Fashion. Allure by Diana Vreeland with Christopher Hemphill.

Bulfinch, 2002.  First Bulfinch edition, 2002.  Like new. 16x10 inches.  Hardcover in red cloth with gold printing. Not issued with dust jacket. Custom made 4-mil polyester jacket. 165 duotone photographs selected by Vreeland, accompanied by text based on Christopher Hemphill's interviews with her. Photographers include Adolph de Meyer, Richard Avedon, Horst P. Horst, Cecil Beaton, Edward Steichen, Dennis Stock, Garafalo, George Hoyningen-Huene, George Platt Lynes, J.-H. Lartigue, Irving Penn, Martin Munkacsi, Deborah Turbeville, Man Ray, et al. Subjects include Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Josephine Baker, Elsa Maxwell, Maria Callas, Anna Magnani, Queen Mary, Irene Castle, Nijinsky, others and beautiful models. Later reprinted in 2010.  First issued in 1980 by Harper & Row.  Large heavy book that requires more than the usual shipping cost.  Summary:

Allure (1980) is a visual and textual manifesto on the elusive nature of style, written by the legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland in collaboration with Christopher Hemphill. Compiled during her tenure as a consultant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, the book is a curated gallery of the images and people that defined Vreeland’s singular, "extravagant" worldview.

Core Themes and "Vreelandisms"

• The "Eye" Must Travel: Vreeland argues that allure is not about conventional beauty or perfection, but about personality, stance, and a "point of view." She famously champions the "flaw" (a long nose, a gap in the teeth) as the very thing that creates a memorable presence.

• The Power of the Image: The book features work by master photographers like Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, and Edward Steichen. Vreeland provides staccato, witty, and often outrageous commentary on each, explaining how a single gesture or fabric fold can capture the spirit of an era.

• A Life of Artifice: For Vreeland, "natural" was never the goal. Allure celebrates the theatrical, the exotic, and the manufactured—the idea that through dress and posture, one can reinvent themselves as a work of art.

Visual and Aesthetic Style

• Iconic Curation: The book includes legendary portraits of figures like Maria Callas, Coco Chanel, and Mick Jagger. Each image is selected for its "zip"—the intangible energy that Vreeland spent her career identifying at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.

• Graphic Boldness: Allure treats the photographic layout with architectural precision. The white space and typography are designed to give the images maximum "impact."