Architecture & Design Audiobooks | Non-Fiction

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY HARPER'S BAZAAR -In this candid memoir, featuring a foreword by Barbra Streisand,renowned designer Donna Karan shares intimate details about her lonely childhood, her four-plus decades in the fashion industry, her two marriages, motherhood, and her ongoing quest for self-acceptance and spiritual peace. Donna Karan was born into the fashion business-her father was a tailor, and her mother was a showroom model and Seventh Avenue saleswoman-yet Karan dreamed of becoming a dancer like Martha Graham or a singer like Barbra Streisand. Fashion was her destiny, though. My Journey traces Karan's early days as an intern at Anne Klein, the creation of her Seven Easy Pieces (which forever changed the way working women dressed), and the meteoric rise of her company. Along with juicy industry stories, Karan candidly discusses her difficult mother and traumatic childhood, her turbulent romantic life, all the loved ones she has lost over the years, and the personal awakening that occurred just as she reached the height of professional and financial success. That awakening set Karan down a path of spiritual discovery and self-improvement. From est to Kabbalah, from silent retreats to leech therapy, Karan tried everything to find, as she writes, "calm in the chaos." But she also reveals how a chaotic life, fueled by endless curiosity and childlike impulses, helped her design seminal collections season after season for global powerhouse brands Donna Karan New York and DKNY. She also details how she has channeled her creativity (and her urge to solve problems and nurture others) into philanthropic work, particularly her early outspoken advocacy for AIDS awareness and research, and the creation of her Urban Zen Foundation, focusing on integrated healthcare and education as well as preservation of culture, which led to her current efforts in Haiti. Karan's life has been crowded with glamorous characters and adventures around the world. But she sometimes still feels like that awkward teen from Long Island who never fit in-which makes her all the more endearing. Brimming with Karan's infectious energy, My Journey is about much more than the fashion world: It is the story of a young woman whose vision and hard work made her a role model for women everywhere-a woman who dreamed big, fought to have it all, broke the rules, and loved passionately along the way. Praise for My Journey "By turns moving, insightful, and hilarious, yet always, always heartfelt . . . When you're a true force of fashion, nothing holds you back."-Vogue "When Donna Karan stepped down . . . it was the end of an era, so consider this autobiography her parting gift. . . . Expect a holistic view of the woman behind one of the most influential American labels."-StyleCaster "Donna's creativity and passion as a committed philanthropist are matched only by her gift for friendship. Whether she's making the world more beautiful or giving a Haitian artisan the tools to create a sustainable business, Donna has always led with great heart and wonderful humor."-President Bill Clinton "What we take for granted often comes from the most revolutionary of sources. In New York in the 1980s, no one was more radical than Donna Karan. She created a way of dressing that was womanly, practical, and empowering."-Anna Wintour "An extraordinary personal, professional, and spiritual life . . . defined by Donna's incredible resilience, her inward search for calm in the midst of success, and her insistence on always following her heart."-Arianna Huffington From the Hardcover edition.

Donna Karan (Author), Donna Karan, Kathleen Boyes (Narrator)

Audiobook

That's What Fashion Is

Joe Zee, the Editor in Chief of Yahoo Style, former creative director of ELLE magazine, and co-host of the new ABC talk show FAB Life, takes readers behind the scenes of the crazy and wonderful world of fashion in That's What Fashion Is, packed with never-before-seen color photographs from Joe's personal collection. From his early years styling shoots for Vanity Fair's "Hollywood" issue with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz to his role playing himself on MTV's reality show The City to making celebrities look fabulous in the pages of ELLE and reporting live from the red carpet. Joe lets listeners in on how the fashion industry really works, from the fashion disasters to the blockbuster successes. How do you shoot an entire magazine spread in Paris in 24 hours? What's a stylist to do when he receives a panicked call from a dress-less Cameron Diaz on Oscar day? And how do they make those celebrities look so great in the magazines? These first-person stories are combined with accessible and practical tips for women everywhere, including what to wear on your first day of work, how to take a great selfie, and how to look amazing at any age. For the first time, this ultimate fashion insider lets listeners in on tales, tricks, and tips previously known only to the fashion elite in this funny and frank audiobook.

