These are my all time favorite books music and films: The books are sure to inspire you, the music never gets old and the movie sets are filled with scenes of authentic Hollywood glamour. Each is packed with priceless information, pictures, interiors, costumes, sketches and masterpieces that will spark your imagination and get you running to decorate, dance and daydream.

Recommended Reading
Item:  TIPS-58	Evening Dress Alexandra Black has edited many books on style and design. This high priestess of style understood what the well-dressed woman has always known: There's something special that goes on after dark.
Antique and Flea Markets of London and Paris by Rupert Thomas For travelers and collectors in search of a colorful experience, this innovative guide shows how to enjoy the flea markets of these two capital cities.		Item:  TIPS-38
Item:  TIPS-44	Art Deco Hair by Daniela Turdich The sophisticated and controversial styles of the 20's and 30's, well as techniques for recreating the fingerwaves, bobs and shingle cuts. Tons of pictures and illustrations you won't see anywhere else.
Better Than Beauty: A Guide to Charm by Helen Valentine This is a reproduction of a vintage 1938 book. It's great to see how we used to view ourselves as a society and what we thought was appropriate and trendy. Playful and not to be taken too seriously!		Item:  TIPS-50
Item:  TIPS-54	The Bed by Alecia Beldegreen One of my favorite picture books and sources of inspiration. The book has photographs of beautiful and unusual bedrooms. Some are elaborate, some are sparse, all are divine.
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow Biography of a legend! Jean Harlow reigned as Hollywood's original platinum blonde sex symbol in the years before her death at age 26. With this crisply written, well-documented biography, Stenn reveals the woman behind the screen goddess.		Item:  TIPS-04
Item:  TIPS-48	The Bombshell Manual of Style by Lauren Stover Good fun for divas of all ages...for the girl who loves to parade around as the star of her own show!
Born to Shop Paris by Suzy Gershman A series aimed at bargain hunters seeking the best values all over the world. The author has researched numerous shopping outlets for the best deals in Paris. However, this is not only a shopper's guide, it includes tips on where to go, what to see, where to eat and where to stay. A lot of high end information, but its value is in the listings of the Paris Flea Markets. The author includes information on transportation, shipping and taxes, including phone numbers and costs. Out of Print--Limited Availability		Item:  TIPS-39
Item:  TIPS-41	Bright Young Things by Brooke De Ocampo Gorgeous and interesting. Lots of creative ideas!
The Curtain Sketchbook2 by Wendy Baker Another good book, the second in this series. Some of the drawings are more elaborate, all are great ideas.		Item:  TIPS-53
Item:  TIPS-03	Divinely Decadent by Stephen Calloway Divinely Decadent reveals a lavish collection of wicked home interiors.
Dress in France in the 18th Century by Madeleine Delpierre This charming book examines European dress as it evolved in eighteenth-century France.		Item:  TIPS-07
Item:  TIPS-06	Eighteenth Century French Fashion Plates in Full Color by Stella Blum Gorgeous plates of 18th century fashion from the Metropolitan Museum's collection and reproduced in full color.
Louis Icart Erotica by William Holland Louis Icart is known for his playful pictures of women in all phases of their lives; at the vanity, walking dogs or just reclining on a chaise or the telephone. This collector's book goes even further to a more intimate look at men and women as he reveals the sexy side of women through his enchanting artist's eyes.		Item:  TIPS-51
Item:  TIPS-10	Fatale: How French Women Do It by Edith Kunz Wonderful book that throws you into French life. From making one's signature bedroom with fine linens and provocative scents, to the allure of a glance and ease of careless elegance...fun to read and great to remind one of the thrill of seduction.
Paris Flea Market by Herbert J. M. Ypma A beautiful, oversized book filled with glorious pictures and rooms furnished with finds from the French fleas. It's a great way to get inspired to take that trip to Paris!		Item:  TIPS-09
Item:  TIPS-37	U.S. Flea Market Directory by Albert Lafarge This is a great guide for the entire US.  It includes over 850 markets and the size and quality of each. It's broken down by state and each market is labeled on an easy to read map.  Dates, opening times and entry fees are included as well as parking and facilities.  I refer to it often. Look for markets that feature "furniture or used furniture".
