Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Drawing from the editorial and advertising pages of the British, American and French editions of Vogue of the 1950s, British freelance writer Drake offers a pedestrian retrospective of postWW II fashion and culture. A British import, the book's reminiscences about that country's comedians, radio and television programs, and the bohemian Chelsea Set may elude American readers; and the foreword by Vogue's ``wonder-girl,'' actress Hepburn, is a sop. Marilyn Monroe, Queen Elizabeth II, the then Jacqueline Kennedy, Richard Burton, Paul Newman, Elvis Presley, Groucho Marx and Maria Callas grace this volume, but many of the pictures are grainy, and the few color reproductions have a washed-out look. Nostalgic Vogue devotees will enjoy far better Josephine Ross's dazzling Beaton in Vogue. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Drake plunders the pages of the famous fashion magazine to remind us who was rich, famous, and talented in the 1950s in the three capitals New York, London, and Paris in which the slick journal was published. His text meanders through such subjects as the coronation of Elizabeth II, high society, the musical theater, ballet, architecture, music, movies, gastronomy, and Vogue's own hoity-toity advertising. Such regular contributing photographers as Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, and Antony Armstrong-Jones ensure timeless quality in the portraits of the celebrities, while the weird color values of 1950s printing are maintained in the color reproductions, guaranteeing strong period flavor. An amiable nostalgia album, with only a few factual gaffes to fluster trivia buffs (Bette Davis did not win an Oscar for All about Eve). Index. RO. 909.82'5 Civilization, Modern 1950- / Popular culture History 20th century [CIP] 86-27769