Alyssa Giacobbe, Joe Zee (Author), Joe Zee (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Paris Dream: An Education in Style, Slang, and Seduction in the Great City on the Seine

For readers of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are, My Paris Dream is a charming and insightful memoir about coming of age as a fashion journalist in 1980s Paris, by former Vogue and Harper's Bazaar editor Kate Betts, the author of Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style. "You can always come back," my mother said. "Just go." As a young woman, Kate Betts nursed a dream of striking out on her own in a faraway place and becoming a glamorous foreign correspondent. After college-and not without trepidation-she took off for Paris, renting a room in the apartment of a young BCBG (bon chic, bon genre) family and throwing herself into the local culture. She was determined to master French slang, style, and savoir faire, and to find a job that would give her a reason to stay. After a series of dues-paying jobs that seemed only to reinforce her outsider status, Kate's hard work and willingness to take on any assignment paid off: Her writing and intrepid forays into la France Profonde-true France-caught the eye of John Fairchild, the mercurial fashion arbiter and publisher of Women's Wear Daily, the industry's bible. Kate's earliest assignments-investigating the mineral water preferred by high society, chasing after a costumed band of wild boar hunters through the forests of Brittany-were a rough apprenticeship, but she was rewarded for her efforts and was initiated into the elite ranks of Mr. Fairchild's trusted few who sat beside him in the front row and at private previews in the ateliers of the gods of French fashion. From a woozy yet mesmerizing Yves Saint Laurent and the mischievous and commanding Karl Lagerfeld to the riotous, brilliant young guns who were rewriting all the rules-Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, John Galliano-Betts gives us a view of what it was like to be an American girl, learning about herself, falling in love, and finding her tribe. Kate Betts's captivating memoir brings to life the enchantment of France-from the nightclubs of 1980s Paris where she learned to dance Le Rock, to the lavender fields of Provence and the grand spectacle of the Cour Carr

Kate Betts (Author), Kate Betts (Narrator)

Audiobook

People Over Profit: Break the System, Live with Purpose, Be More Successful

Serial entrepreneur and business visionary Dale Partridge reveals seven core beliefs that create success by putting people first. Every day major headlines tell the story of a new and better American marketplace. Established corporations have begun reevaluating the quality of their products, the ethics of their supply chain, and how they can give back by donating a portion of their profit to meaningful causes. Meanwhile, millions of entrepreneurs who want a more responsible and compassionate marketplace have launched a new breed of socially focused business models. Sevenly founder Dale Partridge uncovers the seven core beliefs shared by consumers, starters, and leaders behind this transformation. These beliefs have enabled Dale to build a multimillion-dollar company that is revolutionizing the marketplace. He believes they are the secret to creating a sustainable world that values honesty over deception, transparency over secrecy, authenticity over hype, and ultimately, people over profit.

Dale Partridge (Author), Dale Partridge (Narrator)

Audiobook

Shop Girl

Young Mary Newton, born into a large Irish family in a small Watford semi, is always getting into trouble. When she isn't choking back fits of giggles at Holy Communion or eating Chappie dog food for a bet, she's accidentally setting fire to the local school. Mary is a trouble magnet. And, unlike her brothers, somehow she always gets caught... Britain in the 1970s is a world where R. White's lemonade is drunk in secret, curry comes in a box marked Vesta and beanz meanz Heinz. In Mary's family, money is scarce. Clothes are hand-me-downs, holidays are a church day out to Hastings and meals are variations on a potato theme. But these are good times and everything revolves around the force of nature that is Theresa, Mary's mum. When tragedy unexpectedly blows this world apart, a new chapter in Mary's life opens up. She takes to the camp and glamour of Harrods window dressing like a duck to water, and Mary, Queen of Shops is born...

