Bookshelf

In the spirit of Lee Alexander McQueen, Visionaire's 58th issue entitled "Spirit" is dedicated to the late designer, and promises to be an issue you do not want to miss.

According to Visionaire, a McQueen-themed edition has been a very long time coming - "In 2003, McQueen came to our SoHo office and gallery to discuss collaborating on an issue of Visionaire...an issue that never came to be. This is our tribute to him."

Contributing artists include Nick Night, Lady Gage, Steven Klein, Mario Sorrenti, Steven Meisel, Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, David Sims, Mario Testino, Sean Ellis and Sebastian Faena, who all share images inspired by his unbridled creativity.

The case is wrapped in a McQueen metalized brocade from his Spring/Summer 2010 show. The collection of images is printed on paper embedded with wildflower seeds. When planted, watered, and given sun, the pages blossom, for those of you who wish to give back to earth (not me however, at $295US, I'd rather plant some seedlings from Bunnings.)

Limited edition of 1,500 numbered copies. Head to VISIONAIRE to reserve your copy and to see an exclusive sneak peak.

There are very few books that touch on Australian fashion. Which is why I can't wait to get my hands on this gem.

Mitchell Oakley Smith has teamed up with one of the world's most prestigous fashion and art publishers, Thames & Hudson to produced this 352 page book showcasing 70 Australian & New Zealand designers.

Accompanying a selection of imagery are 50,000 words profiling designers including, Akira Isogawa, Josh Goot, Zimmermann, Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, Nom*D, Romance Was Born and Arnsdorf to name a few.

Sydney-based Oakley Smith is associate editor of GQ Australia and has been writing about fashion for 4 years, for publications including Myer Emporium and The Australian.

FASHION: Australian & New Zealand Designers, Available from August 1 ($79.95)
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