Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati (Definitive Edition) - Softcover

Scot D. Ryersson; Michael Orlando Yaccarino

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0816645205 ISBN 13: 9780816645206

Publisher: University of Minnesota Press, 2004

Synopsis

For the first three decades of the twentieth century, the Marchesa Casati astounded Europe: nude servants gilded in gold leaf attended her; bizarre wax mannequins sat as guests at her dining table; and she was infamous for her evening strolls, naked beneath her furs, parading cheetahs on diamond-studded leashes. Artists painted, sculpted, and photographed her; poets praised her strange beauty. Among them were Gabriele D’Annunzio, Man Ray, Jean Cocteau, Cecil Beaton, and American writers Tennessee Williams, Jack Kerouac, and Ezra Pound. Couturiers Fortuny, Poiret, and Erté dressed her. Some became lovers, others awestruck admirers, but all were influenced by this extraordinary muse. The extravagance ended in 1930 when Casati was more than twenty-five million dollars in debt. Fleeing to London, she spent her final flamboyant years there until her death in 1957. Now nearly a half-century later, Casati’s fashion legacy continues to inspire such designers as John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, and Tom Ford. Fully authorized and accurate, this is the fantastic story of the Marchesa Luisa Casati.Scot D. Ryersson is an award-winning freelance writer, illustrator, and graphic designer. He lives in New Jersey.Michael Orlando Yaccarino is a freelance writer specializing in international genre film, fashion, music, and unconventional historical figures. He lives in New Jersey.

About this title

From the Author:

Scot D. Ryersson and Michael Orlando Yaccarino are the authors of the bestselling biography Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati published in multiple languages around the world. They are the directors of The Casati Archives.

From the Inside Flap:

The Marchesa Luisa Casati was Europe's most notorious celebrity, and its most eccentric. For the first three decades of the twentieth century she astounded the continent. Nude servants gilded in gold leafs attended her; bizarre wax mannequins sat as guests at her dining table; and she wore live snakes as jewellery. Among those she captivated were Man Ray, Augustus John, Jean Cocteau, Cecil Beaton and Jack Kerouac. Some became lovers, others awestruck admirers, but all were influenced by this extraordinary muse. Explored in detail for the first time, this is the story of the Marchesa Luisa Casati.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0816645205
• ISBN 13: 9780816645206
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 233