Mary Portas (Author), Mary Portas (Narrator)

Audiobook

La tour de Monsieur Eiffel

Fiction historique d'environ 10 minutes avec 6 comédiens. Découvrez les coulisses de la construction de la Tour Eiffel, ce monument incroyable, symbole d'une ville, Paris, mais aussi d'un pays, la France. Nous suivons le brillant ingénieur Gustave Eiffel dans les coulisses de ce chantier hors du commun. 6 personnages : Gustave Eiffel, ses principaux collaborateurs Messieurs Sauvestre et Nouguier, sa fille, Claire, une narratrice et un ouvrier.

John Mac (Author), Christian Fromont (Narrator)

Audiobook

Modern Man

In Paris during the Roaring Twenties, a young architect named Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris rebranded himself as Le Corbusier and embarked on a career that would span five decades and shape the future of architecture and urban planning. He wanted to make the home a “machine for living in,” set in cities dramatically streamlined for efficiency. His great achievements include the all-encompassing apartment complex Unité d’Habitation, the serene Ronchamp chapel, and the original plan for the United Nations complex in New York. He was a dandy as well as a genius, known for his trademark bow tie and round black spectacles. During his travels around the world, he had many love affairs, including a shipboard romance with Josephine Baker. Through archival research, new interviews, and visits to Le Corbusier’s most important structures (including his masterpiece, Chandigarh, an entire city built from scratch in India), Anthony Flint constructs a vivid story of one of the most important figures of the twentieth century—a life filled with towering ambition, success and failure, heated clashes, and visions of harmony. Le Corbusier’s legacy persists today: in the debate over how best to house skyrocketing urban populations, in the cult of starchitects like Frank Gehry, in the showrooms of IKEA, and in the backlash against the superblocks and elevated highways that can be traced directly to his original vision. Modern Man is for anyone fascinated by larger-than-life creators, and by how today’s world came to be.

Anthony Flint (Author), Mel Foster (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hijacking the Runway: How Celebrities Are Stealing the Spotlight from Fashion Designers

Hollywood stars have always furthered fashion's cause of seducing the masses into buying designers' clothes by acting as living billboards. Now, red carpet celebrities are no longer content to just advertise and are putting their names on labels that reflect the image they-or their stylists-created. Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sean Combs, and a host of pop, sports, and reality-show stars of the moment are leveraging the power of their celebrity to become the face of their own fashion brands. And a few celebrities-like the Olsen Twins and Victoria Beckham-have gone all the way and reinvented themselves as bona fide designers. Teri Agins charts this strange new terrain with wit and insight and an insider's access to the fascinating struggles of the bold-type names and their jealousies, insecurities, and triumphs.

Teri Agins (Author), Xe Sands (Narrator)

Audiobook

Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood is one of the icons of our age. Fashion designer, activist, co-creator of punk, global brand and grandmother; a true living legend. Her career has successfully spanned five decades and her work has influenced millions of people across the world. For the first and only time, Vivienne Westwood has written a personal memoir, collaborating with award-winning biographer Ian Kelly, to describe the events, people and ideas that have shaped her extraordinary life. Told in all its glamour and glory, and with her unique voice, unexpected perspective and passionate honesty, this is her story. For the first and only time, she is both writing and collaborating on a unique personal memoir and authorised biography: partly her own voice, partly through contributions from her vast network of friends, family and associates. Ian Kelly (award-winning biographer of, amongst others, fashion maverick Beau Brummell and the original self-publicist, Giacomo Casanova) brings the insights of a historian and friend of Vivienne to the life and works of one of the major influences of our age in this wonderful, insightful collaboration.

