The Book of Tiki

After World War II, US soldiers stationed in the South Pacific returned home with tales of trees loaded with exotic fruits, sleepy lagoons, white-sand beaches, and gorgeous people wearing grass and feathers as they danced half-naked during all-night orgies of food and music. The American imagination seized on this exotic version of island culture, and it exerted a massive influence on Fashion, pop music, eating and drinking, and even architecture. Everything from bars to bowling alleys adopted elements of Polynesian design. Tikis, the carved wooden and stone statues from across the Pacific, found their way into every hotel lounge and suburban living room. But as the fad was reaching it's peak, the big generation gap of the late 60s put a sudden end to Polynesian escapism as the children of the Tiki revellers decided to seek their own Nirvana in sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. The 90s have seen a revitalised interest in this kitsch anomaly of post-war America -- lounge bars and the sound of ""exotica"" are back in. This enlightening and hilarious guide casts the reader as an ""urban archaeologist"" exploring the lost remnants of Tiki culture across the States -- discovering relics from this forgotten civilisation in thrift stores, yard sales, and used book and record emporia. A combination of nostalgia and fascinating pop cultural study, this volume is a long overdue investigation into the cult of the Tiki.

Browse Our Catalog.

View More In History.

Paintings of upper-class men and women tell an important part of the history of costumes, but surviving garments themselves reveal even more. Every crease, stitch and stain in a piece of clothing supplies information about its wearer and its era. This volume features 18th- and early 19th-century garments from the collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Illustrated with more than 300 colour photographs, including many details and back views, the book treats not only elegant,

Since the early ’80s, Yohji Yamamoto’s groundbreaking silhouettes and innovative design aesthetic have propelled him to the highest rank of the international avant-garde.  Distinguished by his anti-fashion approach, Yamamoto changed the face of contemporary fashion, radically transforming it with asymmetrical and highly conceptual designs partly inspired by the techniques of traditional Japanese kimonos. His vision came as a refreshing contrast to the power suits and brightly clad fashions

Dictionary of Fashion, 4th Edition builds on the success of previous editions with over 15,000 entries, including apparel, accessories, and their components, historical and textiles terms that relate to contemporary fashion and the language of the fashion industry. Tortora and Keiser organize terms over fifty broad categories that are fully cross-referenced to the alphabetical listing to promote understanding of related terminology. Lavishly illustrated with over 800 illustrations capturing the

This exquisite book takes the reader on a kaleidoscopic journey through the history of makeup, style, and color at the revered fashion house of Dior. An exquisite ode to color, this book presents the history of Dior cosmetics placed within contexts of fashion and art. Divided into twelve chapters (White, Silver, Nude, Pink, Red, Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, Gold, Gray, and Black) Dior: The Art of Color showcases not only the sometimes glamorous, sometimes natural cosmetics, but also the