PARIS CAPITALE, FRANCE

If you love the sumptuous creations of haute couture, this new book by German photographer Cathleen Naundorf is for you. A hundred breath-taking “haute couture” images, caught on costly large-format Polaroid film, reveal models in recent creations by designers such as Dior, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Giorgio Armani and Elie Saab in settings of timeless, sensual luxury. Some of the photographs have worn, slightly tattered edges, creating o dreamlike sense of nostalgia. This is a book of the highest quality, representing six years of work. Turn its pages slowly, gently, as soon as you feel the need to escape into a more beautiful world. J.-M. D.

Haute Couture. The Polaroids of Cathleen Naundorf. 1180 pages. 100 photographs, 65 in color.
Editions Prestel. €49.95. Available from Colette, La Chambre Claire, Librairie du Jeu de Paume, Galignani, Librairie 7L, Musée des Arts décoratifs. Ofr Librairie and Palais de Tokyo.