Ian Kelly, Vivienne Westwood (Author), Paula Wilcox (Narrator)

Audiobook

I'll Drink to That: A Life in Style, with a Twist

A classic tale of personal transformation amid a stunning backdrop of old world glamour and current high style, Betty Halbreich moves from a trapped woman to a ferociously independent icon. Eighty-six-year-old Betty Halbreich is a true original. A tough broad who could have stepped straight out of Stephen Sondheim's repertoire, she has spent nearly forty years as the legendary personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman, where she works with socialites, stars, and ordinary women off the street. She has helped many find their true selves through clothes, frank advice, and her own brand of wisdom. She is trusted by the most discriminating persons-including Hollywood's top stylists-to tell them what looks best. But Halbreich's personal transformation from a cosseted young girl to a fearless truth teller is the greatest makeover of her career. A Chicago native, Halbreich moved to Manhattan at twenty after marrying the dashing Sonny Halbreich, a true character right out of Damon Runyon who liked the nightlife of New York in the fifties. On the surface, they were a great match, but looks can be deceiving; an unfaithful Sonny was emotionally distant while Halbreich became increasingly anguished. After two decades, the fraying marriage finally came undone. Bereft without Sonny and her identity as his wife, she attempted suicide. After she began the frightening process of reclaiming herself and started therapy, Halbreich was offered a lifeline in the form of a job at the legendary luxury store Bergdorf Goodman. Soon, she was asked to run the store's first personal shopping service. It was a perfect fit. Meticulous, impeccable, hardworking, elegant, and-most of all-delightfully funny, Halbreich has never been afraid to tell it to her clients straight. She won't sell something just to sell it. If an outfit or shoe or purse is too expensive, she'll dissuade you from buying it. As Halbreich says, "There are two things nobody wants to face: their closet and their mirror." She helps women do both, every day.

Betty Halbreich, Rebecca Paley (Author), Jane Curtin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History

Little black dresses. Fake pearls. Jersey knit. Blazers. Ballet flats. Today-and for nearly the last hundred years-we all see some version of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel every time we pass a woman on the street. But few among us realize that Chanel's role in the events of the twentieth century was as pervasive as her influence on fashion, or how deeply she absorbed and then brilliantly reimagined the historical currents around her. Here, with unprecedented detail and ambition-and through fascinating, thoroughly researched portraits of Chanel's lovers and friends-Rhonda Garelick shows us the Chanel who conquered the world: a woman who thirsted to create others in her image, who ruthlessly and innovatively borrowed from her famous (and infamous) intimates, who understood the idea of branding and image well ahead of her time, who created "wearable personality." This is Chanel at the nexus of history: a woman of daring, passion, and legendary vision, in a wonderful biography that gives her long-awaited due.

Rhonda Garelick (Author), Tavia Gilbert (Narrator)

Audiobook

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman

In this moving account, Peter Korn explores the nature and rewards of creative practice. We follow his search for meaning as an Ivy-educated child of the middle class who finds employment as a novice carpenter on Nantucket, transitions to self-employment as a designer and maker of fine furniture, takes a turn at teaching and administration at Colorado’s Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and then founds a school in Maine: the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, an internationally respected nonprofit institution. Furniture making practiced as a craft in the twenty-first century is a decidedly marginal occupation. Yet the view from the periphery can be illuminating. For Korn the challenging work of bringing something new and meaningful into the world through one’s own volition—whether in the arts, the kitchen, or the marketplace—is what generates the meaning and fulfillment that so many of us seek. This is not a how-to book in any sense. Korn wants to get at the why of craft in particular and the satisfactions of creative work in general to understand their essential nature. How does the making of objects shape our identities? How do the products of creative work inform society? In short, what does the process of making things reveal to us about ourselves? Korn draws on four decades of hands-on experience to answer these questions eloquently, and often poignantly, in this personal, introspective, and revealing book. “The bulk of the book is crafted like a fine rocking chair. It challenges us to look both inward and outward. It champions the idea that working with one’s hands can foster perseverance, focus, and patience—qualities that spill into other aspects of our lives. And in an era when shop classes are disappearing, and art classes are among the first to be cut, the book reminds us that if we want whole people, we need to educate and respect head, heart, and hands.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune ***Please contact Member Services for additional documents***

Peter Korn, Peter Kornicki (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

Architecture & Design Audiobooks in Non-Fiction