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The basis for the hit TV show Mr Selfridge In 1909, the largest department store in London's West End, designed and built from scratch, opened in Oxford Street in a glorious burst of publicity. The mastermind behind the façade was American retail genius Harry Gordon Selfridge: maverick businessman, risk-taker, dandy and one of the greatest showmen the retail world has ever known. His talents were to create the seduction of shopping, and as his success and fame grew, so did his glittering lifestyle: mansions, yachts, gambling, racehorses - and mistresses. From the glamour of Edwardian England, through the turmoil of the Great War and the heady excesses of the 1920s and beyond, Selfridges Department Store was 'a theatre with the curtain going up at 9 o'clock each morning'. Mr Selfridge reveals the captivating story of the rise and fall of the man who revolutionised the way we shop. 'Lively and entertaining' Sunday Telegraph 'Will change your view of shopping forever' Vogue 'Harry Selfridge revolutionised the way we shop ... fascinating' Daily Mail
This is the rags to riches story of Kate 'Ma' Meyrick, the owner of the infamous 43 Club in Soho. It was a place where the aristocracy rubbed shoulders with the underworld, and where the key players of the roaring twenties congregated to dance the night away. Meyrick was no stranger to controversy, indeed she was sent to prison following the notorious corruption trial of Sergeant George Goddard, the policemen she paid for protection. Fizzing with the excitement and excess of the jazz age, MIDNIGHT MOTHER is not only the story of an extraordinary, iconic woman but also a fascinating insight into one of the most debauched and glamorous periods of London's history.
War Paint is the story of two extraordinary women, Miss Elizabeth Arden and Madame Helena Rubinstein, and the legacy they left: a story of feminine vanity and marketing genius. Behind the gloss and glamour lay obsession with business and rivalry with each other. Despite working for over six decades in the same business, these two geniuses never met face to face - until now. 'The definitive biography of women and their relationships to their faces in the twentieth century' Linda Grant, Guardian 'I have seldom enjoyed a book so much . . . the research is staggering . . . a wonderful read' Lulu Guinness
Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden's remarkable rivalry was ruthless, relentless and legendary--pushing both women to build international beauty empires in a world dominated by men.
When the visionary American retailer Harry Gordon Selfridge, rightfully known as 'the showman of shopping', moved from Chicago to open his eponymous store in Oxford Street, he brought with him his heartfelt belief in the sex appeal of shopping. In the process Selfridge became rich and famous, But his weakness for high living: fast women, grand houses, extravagant entertaining and an insatiable addiction to gambling, brought about his downfall. Thirty years after he opened his revolutionary store, Harry Gordon Selfridge was ousted in a Board Room coup. In 1947, he died virtually penniless in a small flat in Putney. His memorial is in Oxford Street, where the towering Ionic columns of Selfridges stand witness to the achievement of his dreams. In this book, which explores the rise of twentieth-century consumerism, Lindy Woodhead tells the extraordinary story of a revolution in shopping and the rise and fall of a retail prince.
Imagine you were rich and famous… And suddenly you lost all your money, your home and all the things you'd worked so hard for - what would you do? How would you feel if your ex-PA wrote a 'tell all' book, exposing your family's most shameful secrets? If your public turned against you and the press reviled you? If your phones were tapped, your car was followed and your house was under siege - where would you run to? Who would you turn to if all your friends dropped you and you needed refuge? The Spenders, once Britain's favourite family, have suffered all this and more. Now, forced to flee to the beautiful but dilapidated estate of an old friend, they find that country life doesn't offer qu...
Just for a moment try to put every shopping trip you’ve ever made out of your head. Imagine a different world. Imagine that all the goods for sale are locked away in cabinets and to handle them, or even to examine them closely, you need to ask a shop assistant to open it up for you. Imagine that within seconds of entering a store a floorwalker approaches you and asks if you’re planning to buy something – then, when you say “I’m just looking,” rudely tells you to leave. Imagine any attempt to return faulty or unsuitable goods being met with ridicule, obstruction or a flat refusal to help you. Until the late 19th century people didn’t have to imagine that; it was reality. For any...
A fascinating journey through history and culture, examining how makeup affects self-empowerment, how people have used it to define (and defy) their roles in society, and why we all need to care There is a history and a cultural significance that comes with wearing cat-eye-inspired liner or a bold red lip, one that many women feel to this day, even if we don’t realize exactly why. Increasingly, people of all genders are wrestling with what it means to be a woman living in a patriarchy, and part of that is how looking like a woman—whatever that means—affects people’s real lives. Through the stories of famous women like Cleopatra, Empress Wu, Madam C. J. Walker, Elizabeth Taylor, and M...
An illustrated A-to-Z tribute to old-fashioned items worth rediscovering: “Wistful . . . charming . . . like a stroll down memory lane.” —Elle Whatever happened to cuckoo clocks? Or bed curtains? Why do we have so many “friends” while doing away with the much more useful word “acquaintance”? All of these things, plus hot toddies, riddles, proverbs, corsets, calling cards, and many more, are due for a revival. Throughout this whimsical, beautifully illustrated encyclopedia of nostalgia, Lesley M.M. Blume breathes new life into the elegant, mysterious, and delightful trappings of bygone eras, honoring the timeless tradition of artful living along the way. Inspired by her much lov...
With love affairs, class issues, glamour, great story-telling and social history, Mr Selfridgeis the biggest budget ITV-produced drama of all time. Beginning in 1909, Mr Selfridge follows a colourful cast of characters whose lives and fortunes are entangled with the founder of the magnificent department store. An American retail visionary, Harry Selfridge moved to London in 1906 with his family to build and open the most ambitious department store the world had ever seen. The drama is set at a time when women were revelling in a new sense of freedom and modernity. Harry wanted to indulge, empower and celebrate these women and so opened the doors of his opulent department store on London's fa...