Thierry Mugler

Beyond the bland, banal and often sleazy worlds of fashion and fetish there exists a hidden and beautiful world exemplified by Mugler's work and friends (whom he acknowledges with exquisite charm and tact on page 188). All these people 'get it' at a level of subtlety and taste that the lesser practitioners will never understand. They understand the power of bodily eroticism, the magic and mystery of masks and concealment, the attraction of helplessness (try to walk in those shoes and you will understand, too) coupled with the dangerous appeal of domination and submission.FFF is to EXTREME as vintage wine is to mere plonk. Of course EXTREME had to be assembled as a Met show/book toying with cultural anthropology with the mainstream in mind, but although excellent (and so rated by me and others) EXTREME pales into insignificance by comparison with FFF. FFF combined extremes of other kinds: extreme eroticism, extreme physical transformations, extreme emotional danger. It is hugely to the credit of everyone involved, including models, photographers and the celebrities who comment with dazzling power, that it all comes off as beautiful and powerful, never beyond the bounds of taste. When you read those names, and consider what they have done in their own worlds, you will find yourself thinking (at least I did), that these are people whose persons and work you have admired, whom you would like to know in person, with whom you could have unusual and interesting times. They include Pedro Almodovar, David Bowie, John Epperson, Tippi Hedren, Ute Lemper, Julie Newmar, Jennifer Tilly (yes!), Bruce Vlanch and Raquel Welch, all relentless pushers of the cultural envelope.Tension is the great sexual aphrodisiac and FFF is all about sexual tension expressed with body, face and hand adornment that is at the very limit of what can be done. My copy is not for sale, ever.

I really love this book! Great for any art/fashion book collector’s library.

This book is amazing! Love Thierry Mugler - fashion, perfume, style, ideas. This book takes pride of place in my library.