Starting in the twentieth century, the American accessory designer looked to Europe and then said, "I can do better." In a book commissioned by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and edited by Candy Pratts Price, with writing by Jessica Glasscock and Art Tavee, their achievements are revealed: a century of objects of necessity and desire poured forth to boutiques and department stores across the United States and the world. The forward-thinking American accessory designer, in collusion with America's royalty?the Hollywood star?and in sync with the unstoppable dominance of a rebellious popular culture, has assembled a cabinet of curiosities, including everything from Adrian's witty Hollywood hats to Ralph Lauren's all-American accoutrement to Madonna's rubber bracelets. It is a tradition that continues today with a stellar group of CFDA designers whose work exemplifies the American accessory. AUTHOR: Candy Pratts Price is the executive fashion director of Style.com, the online home of Vogue and W magazines. Price is a former vice president and creative director of Ralph Lauren, and Harper's Bazaar fashion director. Lady Beware, a film starring Diane Lane, was based on her early career designing award winning store windows and siplays at Bloomingdale's. Art Tavee is a creative director at CondeNet and works at Style.com. Jessica Glasscock is a writer snd costume historian. She works at the Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and is on faculty at Parsons. She is the author of Striptease: From Gaslight to Spotlight and is currently working on a retrospective on designer Stephen Sprouse. ILLUSTRATIONS 250 photos *
