Book(s) of the week

Abby & Ross stock the Assouline range of books - do you know it?

It is a collection of fine illustrated and gift books dedicated to fashion, design, art and photography. While the books are largely graphic they manage to capture their subjects in a quirky and unique way and really bring them to life. You'll find yourself picking up the books again and again to have a look at the great photos and interesting compilations.

Their Memoires books are compact and cover all areas of culture and fashion. At around R250 they make the perfect gift - especially for the fashionista/design-snob/person-that-has-everything. The collections' titles include plenty of fashion (Chloe, Diane von Furstenburg, Roberto Cavalli and Lanvin amongst others); art and design (Fornasetti, Bahaus, Eames) and even cover obscure topics like cufflinks and cocktails.

While my weekly book feature will normally cover only one title. This week I am going to mention three. Chanel Fashion, Chanel Fine Jewellery and Chanel Perfume. They cover the history of Gabrielle Chanel, focussing on their respective subjects and look at her enormous impact on the fashion industry. The contrasting images of Wallis Simpson bedecked in Chanel jewels and 90's supermodels in Chanel's version of the basic t-shirt are signature Assouline style.

The books are sold separately at R250 or together in a special slipcase for R650, so perhaps I can the 3-pack "book of the week" after all.