Fragonard by Jean Montague Massengale Fragonard was commissioned to paint murals for Madame Bovary in her exquisite four-room country house, and his work evokes a sense of humor toward the idle days of that glorious era. His women are read love poems at picnics and pushed to great heights on tree swings as their shoes fly off.		Item:  TIPS-52
Item:  TIPS-55	The French Chateau, Life, Style, Tradition by Christiane De Nicolay-Mazery This is on my wish list... The Paris Apartment goes country! haha!
Goddess: The Classical Mode Wonderful book detailing fashions from ancient Greece to modern day. It's an exhibition catalog for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is features designers such as Dior, Prada and Halston.		Item:  TIPS-01
Item:  TIPS-40	Jean Howard's Hollywood: A Photo Memoir by Jean Howard Enjoy tons of pictures from the Hollywood of yesterday by someone who was an insider. Jean Howard left the industry but still maintained friendships and attended parties that let capture some of the world's most glamorous moments! Howard was a contract player at MGM and the wife of star agent and producer Charles Feldman. She was also a shutterbug who took numerous candids of the Hollywood elite at many social gatherings from the 1940s to the 1960s. Rather than the standard promotional stills found in numerous volumes.
Hollywood Glamour Portraits 145 Photos of Stars, 1926-1949, by John Kobal I am a sucker for these books but the photos are so gorgeous with the lighting, clothes and even the chairs they're sitting on - this one is irrestible!		Item:  TIPS-46
Item:  TIPS-56	Living in Cuba by Simon McBride As so eloquently put by an Amazon reviewer: The country is rendered even more attractive by its people, who everyday cope with trying to live without the basics that the rest of the world takes for granted and, still maintain a great sense of life, optimism, gentleness of spirit and pride in their beautiful country.
Walks Through Napoleon and Josephine's Paris by Diana Reid-Haig Sweet book about the days of the emperor and his sweetheart. Five walks trace their courtship, his student days, and their extravagant homes. Full of maps, pictures and text. Great gift!		Item:  TIPS-11
Item:  TIPS-02	Once Upon a Time by Slim Aarons Absolutely gorgeous book with loads of photos from the 50's through the 80's. Each picture takes you back in time and captures moments that are long gone but postcard perfect.
Over the Top: Helena Rubenstein, Extraordinary Style, Beauty, Art, Fashion Design A book about one of the great innovators and creative forces of our time. Beautifully done with lots of pictures and inspiration.		Item:  TIPS-05
Item:  TIPS-45	The Painted Ceiling: Over 100 Original Designs and Details by Graham Rust I haven't looked through this book in person but it's on my wish list!
The Power of Style by Annette Tapert & Diana Edkins Ten chapters of the extraordinary women who helped shape the world with their beauty and ingenuity in dress and decor. Filled with photographs of Coco Channel's apartment, sketches, stories of Elsie de Wolf, interiors and modeling poses of many beautiful style makers. The pictures and details are sophisticated, playful and inspiring.		Item:  TIPS-47
Item:  TIPS-49	The Power of Glamour by Annette Tapert Annette's second book looks at another series of women, this time those who shaped the age of elegance and defined glamour at home and in Hollywood, living in their own magical realities.
Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America by Betty Lou Phillps Beautiful photographs and spectacular interiors.		Item:  TIPS-43
Item:  TIPS-08	Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli by Dylis E. Blum Photos and sketches by Elsa Schiapparelli, a contemporary of Coco Chanel. Her clothing today is considered works of art. Much of it is documented in this gorgeous coffee table-worthy book.
Silent Stars by Jeanine Basinger Wonderful photographs of a silent era. The looks, mood, costume and photography cannot be duplicated today!		Item:  TIPS-12
Item:  TIPS-13	Sin in Soft Focus: Pre Code Hollywood Prudes and the faint-of-heart shield your eyes! The stunning Sin in Soft Focus contains some of the most breathtaking black-and-white stills ever taken, all from the debaucherous decade before the Hollywood production code was established. Clara Bow, Mae West, Marlene Deitrich... everyone was wild and free before codes and rules were imposed and everyone got self conscious.