Fashion designer Lela Rose presents an inspiring manifesto for creative and stylish twenty-first-century entertaining. Known for her whimsical fashions, Lela Rose is also a popular and passionate hostess. From the spirited Couples’ Cook-off to a kid-friendly “Primp Your Ride” bike picnic, to an elegant Silver-and-White Christmas dinner, in this book she presents dozens of creative ideas to inspire readers looking for a fresh take on entertaining. Rose’s philosophy is simple: create your own occasions to create your own fun. The themes, colors, seasonality, and activities she concocts for each of her parties show you to how dazzle guests with simple yet unexpected touches. Modernize the traditional bridal shower with a refreshingly retro sewing circle. Turn a ladies’ tea on its head by having girlfriends over for an afternoon tequila tasting. Celebrate your favorite cause by hosting a festive outdoor supper, like the one featured on a Brooklyn rooftop garden. Featuring unique ideas for decoration, recipes for cocktails and key dishes, and tips for throwing everything together in an easy and enjoyable way, Prêt-a-Party will be embraced by a new generation of hosts and hostesses seeking spirited and unconventional good times.

In the first critical history of French ready-made fashion, Alexis Romano examines an array of cultural sources, including surviving garments, fashion magazines, film, photography and interviews, to weave together previously disparate historical narratives. The resulting volume – Prêt-à-Porter: Paris and Women – situates the ready-made in wider cultural discourses of art, design, urbanism, technology and international policy. Through a close study of fashion magazines, including Vogue and Elle, Romano reveals how the French ready-made and the genre of fashion photography in France developed in tandem. Analyses of representations of space, women and prêt-à-porter in such magazines – alongside other cultural ephemera such as contemporary film, documentary photography and family photographs – demonstrate that popular conceptions of fashion and modernity shifted in the period 1945-68. By connecting national and personal histories, Prêt-à-Porter: Paris and Women reveals the importance of the ready-made to broader narratives of postwar reconstruction, national identity, gender and international dialogue.

This book brings together the best of what Pret a Manger has to offer, from soups and hot drinks to the ever-popular sandwiches, baguettes, wraps and salads that have been impressing customers for the past 20 years.

Prêt-a-Portea is the ultimate mix of fashion and high tea created by London's Berkeley Hotel. Each season they create exclusive pastry and cake collections inspired by latest catwalk designs. This book celebrates Prêt a Portea's tenth anniversary with 20 of their greatest hits, including bakes inspired by DVF, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino and Jimmy Choo. Each recipe is beautifully photographed and accompanied by a quote from the designer and a catwalk image that inspired the Berkeley's sugary creation. The book also features suggestions for matching fine teas with the cakes and the Berkeley's own tea etiquette tips accompany the recipes. If you love fashion, baking or both, you will love making everything from Burberry Trench Biscuits to Anya Hindmarch Cake Bags.