Dana Thomas

In Gods and Kings Dana Thomas, author of Deluxe, tells the story of how John Galliano and Alexander McQueen changed the face of fashion. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the fashion world was dominated by two very different but equally successful and turbulent figures. But, within twelve months, Alexander McQueen had committed suicide, and John Galliano has professionally imploded. Who was to blame? And how was fashion changed by their rise and fall? This is the story of Galliano and McQueen, the two working class British boys who shook fashion to its core. With their complicated and deeply seductive designs, they moved from the raucous art and club scene of London to the old-school heart of French couture. Dana Thomas, who witnessed their arrival in Paris and who interviewed more than one hundred people close to both designers, presents their lives in rich detail. Highlighting the similarities and differences in their temperament, charisma and style, she explores both their individual talent and the changing nature of fashion over the 80s, 90s and noughties. The result is a deeply engrossing, fast-paced and original read. Galliano and McQueen weren't simply driven and gifted: they wanted to revolutionize fashion in a way no one had in decades. And for a while, they succeeded. Dana Thomas began her career writing for the Style section of the Washington Post and served as Newsweek's European culture and fashion correspondent for fifteen years. SheIn Gods and Kings Dana Thomas, author of Deluxe, tells the story of how John Galliano and Alexander McQueen changed the face of fashion. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the fashion world was dominated by two very different but equally successful and turbulent figures. But, within twelve months, Alexander McQueen had committed suicide, and John Galliano has professionally imploded. Who was to blame? And how was fashion changed by their rise and fall? This is the story of Galliano and McQueen, the two working class British boys who shook fashion to its core. With their complicated and deeply seductive designs, they moved from the raucous art and club scene of London to the old-school heart of French couture. Dana Thomas, who witnessed their arrival in Paris and who interviewed more than one hundred people close to both designers, presents their lives in rich detail. Highlighting the similarities and differences in their temperament, charisma and style, she explores both their individual talent and the changing nature of fashion over the 80s, 90s and noughties. The result is a deeply engrossing, fast-paced and original read. Galliano and McQueen weren't simply driven and gifted: they wanted to revolutionize fashion in a way no one had in decades. And for a while, they succeeded. Dana Thomas began her career writing for the Style section of the Washington Post and served as Newsweek's European culture and fashion correspondent for fifteen years. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, WSJ, Financial Times, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and was the European editor of Conde Nast Portfolio. She is a contributing editor for T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and is the author of The New York Times bestseller, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Lustre. She lives in Paris.

Alexander McQueen a John Galiano, vzestup a pád hvězd návrhářského nebe… Poodhalte roušku životních osudů dvou slavných mužů, kteří rozčeřili poklidné vody módního světa a nesmazatelně se zapsali do historie. V knize Bohové a králové autorka Dana Thomasová nic nezastírá, líčí fascinující i krutý svět módní branže bez příkras, takový, jaký je. Kdo vystoupá vysoko, platí často také vysokou cenu a dopad bývá tvrdý… Před více než dvěma desetiletími vtrhli na britskou návrhářskou scénu dva excentričtí muži se smyslem pro krásu a módu. John Galliano a Alexander McQueen si přáli rozpoutat módní revoluci a také se jim to podařilo. Každý z nich začínal úplně jinak. Galliano byl ilustrátorem, zatímco o necelých deset let mladší McQueen pracoval jako krejčí u firmy Savile Row. Když však získali práci a postavení ve slavných nadnárodních firmách – Givenchy a Dior – začal být tlak na ně neúnosný. Navenek silní, ale v soukromí v podstatě plaší umělci čím dál obtížněji snášeli drtivé nároky módního průmyslu. Firma Dior ukončila v roce 2010 spolupráci s Gallianem z důvodu jeho nepřípustných výroků. Ve stejném roce spáchal Alexander McQueen sebevraždu, tři týdny před další plánovanou přehlídkou. Návrháři, kteří nedělali nic napůl, s bezmála divadelní okázalostí šokovali zapšklou britskou „buržoazní“ společnost svými neotřelými nápady a odvážnými modely. Galliano vnesl do světa módy koncept smyslné siluety tvaru přesýpacích hodin a liboval si v předvádění v pohádkově romantických kulisách. McQueen zase oslnil hned svou první převratnou kolekcí, kterou předvedl v pouhých třiadvaceti letech, aby následně uchvátil celý módní svět. V roce 2011 si model módního domu Alexandra McQueena oblékla Kate Middletonová na svatbu s princem Williamem.

A gripping blockbuster ... Thomas researches meticulously and writes with simmering even-handed anger' TELEGRAPH. Fashionopolis is the definitive book on the cost of fast fashion, and a blueprint for how we get to a more sustainable future. ***************** Fashion has blighted our planet. Today, one out of six people on earth work in fashion, churning out 100 billion garments a year. Yet 98 percent of them do not earn a living wage, and 2.1 billion tonnes of clothing is thrown away annually. The clothing industry's exploitation of fellow humans and the environment has reached epic levels. What should we do? Bestselling author and veteran journalist Dana Thomas has travelled the globe to find the answers. In Fashionopolis, she details the damage wrought by fashion's behemoths, and celebrates the visionaries - including activists, artisans, designers, and tech entrepreneurs - fighting for change. We all have been casual about our clothes. It's time to get dressed with intention. Fashionopolis is the first comprehensive look at how to start. ***************** Reviews: 'Fascinating ... Powerful ... Thomas has succeeded in calling attention to the major problems of the fashion industry' New York Times. 'Thomas takes a story most of us think we know, but tells it better and in compelling, readable detail' The Times. 'Engaging and thorough ... Fashionopolis has implications beyond cloth and thread' Financial Times. 'Thomas is a conscientious reporter - as evidenced in her research, which is studded with statistics' Times Literary Supplement. 'Dana Thomas' Fashionopolis exposes fashion's toxic relationship with the environment in its pursuit of "unbridled capitalism." If anything can persuade you to change your habits, this will' Country & Town House.