lives. Jefferson lost the 1796 presidential election to Adams, which according to electoral procedure at the time made him Adams' vice president. Jefferson challenged Adams again four years later, in 1800, and won the presidency. During his two terms as president, the U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory, which doubled the country’s size, he reduced the nation’s debt, established the nation’s first national military university at West Point, declared war on Barbary pirates, and implemented the Embargo Act. After leaving office, he retired to his Virginia plantation, Monticello, and helped found the University of Virginia. The original signature is paired with a handsome etched portrait of Jefferson by 20th century artist Jacques Reich. A head and shoulders portrait, Reich based his etched rendition off an 1805 oil-on-canvas painting by Gilbert Stuart...