Nicky Haslam has always been at the centre of things wherever he is - at parties, opening nights, royal weddings - and has stories to tell of crossing paths, and more, with the cultural icons of our time: Cecil Beaton, Francis Bacon, Diana Cooper, Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Jack Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe to name but a few. Redeeming Features is an exuberantly told and stunningly crafted memoir: a compelling and wholly singular document of our times.
Redeeming Features
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Gloriously entertaining (Sebastian Shakespeare Tatler )
Nicky Haslam has known everyone from Greta Garbo to Cole Porter to the Royal Family, with many unforgettable eccentrics in between. But this is not a catalogue of celebrities. It is a truly felt, beautifully crafted , wise consideration of a full life, which paints an unforgettable picture of a vanished England and America. Masterpiece is an overused word, but this Proustian evocation is indeed a masterpiece (A. N. Wilson )
From the Mitfords to Warhol's Factory to Paris Hilton - Nicky Haslam has been at the centre of every glittering social circle in living memory... Haslam should be declared a National Treasure. While the nation's spirits are grievously low, Haslam brings joy and sprinkles magic dust of one sort or another wherever he goes (Kate Muir The Times )
Redeeming Features is a tour de force romp through high society and the more glamorous chapters in the counterculture of the 20th century and the 21st...Haslam pops up from decade to decade alongside some of the most fascinating people in our cultural history (Vanity Fair )
You could find yourself as Nicky Haslam's 'plus one' at the swellest parties with his delicious memoir (Naomi West Harpers Bazaar )
Nicky Haslam has known everyone from Greta Garbo to Cole Porter to the Royal Family, with many unforgettable eccentrics in between. But this is not a catalogue of celebrities. It is a truly felt, beautifully crafted , wise consideration of a full life, which paints an unforgettable picture of a vanished England and America. Masterpiece is an overused word, but this Proustian evocation is indeed a masterpiece (A. N. Wilson )
From the Mitfords to Warhol's Factory to Paris Hilton - Nicky Haslam has been at the centre of every glittering social circle in living memory... Haslam should be declared a National Treasure. While the nation's spirits are grievously low, Haslam brings joy and sprinkles magic dust of one sort or another wherever he goes (Kate Muir The Times )
Redeeming Features is a tour de force romp through high society and the more glamorous chapters in the counterculture of the 20th century and the 21st...Haslam pops up from decade to decade alongside some of the most fascinating people in our cultural history (Vanity Fair )
You could find yourself as Nicky Haslam's 'plus one' at the swellest parties with his delicious memoir (Naomi West Harpers Bazaar )
Book Description
From legendary designer Nicky Haslam, a dazzling and witty account of his frenetic life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By M. Sweeney
Format:Hardcover
I knew very little about Nicky Haslam prior to reading this book. I noticed photographs in the newspapers some years ago of him - a rather elderly interior designer in London who was obsessed with Liam Gallagher and had changed his appearance to resemble his new hero. I grew up on a Manchester housing estate quite similar to the Gallaghers which made this society figure's obsession seem incredibly weird. Who was this man and why were the press so indulgent of him?
Here is the answer. From his youthful wealthy and privileged background, Haslam was attracted to Gypsies and Teddy Boys. He has a knack of accumulating distinguished and entertaining friends from Tallulah Bankhead and Diana Coopper to Andy Warhol and the Prince of Wales. His perfectly functioning gaydar leaves one to believe that in 1950's London practically every male - married or otherwise - was either gay or bisexual. It is also beautifully written and highly amusing.
Talleyrand was supposed to have said that those who did not live in the years before the revolution could not understand the sweetness of living. One feels much the same sense of a past, sweet existence on reading this warm hearted and utterly engaging story.
Here is the answer. From his youthful wealthy and privileged background, Haslam was attracted to Gypsies and Teddy Boys. He has a knack of accumulating distinguished and entertaining friends from Tallulah Bankhead and Diana Coopper to Andy Warhol and the Prince of Wales. His perfectly functioning gaydar leaves one to believe that in 1950's London practically every male - married or otherwise - was either gay or bisexual. It is also beautifully written and highly amusing.
Talleyrand was supposed to have said that those who did not live in the years before the revolution could not understand the sweetness of living. One feels much the same sense of a past, sweet existence on reading this warm hearted and utterly engaging story.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By I. dunlop
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an enjoyable romp through the gay world of London and the States in the 50s and 60s. But it is more than that. Beneath the clatter of dropped names of faded stars there is someone with an observant eye for his surroundings and real literary talent.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Redeeming Features is a hilarious, engagingly readable romp through one man's charmed life; full of anecdotes, indiscretions, and information about the rich, the creative and the famous. Well-written with evocative passages recalling a childhood in the countryside. What a memory - Nicky must have kept daily diaries for years. I thoroughly recommend it.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
some redeming features .
Who dosent Nicky Haslam know ! I found the first part of the book that covered his early years the most interesting but as it went on it did become a bit dull as he lists all the... Read more
Published 28 days ago by Ms Dawn Harverson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bit disappointing.
When I've flicked through magazines with photos of 'celebrity' events in them, I have often seen famous people posing with someone called Nicky Haslam. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Suze
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful memoir
This book simply flies along. He writes with such apparent ease about people I remember from the headlines of the time. His adventures are described to perfection.
Published 4 months ago by Mr. J. Kirby
5.0 out of 5 stars
For violet creams and society dreams
This is a fabulous memoir of high living and exquisite tastes. The society cast runs into hundreds who feature in major and minor roles. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rachel Owen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
It was a gift, so I am unsure about how well it works. I expect to hear about it in a few weeks or so.
Published 5 months ago by Ian Burton-Palmer
4.0 out of 5 stars
a very funny,'camp' biography
I loved this book, especially as it revealed different aspects of quite a number of people I know. I like the somewhat irreverent approach he has in dealing with the traumatic... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Lucca Lover
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
I loved this book. He was surrounded by extremely interesting people who greatly influenced his life, small wonder he became the talent he is today. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2011 by Ali
5.0 out of 5 stars
Success Breeds Success
Nicky Haslam's autobiography will delight those who know him or any of the plethora of famed "dramatis personae" that he engaged with. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2011 by J. Nichols
1.0 out of 5 stars
Tedious rubbish
I am nearly 50 and I have read a lot of books in my life. I have only ever thrown four in the bin. This was one. Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2010 by Peter Probert
1.0 out of 5 stars
A complete bore
When I read the other reviews I felt as though I must have read a different book altogether. A copy of Who's Who would have been more interesting. Read more
Published on 25 May 2010 by Mrs. Joan Smith
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