ARQUITECTURA Y DISEÑO

Conceived by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, and built between 1555 and 1587, Burghley House is a testament to the ambition and vision of the most powerful courtier of the first Elizabethan age. Designed by Cecil himself, in consultation with the Dutch Renaissance architect and painter Hans Vredeman de Vries, the architecture and interiors at Burghley reflect a mix of contemporary fashionable influences. The house’s facades are each markedly different, with a striking and ornate Gothic gatehouse beneath a roofline of cupolas and obelisks, and with French and Italian styles visible in the windows and pilasters. And inside, where the State Rooms house remarkable collections of furniture, textiles, and Old Master paintings acquired over the centuries, Cecil’s Gothic-style Old Kitchen remains alongside the magnificent Renaissance staircase and Italianate fireplace in the Great Hall.

The sophistication and modern femininity of the American luxury fashion house Carolina Herrera is captured in this evocative and vividly hued volume photographed by Elizaveta Porodina. A collaborative series of images, the first chapter of which was created in 2020 over Zoom, feature Porodina’s signature timeless, painterly style—an effect achieved through complex lighting techniques and equipment— capture the brand’s evolving collections designed by Creative Director Wes Gordon in a dreamy, otherworldly light. Inspired by dance, movement and the Herrera signature of bold color, this mesmerizing tome is flooded with photography of models and dancers in motion to reflect the vibrant energy and optimism of the clothing, arranged according to the chroma wheel instead of chronologically. Ethereal beauties, including singer and actress Dove Cameron, dancers Wendy Wheelan and Misa Kuranaga, and models Maggie Maurer and Mao Xing Xing, wear sweeping ballgowns, bold, saturated colors and dramatic silhouettes across ten collections designed by Wes Gordon over the past four years, capturing the fantastical universe of Beauty that is Carolina Herrera.

En una época en la que la moda estaba dominada por hombres, Gabrielle «Coco» Chanel reescribió las convenciones sobre la feminidad a través de creaciones basadas en la simplicidad, la practicidad y una elegancia relajada. Su legado, de la petite robe noire al icónico Chanel n° 5, se mantiene como un patrimonio fuerte y distintivo, renovado y reinterpretado por el gran Karl Lagerfeld y, posteriormente, por Virginie Viard y Mathieu Blazy, quienes han logrado que la marca siga siendo sinónimo de elegancia y estilo atemporal.

Chanel expert Isabelle Fiemeyer offers a rare, deeply personal look into the life of the iconic designer Coco Chanel. This biography draws from exclusive interviews with Chanel’s closest family members and extensive archival research to reveal the designer’s most private world—her love for symbolism and poetry, her romantic relationships, and her enduring bond with her nephew, André Palasse, whom she raised as her own son. His daughter, Gabrielle Palasse-Labrunie—Chanel’s goddaughter and only direct descendant—shares intimate memories and access to her great-aunt’s cherished collection of fashion, jewelry, and art. Divided into five chronological sections, the book immerses readers in Chanel’s life, unveiling rarely seen personal artifacts: gifts from her great love, Boy Capel, as well as her furniture, favorite jewelry, talismans, garments, family photos, and correspondence. This new text expands upon Fiemeyer’s research from her previous books on the designer and includes the compelling chapter “Alias Coco,” which explores newly uncovered documents from French Secret Service archives, shedding light on Chanel’s clandestine activities during World War II and her connections to the Resistance.

The works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude are monuments of transience. Gigantic in scale, they are always temporary, created to exist only for a limited time and to leave unique, unrepeatable impressions. “From the smallest of the Packages made in Paris in the early 1960s, to the delicate pattern of hundreds of branches embraced by a translucent fabric veil... in Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s works there is nothing abstract, nothing imagined; it is all there―corporeal and tangible.” (Lorenza Giovanelli)