الوصف
The Art of Vogue Covers 1909-1940" by William Packer is a treasure trove of illustrative history. Sparsely written enough so it only took me a day to read, it was still densely packed with information about the various artists who made "Vogue's" covers so influential from 1909-1940. By comparing the works of Helen Dryden, Georges Lepape, Eduardo Benito, Carl Erickson and others to artists like Henri Matisse, Picasso, Leger, Modigliani, Brancusi and Utamaro, Packer made it easier for me to understand how much art influenced fashion during those particular eras.
Arranged chronologically, the sheer beauty of the covers made me long for a time when beautiful clothes were a primary goal of design. Even when the covers displayed important social commentaries about the war they still projected striking and unforgettable scenes.
Realistically it's impossible to return to the gorgeous, elegant eras of the past, as depicted in this book, but the fact that it does exist to remind us of those days is reassuring.